Royal HaskoningDHV and WBL win WEX award in digitalised water management

Royal HaskoningDHV, in partnership with Dutch water authority WBL, won an Innovation award in Digitalised Water Management at the Water & Energy Exchange 2023 (WEX) conference for the digital twin of WBL’s wastewater transport system. Digital twin based on Twinn Aqua Suite software oversees nearly a thousand pumping stations to provide clean water and prevent impending failures. WEX award recognises best-in-class digital infrastructure projects and AI initiatives within the water industry.

The digital twin of WBL`s wastewater transport system uses a big data platform and machine learning models for problem detection and predictive maintenance. This early detection based on Aqua Suite application allows operators to take action to prevent the impending failures, improve performance and reduce leakages providing essential clean water.

The Waterschapsbedrijf Limburg (WBL) disposes wastewater to provide essential clean water for 500,000 households and 30,000 companies in the province of Limburg. The digital twin implemented by Royal HaskoningDHV helps the Dutch water authority to oversee 17 sewage treatment plants, 5 sludge dewatering plants, 150 sewage and 800 municipal pumping stations.

“In the future, WBL plans to extend this solution to 3,000 municipal water stations to gain real insight into how the water chain works as a whole”, said Léon Verhaegen, Senior Project Leader of ICT and Innovation at WBL.

“We are happy to make a positive impact on society, helping to solve some of the most pressing challenges in water management,” said Melchior Schenk, Twinn Aqua Suite Business Development Director. “This is a testament to Royal HaskoningDHV`s expertise in the water treatment industry and our innovative thinking in the field of digitalised water management.”

Aqua Suite software uses machine learning to detect at a very early stage that pumps are beginning to deteriorate or that the pressure in pipes is reducing, indicating a danger of a blockage. The digital twin then relays these warnings to the central control room, whereupon the operators take action to prevent the impending failures.

The WEX Global Awards showcase the best examples of circular economy strategies in the water sector, which are necessary to protect the planet and our future resources. The project between Royal HaskoningDHV and WBL demonstrated the connectivity between digital and physical world and showed excellence in the innovative application of technology, while supporting social and economic challenges. The winners were announced at the WEX Gala Dinner and Innovation awards ceremony on March 28, 2023.