Automation of Water Resource Recovery Facilities. Water Environment Federation

Texas.

      Olsson, G.; Newell, B. (1999) Wastewater Treatment Systems: Modelling, Diagnosis and Control; International Water Association: London.

      Water Environment Federation; American Society of Civil Engineers; Environmental and Water Resources Institute (2012) Design of Urban Stormwater Controls; WEF Manual of Practice No. 23, ASCE/EWRI Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice No. 87; Water Environment Federation: Alexandria, Virginia.

8.0 SUGGESTED READINGS

      Liptak, B. (2003) Instrument Engineer’s Handbook: Process Measurement and Analysis; CRC Press: Boca Raton, Florida.

      Skrentner, R. (1988) Instrumentation Handbook for Water & Wastewater Treatment Plants; Lewis Publishers: Chelsea, Michigan.

      Water Environment Research Foundation (2001) Thickening and Dewatering Processes: How to Evaluate and Implement an Automation Package Thickening and Dewatering Processes: How to Evaluate and Implement an Automation Package; Project No. 03-REM-3; Water Environment Research Foundation: Alexandria, Virginia.

Chapter 2

      The Business Case for Automation

      David B. Kubel, P.E.

      Dave W. Roberts, P.E.

       1.0 INTRODUCTION

       2.0 BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION

       2.1 Tangible Economic Benefits

       2.1.1 Labor Savings

       2.1.2 Energy Savings

       2.1.3 Chemical Savings

       2.1.4 Additional Savings

       2.2 Intangible Economic Benefits

       2.2.1 Compliance Monitoring

       2.2.2 Improved Process Performance and Reliability

       2.2.3 Improved Responsiveness

       2.2.4 Enhanced Decision Making

       2.2.5 Reduced Risk

       2.2.6 Workforce Morale and Aging

       2.2.7 Customer Satisfaction

       3.0 AUTOMATION COSTS

       3.1 Planning and Engineering

       3.2 Equipment Procurement

       3.3 Installation, Commissioning, Testing, and Training

       3.4 Post Acceptance Support and Maintenance

       3.5 Intangible Costs

       3.6 Hardware and Software Life Expectancy

       4.0 COST–BENEFIT ANALYSIS

       4.1 Financial Analysis

       4.1.1 Simple Payback Period

       4.1.2 Return on Investment

       4.1.3 Life Cycle Costs and Net Present Value

       4.2 Risk Analysis

       4.3 Approaches to Incorporate Intangible Benefits

       4.3.1 Asset Management

       4.3.2 Triple Bottom Line

       4.3.3 Balanced Scorecard

       5.0 FORMULATING THE BUSINESS CASE

       6.0 REFERENCES

       7.0 SUGGESTED READINGS

1.0 INTRODUCTION

      Automation systems are an integral part of successful operation of a modern utility. Modern control systems can support enhanced decision making and the flexibility to adapt to future operational constraints, treatment processes, and regulatory requirements. Automation systems have historically been implemented as part of a larger process project and, as such, have generally not required significant justification because they have represented a small percentage of overall project cost.

      For stand-alone automation projects that involve replacing or upgrading current systems or those being considered as a part of a utility’s optimization strategy of “doing more with less”, communicating a solid business case is much more important today. This chapter provides an overview of the business case for automation and reviews development of a solid business case including benefits, costs, and risks.

2.0 BENEFITS OF AUTOMATION

      There are several reasons to automate a water resource recovery facility (WRRF). These include consistently meeting regulatory requirements;