Leveraging digital twin technology, Cuxhaven, Germany reduces aeration energy use by 30% while ensuring effluent water quality compliance

EWE WASSER GmbH (EWE) in Germany wanted a system to optimize the energy consumption associated with aeration with better system control of chemical usage, while ensuring compliance with local effluent limits at the Cuxhaven treatment plant. EWE partnered with Xylem to develop and deploy Xylem Vue powererd by GoAigua's Plant Real-Time Decision Support application, which uses machine learning to create models of the carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous elimination processes based on data from the plant’s SCADA system. Several “virtual sensors” were developed to calculate an estimate of the incoming carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous loads of the influent.

Since implementing Plant Real-Time Decision Support, the Cuxhaven treatment plant has shown a 30% reduction in aeration energy usage, corresponding to 1.2 million kWh annually, while ensuring that all plant effluent concentrations continue to maintain regulatory compliance.

• Reduced aeration energy consumption by 30%
• Ensured effluent water quality compliance
• Improved safety with better system control of chemical usage