No wasted blow with moneo and Industrial IoT

The right digital tools are critical when implementing Industrial Internet of Things (Industrial IoT or IIoT) projects. This is why having a provider like ifm ensures that wastewater projects operate efficiently.

The cost of air compressor leaks can be significant for any processing facility. No operator wants to squander compressed air because it wastes air, energy, and money. Leaks can also reduce system pressure, preventing air tools from working and impacting production. They can also cause air compressors to cycle more regularly. That means more maintenance and unplanned downtime.

This is why Freddie Coertze, National IoT Business Manager at ifm Australia, says the modern plant needs predictive maintenance tools to get the insights required to protect assets and prevent waste.

“Why does the modern plant need data science tools to prevent compressed air waste? Because a compressor doesn’t run on load all the time,” said Coertze. “It runs on variable load depending on how much the factory or processing facility needs. To fully understand how the asset is performing, data needs to be collected from the equipment and analysed – but this is where there is a difference between solutions available.”

What’s the ifm moneo platform?

The ifm moneo platform has been designed to provide real-time insights into an air compressor that usually comes with employing data science experts. It utilises artificial intelligence (AI) and other in-built smarts.

“This is an AI-assisted, self-service predictive maintenance tool,” said Coertze. “It makes it very easy to harvest the data from a complex system. That’s control back in the hands of the business. They can achieve better productivity at their plant as a result.”

Coertze pointed to using the ifm moneo platform to monitor and improve air compressor usage in a wastewater treatment plant.

“All that is required is the moneo platform, which comes in the form of an IPC unit that ifm provides. It is easy to install and links to an IO-Link master. It collects data from the sensor devices,” he said.

Those devices include flow meters, thermometers, humidity sensors, pressure sensors and vibration sensors. There is also a current transmitter to sense how hard the compressor is working.

In the past, businesses have relied on data science experts to analyse equipment data and provide insights. Now, they can access these insights quickly and cost-effectively through artificial intelligence, and they can set this up with an easy, self-service tool. The industrial IoT moneo platform is a self-service tool that enables successful predictive maintenance programs through the help of artificial intelligence.

Why use an air compressor in a wastewater plant?

There are many reasons for using compressed air in a wastewater treatment plant. Filtration and aeration techniques rely on compressed air to operate correctly. Wastewater disposal through vacuums or suction requires compressed air for effective separation and removal.

Digestion tanks need compressed air to activate sludge with oxygen, boosting gas yields and retention time. Similarly, activated sludge tanks are designed for cost-effective sludge activation and maximised oxygen yield, which requires compressed air.

Compressed air also supports the movement of liquids, such as slurry liquids. Those pumps are powered by air compressors and keep slurries in suspension. That way, it can travel easily between tanks.

How does moneo work with air compressors?

Coertze explained that the moneo software draws on historical data to create parameters in which the compressor should work. It then compares this to the real-time data to analyse what is happening. Moneo applies a series of AI algorithms and machine learning as part of its digital solution for the supplier.

“The moneo platform showed that the air compressor had been running at a loss, primarily due to it using more energy than it should,” he said. “This was particularly the case when a plant was shut over the weekend. Through the moneo platform, we can give the treatment plant a holistic view of the entire asset. It also means that we can predict a future failure in the air compressor. Acting swiftly prevents that failure, and there will be no significant consequences.”

One industrial IOT platform to unite them all

An air compressor is just one example of how moneo can help wastewater treatment plant operators obtain efficiencies. It is important to note that the platform should be rolled out across the entire plant to increase predictability through increased data. The open technology platform is designed for simple integration across multiple devices and plant infrastructure.

“To protect, you need to predict,” said Coertze. “Now we can harness AI’s benefits to simplify this process for any facility.”

By focusing on fitting into any module and interface, moneo will have users and their industrial IoT projects ready to go as soon as possible. It is also designed to be industry-independent and manufacturer-independent. Such an approach allows any business to use it with its business operations. The modular system is flexible in adapting to the requirements of an industrial IoT project. ifm has the right modules for different applications and industries, whatever the sector.

“With moneo, we provide a pre-packaged self-service kit that you can expand on, depending on your changing requirements,” said Coertze. “This platform is a middleware that can sit between your sensor level and a higher-end system such as SCADA. With the in-built AI and automated machine learning, you don’t need to involve a data scientist to get real-time, actionable insights.”

To learn more about the moneo platform, visit www.ifm.com/au/en/shared/moneo