Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/1006919
Smooth operator Our latest innovation special explores technologies designed to improve network operation, ensuring water is delivered at the correct pressure and minimising bursts and wastage By Robin Hackett www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | AUGUST 2018 | 27 Innovation Zone Water networks W ater companies around the globe must contend with the problems caused by ine cient network opera- tion, including mains bursts, supply interruptions, leakage and wasted energy. A number of technological solutions are available to gather and act on data to deliver superior e ciency while o ering addi- tional bene ts such as predict- ing problems and extending asset life. Here we examine some of the options that are currently available. GOAL 11 MAINS BURSTS PIPEMINDER (Syrinix) PIPEMINDER from Syrinix is an end-to-end solution that enables data-driven decisions concerning infrastructure and network behaviour, from high- resolution pressure logging to leak detection. PIPEMINDER-S is a smart pressure monitoring tool for clean water that offers high-resolution data with intelligent and immediate notifications of network events. Measuring pressure continuously at 128 samples per second, it can highlight patterns of events such as transients or 'water hammer', and is also capable of recognising oscillations that cause pipeline fatigue. The equipment integrates into RADAR, a cloud-based portal for data analysis. Along with automated email or SMS alerts for critical events, RADAR can also export data via FTP into utility SCADA systems. Meanwhile, PIPEMINDER-T is a leak detection system specifi cally for large diameter pipelines in critical locations. It provides early warning identifi cation of emerging and emergent leaks, o en the precursor to a catastrophic failure and incorporates a geophone to detect vibro- acoustic signals within the pipeline, a hydrophone to detect signals in the water, and signifi cant data analysis to locate incipient leaks. End-to-end water solution (Servelec Technologies) The end-to-end solution from Servelec Technologies uses both hardware and software to improve water network operation by simplifying automation tasks and exploiting data in real-time. The solution typically incorporates three main components: the Seprol range of remote telemetry units (RTUs) for data acquisition; SCOPE, a scalable SCADA platform that offers a secure platform for monitoring and controlling a diverse range of assets; and OptiMISER, the real-time automated water network control software. Wessex Water, the first company to implement the end-to-end solution, is now using OptiMISER in its £230 million, 74km water supply grid, which was completed in March this year. The software manages the transfer of water in several directions along the trunk main by automatically controlling pumps and valves based on demand and the telemetry data collected. Servelec Technologies has said that it expects OptiMISER to deliver annual electrical and chemical cost savings of 10 to 15 per cent on the grid. The end-to-end solution can be improved further through the company's complementary so ware products, which include the self-learning leakage- detection system Datective FlowSure – which aims to predict network events before they happen – and web-based decision support so ware PIONEER, which informs planning decisions for all operational asset types.