Case Study: Remote Water Tower Level Monitoring

ABM provides critical support and process feedback with remote level monitoring platform

Water towers are a critical component of municipal water distribution systems. Remote water tower level monitoring is invaluable to ensure a reliable drinking water supply, maintain water distribution systems and enhance emergency response capabilities.

For this project, a municipality sought a reliable solution to remotely monitor water levels in their towers to help manage the drinking water supply throughout the service area. ABM’s wireless cellular, ultrasonic level sensors with built-in battery packs and remote support services were selected as the ideal solution for the application.

Problem

The application had several challenging criteria that needed to be addressed to ensure reliable level measurements in the towers.

Year-round operation was essential. The sensors had to operate without fail under a broad range of temperatures expected with the changing seasons.
High condensation was common inside the tank. Operation and measurement accuracy could not be affected by condensation or potential ice build-up in the winter.
Low accessibility to the sensors (high elevation, remote locations). The sensors had to be maintenance-free and hands-off for operation.
No power supply available. The sensors had to operate from battery power or another standalone power source for an extended period.
Weak cellular signals could be encountered. Remote towers could have limited connectivity options for transmitting data, hindering real-time monitoring.
Remote data access and support. The sensor data had to be accessible from a web-based platform for remote monitoring. Support was essential for feedback, sensor control, and rapid response to any issues.
API (Application Programming Interface). API was required for data to automatically push from the ABM servers to the customers.

Solution

Exceeding Criteria

ABM’s non-contact ultrasonic level sensors with built-in cellular modems and battery packs (internal or external) were the perfect solution to match the application criteria for remote level monitoring. The standalone sensors automatically connect to the secured ABM servers and provide the municipality with remote access to their data from the web-based portal. An API is used to send data directly to the customer’s servers/websites.

ABM’s superior self-adjusting sensor technology provides reliable performance under all tower conditions. The ultrasonic sensors highly active drivers enable automatic self-cleaning of the transducer face. Self-cleaning eliminates the effects of condensation or other build-up on measurements and provides maintenance-free operation.

24/7 Remote Support

In addition to remote monitoring, the municipality receives 24/7 remote support from ABM for set-up, optimizing the sensors performance, troubleshooting and diagnosing issues, and providing relevant process insights.

The remote support has proved invaluable on several occasions. In one instance, the combination of high condensation with a rapid drop in temperature created ice on the sensor, causing erroneous measurements (Fig. 1). ABM engineers rapidly identified the problem and took action. The sensor’s parameters were adjusted to pulse the transducer, removing the ice rapidly. From there, the engineer applied a filter to eliminate ice influence on the measurements (Fig. 2).

Figure 1: Echo profile with ice build-up on the sensor.

Figure 2: Echo profile with ice removed from the sensor.

The service has saved the municipality significant time and costs by not having to travel to sites or perform troubleshooting when issues arise. Sensor downtime is also reduced, which is essential for critical sensors like those monitoring the level of water towers.

Critical Process Feedback

With ongoing remote monitoring, ABM engineers identified potentially dangerous conditions inside the tank, with water levels rising very close to the sensor. This information was rapidly communicated to the municipality, as overflows can lead to water wastage, flooding and potential damage to infrastructure.

Conversely, another event was observed where the water level was extremely low. Again, the information was relayed to the municipality as low levels can result in water shortages and reduced water pressure.

With these critical insights, the municipality was able to optimize pump schedules for greater efficiency and safety. Optimizing the process led to a regular cycle pattern of water use (Fig. 3) and resulted in reduced energy consumption and operational costs.

Figure 3: Water level in the tower before and after process optimization (30 days).

Conclusion

Remote water tower level monitoring with ABM’s cellular, non-contact ultrasonic level sensors proved invaluable, helping the municipality ensure the efficient and reliable operation of the water distribution system. ABM’s remote support and critical feedback allowed proactive management, ultimately leading to greater optimization and cost savings for the municipality

Learn more about ABM’s remote monitoring solutions for water level measurement below: