With changes to the water industry and people trying to work and live smarter, real-time monitoring functions are set to be a crucial component of the modern world.
By providing data on a system of connected devices, IoT enables companies to gain an insight into their systems to automate processes and reduce long-term labour costs. It can help to cut down on waste and improve efficiency in any industry. It is particularly prevalent in the water industry as it can change the way we assess and manage water use on a daily basis. It can provide consumers new information on water use, that could not be gained through regular data collection. As IoT is becoming less expensive and more user friendly for companies of all sizes, this higher level of connectivity can give an inside look not only into the output of a system, but to the running of pumps within the setup.
The new Verderflex® Ds500 has been specifically designed to challenge traditional technological solutions to certain pumping applications. This new innovation has many applications within the water industry including metering and dosing of key chemicals, pigments, cleaning agents and disinfectants.
The principle behind this technology is to improve the accuracy and save the end user money with both direct costs in terms of chemical usage, and indirect costs via tool-free maintenance and service. It is IoT enabled as standard, allowing the user to future proof their investment and increase efficiency. Essentially, this smart pump monitors activity and provides real-time information on multiple factors e.g., flow, temperature and current. The use of this type of technology means that these pumps are able to gather a great deal of information which can be used to predict when a pump needs to be repaired or replaced.
The Ds500 Remote Assistant (RA) app supports monitoring but does not allow you to control the pump from the app. This provides an added layer of safety and security when using IoT enabled products. It adds value to the user’s process because it lets you record pump performance, plan maintenance and prevent excessive downtime through alerts on problems. Machine learning can harness the ‘intel’ from your system of pumps to help predict tube or cartridge life before failure to allow efficient maintenance planning. Operators are empowered and given flexibility as they can monitor or define operating boundaries and be alerted via the RA app when the pump deviates or exceeds these limits. The alerts cover all critical functions, such as tube failure, giving the user peace of mind. Real time equipment monitoring via the RA app can provide a simple ‘is it running?’ message to complex data analysis and recording. Additionally, the cartridge life countdown function gives the operator the ability to plan maintenance around operations and reduce component changeover, saving time and money in the long run.
Other key benefits of the Ds500 include the touchscreen control panel for easy set up. It works similarly to a smartphone and is mostly icon based, making it extremely user friendly and easy to use. It provides accurate flow performance from 0.1 to 500 ml/min and pressures of up to 7 bar. It can easily handle viscous and abrasive fluids and is also suitable for products with sort and/or hard solid content. It is a true self priming and dry running pump with no valves, so there are no clogging or gassing issues. Another highlight is the easy-to-change click and go cartridge, which can be changed with no tools in a matter of seconds.
Anthony Beckwith, Head of Engineering at Verderflex® explained:
“Water management and water use continue to rise in importance at a rapid level around the world as this precious resource becomes increasingly more valuable to utilise. IoT allows for far more accurate control over resources allowing improved management. The ability to know and understand exactly what is happening, and predict what will happen in the future, is critical to reach any high optimisation goals. The Ds500 pump coupled with our IoT releases take us further down this route and we are excited to be at the forefront of this technology”
The way we monitor and maintain pumps and other ancillary equipment within the water industry is changing. There is a focus on enabling remote monitoring and data analysis in order to provide all users with the most efficient processes. Ultimately, if there is a failure in water system equipment, it can lead to hours of expensive downtime to identify and rectify the problem, so being able to predict these issues ahead of time is crucial and will only increase the demand for smart pumps as technology advances.
Verder is the manufacturer of Verderflex® products
www.verderliquids.co.uk
