OBJECTIVE

Treatment of 95% of Aguas de Aburrá

In 2000, the EPM group initiated the Medellín River sanitation program with the commissioning of the San Fernando wastewater treatment plant. In 2012, with the objective of continuing the program and achieving treatment of 95% of these waters, the EPM group subsidiary, Aguas Nacionales/Consorcio de Aguas de Aburrá, constructed and commissioned the north interceptor and the Bello wastewater treatment plant.

This megaproject enabled the transportation of wastewater from the municipalities of Medellín and Bello to this plant where, through activated sludge, it receives secondary treatment before being discharged into the Medellín River. In this way, by reducing the organic load received by the river, it will be possible to raise the dissolved oxygen content to a minimum level of 5 mg/l, complying with the requirements established by the environmental authority.

The supplied system has two main objectives: on the one hand, to ensure the protection of equipment and personnel by preventing possible catastrophic failures in the most critical equipment; and on the other, to enable continuous and remote supervision of equipment operation, as some equipment is located outside the plant facilities.

Execution Date:

2012

Location:

Spain

Sector:

Water

HOW WE MADE IT HAPPEN

Monitoring and data processing

Within the construction project of the Bello wastewater treatment plant, a vibration monitoring system was planned to improve the performance of the main machinery. The scope of this monitoring system included continuous monitoring of 41 machine trains as well as the supply of portable vibration measurement equipment for conducting measurement routes on less critical machinery.

The monitored machinery includes inlet pumps to the wastewater treatment system, aeration system blowers, primary and secondary sludge pumps, agitators, thickening and dewatering centrifugal pumps, and gas motor generators. Temperatures in bearings and bushings are also monitored.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

What products and services we applied to the project

  • Vibrations

    Vibration technology is essential in industrial predictive maintenance, as it detects imbalances, misalignments and failures in rotating components with high accuracy.

  • Portable equipment

    Portable vibration analysis equipment allows fast and accurate diagnostics in the field, identifying unbalances, misalignments and incipient faults in rotating machinery.

  • Machinery Lubrication Analyst Category II (ISO 18436-4)

    This course enables lubrication professionals to develop a strategic plan to meet maintenance objectives.

  • Vibration analysis and applications in Wind Turbines

    PRE 7104. Course on analysis and diagnosis of vibrations in wind turbines.

  • Asset Reliability Practitioner (ARP-A) Reliability Advocate – Reliability Promoter

    The "ARP Asset Reliability" course gathers all the necessary background knowledge on how to improve the reliability and performance of your assets within your organization.

  • Asset Reliability Practitioner (ARP-E) Reliability Engineer

    The Asset Reliability [ARP-E] "RELIABILITY ENGINEER" course encompasses many of the best aspects of reliability and, once you have completed the course, you gain a very solid knowledge in all areas related to reliability.

  • Industrial inspection services

    Industrial inspection services are essential to ensure the reliability, safety and operational efficiency of industrial equipment and processes. They are used to detect failures early, optimize predictive maintenance and reduce operating costs, ensuring optimal asset performance. At Preditec, we offer energy efficiency audits, fugitive emissions detection and advanced technical inspections, designed to identify areas for improvement, optimize energy consumption and reduce pollutant emissions.

  • Predictive maintenance

    Predictive maintenance is an advanced strategy for detecting incipient failures in industrial equipment before they become serious failures. It is used to optimize production, reduce downtime and minimize maintenance costs, and is key in sectors such as energy, automotive, petrochemical and manufacturing.
    At Preditec, we offer basic and advanced predictive maintenance services designed to maximize the efficiency and reliability of industrial assets. Through vibration analysis, thermography, ultrasound and lubricant monitoring, we help our customers achieve greater competitiveness and reduced operating costs.

  • Advanced analysis

    Machinery diagnostics is a key tool in predictive maintenance, as it allows to detect and prevent failures in critical equipment before they affect the industrial productivity and operability. It is used to analyze the condition of assets, optimizing their performance and extending their useful life. At Preditec, we offer advanced machinery diagnostics services, applying technologies such as vibration analysis, thermography, ultrasound and real-time monitoring, which are essential to ensure equipment reliability, avoid catastrophic failures and improve industrial maintenance management.

Would you like to have Preditec in your industry projects?

RESULTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

An efficient system

All of this enabled the implementation of a predictive maintenance system based on knowledge of machine condition through vibration analysis and diagnostics.

The measured variables are sent to the plant’s distributed control system for analysis by the operators, who, thanks to the diagnostic tool, hosted on an external server, can make reports and assessments taking into account the data history of past measurements. The system architecture includes a fiber optic ring network with remote access capabilities.

30%

reduction of unplanned downtime

50%

savings in asset repair costs