Anglian Water has been trialling an innovative pump blockage detection device at over 200 of its sites - early results have shown a 70 per cent reduction in blockages, and in many instances engineers no longer have to visit troublesome sites. 

Blockages of submersible pumps caused by grease and solids are a major problem in pumping wastewater. In the worst-case scenario, this can result in flooded wells, unwanted spillages and eventually, premature motor failures. 

Unscheduled work to manually clear the blockages is then required, which entails pump lifting, involving considerable time and expense, not to mention the health and safety aspects.

Working in association with the Water Innovation Network, the water company is using Siemens’ Simocode motor management system as a pump blockage detection device to extend efficiencies

Anglian Water ran an initial trial at a site in Corby which had been experiencing regular pump blockage issues. Upon first use with Simocode the operator was able to identify that the pump was running at a higher than anticipated current, and instigated a reversal operation.

The current then reduced significantly, suggesting evidence of freeing a previous blockage. The system was configured to look for set points indicating higher than normal currents, whereby Simocode would automatically instigate a pump reversal.

In the six months since the first trial started, Anglian Water has experienced a considerable reduction in blockages, along with lower running costs. 

The company is now confident that pump blockages can be significantly reduced - Anglian Water asset optimisation engineer Lorenzo Pompa commented:

“Previously we spent up to £15 million a year sorting out around 34,000 blockages at a cost of around £500 per blockage. Blockages have a negative impact on the environment and our customers, and tie up our technicians, who we’d rather were working on enhancing processes at our water recycling centres and pumping stations. So, any steps we can take to avoid blockages provide an all-round benefit for us.”

Benefits have also included a dramatic reduction in downtime, significant TOTEX benefits, a scalable solution with simple deployment and the flexibility of either a networked or standalone configuration. 

In addition to managing the process, if required Simocode will provide all the data associated with the pump over a secure internet connection so decisions can be taken remotely.

Anglian Water now plans to introduce Simocode to other sites in due course.