HomeMy WebLinkAbout5.b. Receive recap of 2022 Innovations Fair Page 1 of 16
Item 5.b.
CENTRAL SAN
November 1, 2022
TO: ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE
FROM: CHRISTINA GEE, MANAGEMENT ANALYST
REVIEWED BY: TEJI O'MALLEY HUMAN RESOURCES AND ORGANIZATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
SUBJECT: RECEIVE RECAP OF 2022 INNOVATIONS FAIR
At the September 21, 2022 Employee Appreciation Picnic, Central San hosted its first in-person Innovations
Fair to celebrate employees' creativity by showcasing innovative projects currently in progress or completed in
the last two years. Featured projects were selected from nominations submitted by staff, and display booths
were created by the innovators. Fair attendees voted for Innovation of the Year, and the winners were as
follows:
I NNOVATI ON OF THE YEAR:
Debris-Catching Device for Maintenance Access Holes
Innovators: Tifton Gantt and Loren Reimer(Collection System Operations (CSO))
RUNNER-UP:
Improved Effluent with Dissolved Oxygen Set Point Change
Innovators: Mike Allen (Plant Operations),Aaron Cortez (Plant Operations), and Michael Cunningham
(Special Projects/Planning & Development Services)
Other Featured Innovations with booth displays at the fair included the following:
• 75th Anniversary Experience
Innovators: Emily Barnett, Chris Carpenter, Kelsey Lansang, Ben Lavender, Ann Vallee, Joe Zumbo,
retiree Charles Waltmire, and former intern Zoie Campbell (Communications)
• Phone System Replacement
Innovators: DmitryAbramov, Damon Dun, Matt Hart, Tim Hiteshew, Charles Mallory, Joseph Smith,
George Solivar, Jose Vega, and retiree John Huie (Information Technology(IT))
• Tertiary Membrane Filtration Pilot
Innovators:Amanda Cauble and Dan Frost(Planning&Applied Research)
• UV Resource Planning Dashboard
Innovators: Khae Bohan (Asset Management), Mike Matthews (Asset Management), Neil Meyer(Plant
Maintenance), Ian Morales (Asset Management), Jon Nicolaus (Plant Maintenance), and Carl Von
Steffen (Asset Management)
November 1, 2022 Regular ADM IN Committee Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 45 of 62
Page 2 of 16
A poster board catalogued Recent Innovations in the Mechanical Maintenance Shop:
• Heat Exchange Flushing Cart
Innovator:Anthony Smith (Mechanical Shop)
• Return Activated Sludge Pump Improvements
Innovators: Kenny Rosenstiel and Brian Walters (Mechanical Shop)
• Diagnosing, Replacing, and Repairing the Furnace No. 2 Gearbox Using Motion Amplification
Technology
Innovators: Shaun Mockel, Anthony Smith, and Brian Walters (Mechanical Shop)
Finally, the Incubator Booth showcased two innovations currently in progress:
• Digital Operator Rounds Sheets
Innovators:Ashley Freeman (CSO), Nick Hansen (Plant Operations), Neil Meyer(Plant Maintenance),
and Ian Morales (Asset Management)
• Handheld Device to Collect Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility(HHWCF) Visitor Data
Innovators: DmitryAbramov(IT), Dennis Chebotarev(IT), Dave Wyatt(HHWCF), and Winston Ingram
(HHWCF)
Staff would like to thank everyone who nominated projects, the innovators, staff who visited the fair, the
Buildings & Grounds team for assisting with the setup and takedown, Jimmie Castillo in the Reprographics
Service Center for printing the materials for the fair, Human Resources and Organizational Development
Manager Teji O'Malley and General Manager Roger S. Bailey for supporting the fair, and to the Central
San Leadership Team and Board of Directors for fostering innovation throughout the organization.
At the Committee meeting, staff will present a recap of the fair as well as information on the featured
projects via the attached presentation.
Strategic Plan re-In
GOAL ONE: Customer and Community
Strategy 1—Deliver high-quality customer service
GOAL THREE: Workforce Diversity and Development
Strategy 3- Retain skilled workers by investing in resources and opportunities for all employees to grow and thrive
GOAL FOUR: Governance and Fiscal Responsibility
Strategy 3- Maintain financial stability and sustainability
GOAL SIX: Infrastructure Reliability
Strategy 1 - Manage assets optimally
GOAL SEVEN: Innovation and Agility
Strategy 1 - Leverage data analytics to become a more efficient utility, Strategy 2- Implement organization-wide
optimization, Strategy 3- Be adaptable, resilient and responsive
November 1, 2022 Regular ADM IN Committee Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 46 of 62
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ATTACHMENTS:
1. Presentation
November 1, 2022 Regular ADMIN Committee Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 47 of 62
Page 4 of 16
November 1,2022
2022
s
Innovations
Fair
Administration Committee
Meeting
Christina Gee
Management Analyst 4
f
1
Fair k
Nominations solicited from staff I Vis lt:he Incubator Booth to see in-progress projects
j`- and suggest ideas to make us more innovative
Projects showcased by category Mecca the
Innovations in Visrt the Featured Innovation booths and
Mechanical VOTE for Your favorite one
Maintenance
Featured Innovations display
Recent innovations in Mechanical
Maintenance
Incubator Booth
Live voting at the fair to select
winners from Featured Innovations i
z
November 1, 2022 Regular ADM IN Committee Meeting Agenda Packet- Page 48 of 62 1
Page 619Vr/2022
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR:
Debris-Catching Device for
Maintenance Access Holes
Innovators:
Tifton Gantt (Collection System Operations (CSO))
and
Loren Reimer(CSO)
3
Challenge
Adjusting maintenance access hole castings
and covers creates concrete debris that falls .
into a makeshift device or into the channel
Requires confined space entry or a vac truck c. •.
• r
Innovation: _
Debris-catching device
Catches the debris at an easily-reachable level
Is adjustable for differently sized access
maintenance access holes
Easy to carryr t�
Only cost:a signpost(everything to make the
device was found at CSO) {1'
4
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Page agVJ4/2022
RUNNER-UP: _
Improved Effluent with
Dissolved Oxygen (DO) }
Set Point Change
Innovators: -
Mike Allen (Plant Operations),
Aaron Cortez (Plant Operations), and
Michael Cunningham (Special Projects/ Planning) F ..
,:r•
5
Challenge
• Aeration equipment is aging,and air distribution control is challenging
f
• High turbidity(low clarity)events were increasing in frequency and duration `
R.
• Requires increased Operator attention
• Makes ultraviolet(UV)and recycled water processes less efficient #
• Shutdowns for preventative maintenance work were more challenging to schedule
�:1i1 s
Innovation:
Changing the set point of the DO target
• Redistributed air within Central San's 8.4 million gallon aeration tanks
• Bumped up DO target at the meter's controlling air flow to the first half of the tanks from a typical industry value of 2 to 3 mg/L
• Results
• Stabilized and improved effluent quality by decreasing turbidity(increasing clarity)
• Less UV disinfection lamps need to be in service,reducing electricity demand and maintenance for cleaning and lamp replacement
• Easier and more efficient to operate recycled water treatment processes(higher water quality,which can help reduce chemical usage)
• Lower nitrogen being observed in effluent data from summer 2022
• Will potentially help effluent quality stability during future shutdowns needed for capital projects
6
6
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Page 710VJ4/2022
Aeration System Overview
" A ■ Aeration basins
One actuator controls r i "I ! i (Air Added)
�Iy air per pass($total) 4 basins each
L IJ I J (2 Passes per basin)
41 down comers
M per pass(88 total)
•t EM(
MUL f
►-gLLU '
mu d"Ioak
in)x fopl-b—e(8 total]
r
7
Treatment Plant Effluent Turbidity
(lower turbidity indicates better clarity)
Set WM change[.8q"19L i
is —
i
i
8
Y_
9 -
4 ®r 1
W—ly
Awmpe b"a;SA M AWaga■mer.M NTU
8
8
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Page 810vvo, 022
Featured Innovation:
75th Anniversary Experience
Innovators:
Emily Barnett, Ben Lavender,
Zoie Campbell (former intern) (not pictured) Ann Vallee,
Chris Carpenter, Charles Waltmire (retiree), and
Kelsey Lansang, Joe Zumbo
(all in Communication Services)
9
Challenge
Celebrate Central San's 75th anniversary with a public"open house"event
during a pandemic
Since its launch
Innovation: a year ago,
there have been
75th Anniversary Experience customer website >11,000 page views and
360-degree interactive website(75th.centralsan.org)with a guided facilities tour,a 13,500 hotspot clicks
learning hub with hands-on science activities for kids,videos,photo galleries,historical across the site.
facts and images,and customer information on how to protect their pipes,safely Additionally,
dispose of household hazardous waste,and get free recycled water for their gardens >20 virtual tours
Enhances accessibility for tours for>900 participants
Facilitates customer engagement of all ages
_ .x, have been hosted
Has been used to recruit and tit ; ,"' using the site.
educate future wastewater workers - - — -
10
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Page gLQVr/2022
Featured Innovation: -
Phone System Replacement .
s
Innovators: _
Dmitry Abramov, Charles Mallory,
Damon Dun, Joseph Smith, TFEAMS
Matt Hart, George Solivar, and
Tim Hiteshew, Jose Vega
John Huie (retiree)
(all in Information Technology (IT)) COMING
05,
11
•'a
� � V
Challenger `
Dated Avaya phone system lacked modern communication and R
productivity features
Innovation: Teams-based phone system �.
Culmination of three-year search considering different options
Based on and integrated with Teams
Staff can be more responsive while working off-site
Helps maintain high customer service levels q
ant
uuHe
Image from https:/Iuwm.edu/news/calling-features-added-to-microsoft-teams/
12
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Page "f1l2022
Featured Innovation:
Tertiary Membrane Filtration
Pilot
Innovators: + r
Amanda Cauble (Planning &Applied Research)
and
Dan Frost (Planning &Applied Research)
F•
13
Challenge
Need to determine what filtration method will best meet Title 22 recycled .�
water regulations and facilitate future advanced recycled water �� a
opportunities for Central San
-_
Innovation: Pilot project
• Tested three membrane manufacturers in parallel
• Operated a dual-stage reverse osmosis skid
• Ran concurrently with Phase 1A of the Filter Plant Improvements Project,
where staff changed the media in one of the four filter cells for comparison
• Required 24/7 operation over six months,with staff performing operator h
checklists,water quality tests,and membrane chemical cleans;observing "
performance trends;and completing maintenance and repairs
• Decommissioned in July 2022 1
• Findings will help determine optimal operating parameters and how those
might translate in full-scale costs
• Business case evaluation will be updated to determine best steps for the
Filter Plant improvements to further Central San's mission of protecting the
environment,while being fiscally responsible
14
14
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Page 11Qf1TAu,'2022
Featured Innovation:
UV Resource Planning Dashboard
Innovators: r
Khae Bohan (Asset Management),
Mike Matthews (Asset Management),
Neil Meyer (Plant Maintenance),
Ian Morales (Asset Management), F
Jon Nicolaus (Plant Maintenance), and
Carl Von Stetten (Asset Management)
s P�l
l ,
15
Challenge .
The planning of UV re-lamp is a pen and binder process
Operations staff informs Maintenance which UV lamp banks are approaching 10,000 hours
or vice versa
Maintenance staff calls Warehouse to ensure UV bulbs and quartz sleeves availability
Staff creates work order and plans work activity based on staff availability A o-.A 1
Innovation: _
UV Resource Planning Dashboard '
rowThe planning of UV re-lamp is a digital process r�
Data comes directly from SCADA*historian database,
Cityworks asset management,and Oracle warehouse
Scheduling/planning is more efficient
Near real-time data is viewable from anywhere
(runtime and UV Bank data is refreshed every five minutes
and Oracle is refreshed hourly)
*SCADA=Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
16
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Recent Innovations in the
Mechanical Maintenance Shop: +'
Heat Exchanger Flushing Cart _
Innovator:
Anthony Smith (Mechanical Shop)
Challenge
Heat exchangers run process water through tubes
to keep critical equipment from overheating
Over time,the water leaves residue inside the walls
of the tubes,reducing efficiency or eventually
requiring replacement of the exchanger
Innovation
This cart—made in house—flushes the material
out,allowing the exchangers to cool the equipment
they serve for many more years
17
Recent Innovations in the Mechanical Maintenance Shop:
Diagnosing, Replacing, and Repairing the Furnace No. 2
Gearbox Using Motion Amplification Technology
Innovators:
Motion Vectors
Shaun Mockel,Anthony Smith,
and Brian Walters
(all in the Mechanical Shop) i
Challenge }
Operations noticed an oil leak and a crack when bringing the furnace online. CraA in gearbox foot
Innovation
By filming the gearbox in slow motion using motion amplification
technology,technicians could see what was not visible to the naked
eye:the gearbox was rocking side to side and cracking its case
The gearbox and pinion gear was changed;then,technicians noticed
a potential"soft foot"(void between mounting surfaces which can
cause stress and deformation)on the rebuilt gearbox.
Staff step shimmied each foot to minimize any soft foot issue
Staff confirmed the fix was complete by taking follow-up videos
18
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Motion Amplification Video
(screenshots in previous slide)
19
Recent Innovations in the Mechanical Maintenance Shop:
Return Activated Sludge (RAS) Pump Improvements
Innovators:
Kenny Rosenstiel and Brian Walters
(both in the Mechanical Shop)
Replaced v-belt with a cog belt
(improving power transmission)
Greased the bearings instead of using oil
(increasing reliability)
Converted mechanical seal from split to cartridge style
(reducing leakage and making impeller adjustment easier)
Chromed pump shaft surface (preventing corrosion) -
Split the 60 lb.guard in half for easier access
(making maintenance a one-person job)
20
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Page "f1TAu,12022
ti
Incubator Booth:
Digital Operator Rounds Sheets �c
+- I t�
Innovators:
Ashley Freeman (CSO), „• y \ `
Nick Hansen (Plant Operations), �l
Neil Meyer (Plant Maintenance), and
Ian Morales (Asset Management)
' Uvj. .
21
Challenge
Plant Operators perform "rounds" every day to
gather data
Up to 3,300 data points on 18 sheets of paper are
collected and copied by hand for the Control Room
Less than 8%of the data that is written/collected is
stored electronically_„
Innovation in progress: Digitizing Operator Rounds
Sheets
Transferred the sheet templates into Cityworks .
Operators are currently beta testing the digitized IL _
process on mobile devices --
Ability to import and export data in a central system
Rounds will be a more efficient and paperless
process
Templates are easy to edit
22
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Incubator Booth: -
Handheld Device to Collect
Household Hazardous Waster
Collection Facility (HHWCF)
Visitor Data
Innovators:
Dmitry Abramov (IT), d
Dennis Chebotarev (IT),
Winston Ingram (HHWCF), and
Dave Wyatt (HHWCF)
23
Challenge
Over 74,000 drivers licenses (DL)
are scanned annually
Technicians take the DLs and enter
data into an aging system by hand
Innovation in progress: `
Handheld Device to Collect Visitor Data
Identified and piloted a new, compact device
that can scan a DL and collect data for improved
record-keeping and reporting
Can be used interchangeably at either facility
Staff is now using the new devices full time
The second phase of the project- reporting and
data visualization- is currently in development
24
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Page IW�� 2a22
Acknowledgements
Project Nominators
Innovators
Fair Visitors
Buildings&Grounds Crew
Jimmie Castillo in the Reprographics Service Center
Teji O'Malley
Roger S. Bailey(notably, for taking several of the photographs in this presentation)
Leadership Team
Board of Directors
4
25
26
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