Innovation Driven Value Innovations Between Nations
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Israeli Advanced Water Technology Event November 29, 2012 Dave Hughes Paul Gagliardo Innovations Between Nations
Transcript of Innovation Driven Value Innovations Between Nations
Innovation Driven Value
Israeli Advanced Water Technology Event November 29, 2012
Dave Hughes Paul Gagliardo
Innovations Between Nations
Presentation Overview
• A look at American Water’s Innovation Development Process American Water and the IDP mission How it works
• A look at a cooperative proposal by American Water and Stream Control to the Binational Industrial and Research Development Foundation (BIRD) Stream Control product The American Water role The team proposal
Who is American Water • The largest publicly traded water and wastewater services
provider in the United States. • Employ approximately 6,600 active employees • Treat and deliver more than one billion gallons of water
daily
• Operate and manage 49,000 miles (80,000 km) of distribution and water mains
• Provide services to approximately 15 million people in more than 1,300 communities.
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Where is American Water • Operate in over 30 states • 370 individual water
systems • 80 surface water treatment
plants • 600 groundwater treatment
plants • 1,000 groundwater wells • 60 wastewater treatment
plants
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• American Water is highly representative of the variability of water systems in the US – age, size, climate, topography, water sources and pipe materials.
Why American Water Innovates
• American Water Vision Statement: “Our Vision is to be the trusted
steward of your precious resource – water”
• Stewardship refers to the responsibility to take care of something belonging to someone else.
• It is an ethic that embodies responsible planning and
management of resources on behalf of our customers.
• Providing value to customers means doing more with least cost and technology is viewed as a means to achieve this.
Opportunities - Focus Areas and Goals
• Operational Efficiency • Optimizing People, Power, Pipe, Meter, Chemical Expenses • Present and Pending Regulation Monitoring and Compliance • Sustaining Company Growth • Strategic Business Opportunities • Providing Shareholder Value
In order to be a successful innovator, American Water seeks to find invention and innovation and welcomes collaborative ideas.
Innovation and Environmental Stewardship Group
• Team of experts focused on key areas of water and wastewater business.
• Motivated group whose function is to seek out new
ideas and create innovative opportunities and put them to work within the business.
• Engage the business, provide technical assistance, identify opportunities
Innovation and Environmental Stewardship Group
Innovation Development Program
• Innovation Team Look for innovation and opportunities Review ideas found by other Serve as technical advisors for implementation Research and project management
• Innovation Manager (Paul Gagliardo) Idea Screener Ombudsman Entrepreneur Liaison Change Management Champion
Evolution of the Innovation Program
• Innovation Manager and Innovation team interaction. • Develop internal and external connections and contacts. • Create a pipeline of ideas to screen and analyze. • Engender credibility and trust within the organization. • Document Value to the Organization. • Create a culture of innovation throughout the company. • Move best ideas through the Stage Gate Process.
Examples of Innovation
• Enbala – smart electric grid analysis • Coagulant recovery, biological filtration • 3M - Structural pipe rehabilitation • Advanced Hydro -Filter membrane coatings • Microvi - Encapsulated microorganism treatment • NPXpress – low oxygen wastewater treatment process • Smart Earth Technologies – meter & system data management • SET - Automated customer shutoff valves
Connecting with Israeli Companies • Conversations with Stream Control, TakaDu, KP Electronics,
Miya, IDE, Emefcy, Curapipe
SET and Water Meter Reading Issues • Approximately 3.3 million water meters • Transitioning some meters from manual to electronic • Transitioning most meters from walk by to drive-by • Looking to migrate to AMI (no solution with legacy vendor) • Legacy meter system preserving proprietary communication • PUC Mandated Replacement Schedule (10 to 20 years)
The goal – a Standard Communications Protocol
• Utilities are demanding the adoption of a common communications standard that allows for third-party device manufacturers to build solutions that are not handicapped by the limitations of a single-purpose communications method.
The Meter/AMR/AMI/Acoustic Monitor Maze Meters Network AMI Acoustic Monitors
Itron MLOG
Permalog
Gutermann
Echologics
Neptune
Sensus
Itron
Datamatic
Aclara
Elster
Neptune
Sensus
Elster
Badger
Master Meter
Badger
Metrotech Metron Farnier
KP Electronics
Mueller Systems
Itron Leak Sensor Mueller Systems
Sewerin
Information Technology and Interoperability
• Smart Earth Technologies Single software system can receive reads from all meter vendor
offerings, a work around for the commoditization of meters Automated route loading and billing info downloading Ability to incorporate different (legacy) equipment Ability to migrate to AMI seamlessly Meter Data Management using cloud technology for utility
access and ultimately customer portals GIS platform to collect data from all end points in the
distribution system. • Teamed with Mueller Systems
have agreed to interoperability criteria.
SET DISPLAY FOR METER VEHICLES
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SET Value
• Real time data collection • Getting customer issues into hands of customers faster • More informed customer and field service staff • Creating customer tools • Automated billing • Predictive versus reactive operations • Capital investment offset by decreased operating costs • Deployment of real time sensors and monitors in system
Customer shutoff valve Leak sensing acoustic monitors Pressure monitors
Stream Control Opportunity
• Decreasing water pressure reduces leakage and the frequency of pipe breaks.
• The industry has recognized that pressure can be reduced when demand is low. (Usually late night flow is largely leakage.)
• North America vendors have produced PRV units that can replace existing units that adjust pressure lower when demand.
• Replacing a PRV is a challenging install and many PRVs in good working order
• Stream Control has devised a method to retrofit existing PRV units without replacement.
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AW role – Merging technologies in the field
• AW will send pressure reducing valves from US manufacturers to SC to look at retrofitting prevalent models
• AW will select 5 test sites Pennsylvania, West Virginia, California,
New Jersey, Tennessee • SET technology will be engaged to
provide methodology to capture, store and display flow and pressure data
• AW will assess systems to determine level of leakage
• AW will gather data to assess decrease in leaks and
• Advanced product can receive instruction and adjust per manufacturer
Deploying Aqua Guard by Stream Control
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McCrometer insertion flow meter –provides rate of flow into zone electronically
Pressure transducer – provides pressure delivered into zone electronically
Aqua-Guard adjusts PRV pressure setting according to flow Product 2 can be commanded electronically
Pressure reducing valve maintains pressure delivered into zone
Transmission of data into SET system for viewing and SC/AW analysis
Follow through
• The SC units will be evaluated by the team to look for any potential improvements.
• The systems served will be monitored for reduction in leakage and savings will be calculated
• The team will meet with a marketing consultant to evaluate strategy for advancing sales in North America
• If successful, AW will identify locations for potential application and purchase.
• If successful, SC will increase their visibility in US.
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American Water welcomes your ideas Paul Gagliardo P.E.
Innovation Development Process Manager
American Water 1025 Laurel Oak Road Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-727-6151
[email protected] David M. Hughes P.E.
Water Research Manager American Water 1025 Laurel Oak Road Voorhees, NJ 08043 856-727-6108
I welcome your questions
