The cooperation between Hämeenlinnan Seudun Vesi and Insta in water utility automation has already continued for over 20 years. As a lifecycle partner, Insta has been involved in developing automation for both wastewater treatment and clean water networks. The Insta Wahti® Flow software provides network personnel with a clear situational overview and helps identify deviations and leaks faster.
Hämeenlinnan Seudun Vesi (HS-Vesi) is a water utility company owned by Hämeenlinna, Hattula and Akaa, responsible for water sourcing and distribution as well as the efficient treatment of wastewater. The company is known for its high-quality groundwater and determined development work as a pioneer in water services. HS-Vesi’s operations cover three separate wastewater treatment plants and sewerage areas, the largest of which is the Paroinen plant in Hämeenlinna.
The cooperation between HS-Vesi and Insta in water utility automation has already continued for over 20 years. As a lifecycle partner, Insta has been involved in developing and renewing HS-Vesi’s water utility automation both in wastewater treatment and in clean water networks. One of the most significant projects of the cooperation has been the extensive renovation and improvement project at the Paroinen wastewater treatment plant, which is the largest environmental investment in HS-Vesi’s history. In the project, Insta was responsible, among other things, for renewing the plant’s process automation system.
Partnership brings clarity to the whole
The automation environment of water services is extensive and multi-layered. For HS-Vesi, it is important that the system as a whole remains manageable and does not become a network of many different suppliers.
“We have not had a strong desire to distribute the work among many operators. When operating with one partner, there are fewer interfaces and the overall management is clearer”, say HS-Vesi’s CEO Ari Kaunisto and Head of Planning Jarno Laine.
Insta has delivered automation systems, field devices as well as a wide range of design, installation and maintenance services to HS-Vesi. HS-Vesi is also a customer of Insta’s maintenance and lifecycle services and has utilized the reporting and alarm forwarding software of the Insta Wahti® service family for years.
Insta Wahti® Flow was created from the everyday needs of the network
In 2018, a clear objective was set in HS-Vesi’s strategy: leak management and detection in the water distribution network needed to be improved. A better situational overview and a tool were needed to bring together scattered measurement and automation data into a format that serves the everyday work of network personnel.
For the district metering needs of the clean water network, development of the Insta Wahti® Flow software was initiated in cooperation. Flow compiles essential data into a visual map view, which shows water intake plants, measuring stations, consumption areas and the network. The system calculates leakage percentages in consumption areas and highlights deviations clearly through color coding.
“It was important for network users that the view corresponds to the way they observe the network. The map, trends and deviations have been built specifically with their everyday work in mind”, Laine describes.
Fast situational overview, better response
Flow has brought clear benefits to HS-Vesi, especially in detecting leaks and addressing deviations. Previously, information about water loss often travelled from the plant side to the network side with a delay. Now, network personnel get an overall picture of the situation every morning and can react quickly.
“With one glance you can see where something is out of the ordinary. The map view and trends help to dive into the issue immediately”, Laine describes.
Laine also says that added value has been created from more efficient utilization of already existing measurements. There were dozens of pressure measurements in HS-Vesi’s network that were previously difficult to perceive as a whole, and according to him, Flow placed the measurements on the map in their correct locations and made them genuinely usable in everyday work.
Agile development and joint work
Insta Wahti® Flow has been developed step by step and in an agile way according to HS-Vesi’s needs. Kaunisto and Laine describe Insta’s way of working as customer-oriented – functionalities have been built piece by piece, tested in practice and refined based on feedback.
“The needs have become more precise as the project has progressed, and the end result has turned out even better than we originally expected.”
Flow continues to develop as part of HS-Vesi’s broader overall solution for network management. The cooperation with Insta provides HS-Vesi with the opportunity to develop automation and data management to support the everyday needs of the network – and to build an even stronger foundation for future water services.
