A Digital Twin Roadmap for Drinking Water Treatment Systems in Europe

“A Stepping Stone to Digital Twin Creation for Drinking Water Treatment Systems. In the drinking water sector, the concept of Digital Twins are revolutionising operations and management of system processes, presenting an opportunity to advance the efficiency and control of drinking water purification. To accelerate its adoption for the Dutch and Flemish drinking water sector, a systematic roadmap was created and practically applied for a water softening treatment unit, operated by De Watergroep in Belgium.
In the field of drinking water treatment, the concept of Digital Twins is reshaping the landscape, transforming how water utilities operate and manage the various treatment processes and associated assets. Acting as virtual replicas of real systems, Digital Twins mirror physical processes using system data as input. In the context of drinking water treatment, a Digital Twin integrates process models fed by data management or process information systems. Digital Twins can offer versatile functionalities ranging from insights into water quality, enhancement of monitoring, and enabling of more efficient management of the process assets and operations. Originating from a request within the Dutch and Flemish drinking water sector, a project was initiated to develop a systematic roadmap for the creation and implementation of Digital Twins in water treatment. This roadmap found practical application in the form of a functional design for a water softening treatment unit, operated by De Watergroep in Belgium.”

(Citation: Seshan, S., Torrello, M., Korevaar, M.W., et.al. – A Digital Twin Roadmap for Drinking Water Treatment Systems in Europe – A Stepping Stone to Digital Twin Creation for Drinking Water Treatment Systems – De Watergroep (2024))