Deploying IMI TWTG NEON non-ex sensors in water and wastewater plants

Water and wastewater operators face a unique challenge. They manage thousands of critical rotating assets spread across treatment works, pumping stations, distribution networks and remote facilities, while simultaneously being expected to improve reliability, reduce operating costs and accelerate progress towards net-zero targets.

Few industries depend on pumps to the same extent as the water sector. Industry estimates suggest the UK water industry alone operates between 80,000 and 120,000 pumps across its water and wastewater infrastructure. These assets consume significant amounts of energy every day, making efficiency improvements a major strategic priority.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), water and wastewater operations account for approximately 4% of global electricity consumption. Yet UNESCO estimates that inefficiencies across the sector contribute billions of pounds of economic losses annually.

The good news is that energy efficiency improvements are no longer limited to upgrading motors and pumps. Digital condition monitoring, predictive maintenance and wireless sensor technology are creating new opportunities to improve asset performance, reduce unplanned downtime and optimise energy consumption across water networks.

The UK water industry has committed to ambitious decarbonisation programmes, with utilities investing heavily in:

While efficient motors and pumps can significantly reduce energy consumption, maintaining those assets in peak operating condition is equally important.

A pump suffering from bearing wear, misalignment, cavitation or mechanical imbalance may continue operating, but can often consume more energy and deliver reduced performance long before a catastrophic failure occurs.

Identifying these issues early helps operators:

This is where continuous condition monitoring can deliver substantial value.

One of the most exciting developments in the UK water industry is the rapid rollout of LoRaWAN infrastructure.

For example, Yorkshire Water has partnered with Netmore to connect large numbers of smart water meters using LoRaWAN communications technology. The same low-power, long-range wireless network that supports smart metering can also provide connectivity for industrial monitoring applications.

This creates a significant opportunity.

Instead of building a dedicated communications network for asset monitoring, utilities may be able to leverage existing LoRaWAN infrastructure to connect pumps, motors, blowers and other critical plant equipment.

For organisations managing hundreds or thousands of remote assets, the combination of wireless sensors and existing LoRaWAN coverage can dramatically simplify deployment.

Traditional maintenance programmes rely heavily on:

While these approaches remain important, they only provide periodic snapshots of equipment condition.

Many failures begin developing between inspections.

Continuous wireless monitoring provides maintenance teams with additional visibility into asset health by detecting trends and deviations as they develop rather than waiting until the next inspection round.

For geographically dispersed pumping stations and remote sites, this visibility can be especially valuable.

Successful deployments start by identifying critical equipment rather than attempting to monitor everything at once.

Key considerations include:

Typical candidates include:

Starting with a focused pilot allows operators to demonstrate value before scaling deployment across wider networks.

Rotating machinery typically provides warning signs before failure occurs.

Changes in vibration behaviour can indicate issues such as:

The IMI TWTG NEON Vibration Sensor (Non-Ex) provides continuous three-axis vibration monitoring with spectrum analysis and configurable monitoring algorithms.

By tracking vibration trends over time, maintenance teams can identify developing issues and plan interventions before equipment performance deteriorates further.

Temperature is often one of the earliest indicators of deteriorating equipment condition.

Elevated temperatures may result from:

The IMI TWTG NEON Temperature Transmitter (Non-Ex) supports RTD and thermocouple inputs for continuous monitoring of motors, bearings and supporting process equipment.

Combined with vibration data, temperature measurements can provide valuable additional context when investigating asset health.

Pressure monitoring provides visibility into process and hydraulic performance.

Applications can include:

The IMI TWTG NEON Pressure Sensor (Non-Ex) offers a wireless monitoring option for suitable pressure applications where the measurement range and connection arrangement align with site requirements.

Improving reliability is often viewed separately from improving energy efficiency. In practice, they are closely connected.

Mechanical problems frequently increase energy consumption before causing failure.

Examples include:

Continuous monitoring helps operators identify these conditions sooner, reducing both maintenance costs and avoidable energy usage.

This makes condition monitoring a practical contributor to net-zero programmes, complementing investments in high-efficiency motors, VSDs and pump optimisation projects.

Water companies operate thousands of assets far beyond treatment plants.

Examples include:

Historically, monitoring these locations has been challenging because installing wired instrumentation is often costly and disruptive.

LoRaWAN-enabled NEON sensors offer a practical alternative.

Benefits include:

As more utilities expand LoRaWAN coverage for smart metering applications, the business case for broader operational monitoring continues to strengthen.

Before installation, operators should assess:

Asset criticality

Monitor assets where improved visibility can deliver the greatest operational benefit.

Environmental conditions

Consider:

Communication coverage

Verify:

Hazardous arearequirements

It is important to recognise that NEON Non-Ex sensors are intended for non-hazardous environments.

Many wastewater facilities contain areas where explosive atmospheres may occur due to biogas or other process conditions.

Site-specific hazardous area assessments must therefore be completed to ensure equipment selection complies with applicable requirements.

The value of a monitoring programme does not come from collecting data.

It comes from acting on it.

Successful deployments establish:

Typical measures of success include:

When integrated into existing maintenance programmes, wireless monitoring helps maintenance teams focus resources where they are most needed.

Water and wastewater operators face increasing pressure to improve reliability, reduce energy consumption, and achieve ambitious net-zero objectives.

While investments in high-efficiency motors and pumps remain essential, the condition of those assets plays a major role in determining their real-world performance.

The combination of LoRaWAN connectivity and IMI TWTG NEON Non-Ex sensors provides a scalable approach to monitoring pumps, motors and other critical assets across treatment plants and remote infrastructure.

By deploying vibration, temperature, and pressure monitoring on the right equipment, utilities can gain earlier visibility into developing issues, optimise maintenance resources, improve energy efficiency, and support long-term sustainability goals.

As LoRaWAN networks become increasingly common across the water sector, condition monitoring has the potential to become a key enabler of smarter, more efficient and more resilient water operations.

Stephen Howes is Product Manager, Connected Devices, at IMI

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