Drives & Controls Magazine November/December 2022

41 www.drivesncontrols.com November/December 2022 CONTROLGEAR AND ENCLOSURES n Soft-starters help to clean and protect the Ganges V aranasi, the spiritual capital of India, is an historical city that is home to around 1.1 million people. As one of the most popular destinations in India, the city receives around 8.9 million visitors each year. A growing population and the year-round influx of tourists are stretching the city’s water resources beyond their capacity, affecting the sustainability of the holy Ganga (Ganges) River. Every day, Varanasi generates about 300 million litres of sewage. The Indian government has an initiative called Namami Gange aimed at cleaning the river by diverting the major drains flowing into the Ganges into sewage treatment plants to prevent pollution. Varanasi’s Jal Kal department, which is responsible for the city’s water supply, has been working on measures to make these supplies more reliable and energy-efficient. A key part of work to achieve better water management has been to install soft-starters at Varanasi’s pumping station and sewage treatment plants. The increasing demand for water from the residents of the holy city and the millions of tourists that flock there creates numerous supply management challenges. With leakages and pipeline damage being a major concern, smart applications are helping to maintain smooth, safe and optimised operations. Varanasi’s water pumping station relies on a century-old, 250 megalitre-per-day water treatment plant. Pipe bursts and leakages cause frequent water distribution issues. The soft-starters, supplied by ABB, are being used to ensure smoother water movements and to eliminate pressure surges, thus helping to minimise leaks and to prevent pipe bursts. The starters’ built-in torque control functions eliminate water hammering, and wear on pipes and valves, when starting and stopping the pumps. The soft-starters also incorporate smart control functions that keep the pipes and pumps clean and prevent dry running, reducing mechanical stresses and helping the water supply processes to operate at their full potential for longer. The all-in-one devices with integrated contactors and bypass protection simplify installation and set-up. A built-in display makes it easy for users to understand and manage their installations. The smart soft-starter technology is enabling uninterrupted water supplies to around 60% of Varanasi’s population and effective pumping of treated water at its sewage treatment plants, thus supporting the Namami Gange programme. “For Jal Kal Varanasi, our objective was to enable safe and reliable water supply operations,” says Kiran Dutt, president of ABB India’s electrification business. “With smart technology and state-of-the-art products, we were able to support the Jal Kal team in their endeavour to increase water supply reliability, motor lifespan and lower maintenance costs. Given the critical challenges faced by the water supply bodies, we are pleased to provide electrification solutions that support our stakeholders in meeting them.” n The holy Indian city of Varanasi has turned to soft-starters to help treat water flowing into the Ganges river to keep it cleaner. The installation is also reducing leaks, pipe bursts and water hammering. The water in the Ganges river at Varanasi is now cleaner following the installation of soft-starters in the local water treatment system