WET News

20 WET NEWS september 2015 With demand expected to outstrip water supply by 2030, water companies are recognising the need to minimise waste. i2O's Andrew burrows explains. The challenge: Scarcity threat drives leakage up risk agendas INSIGHT LeAkAge mAnAgement smart pressure management starts with the initial monitoring of water flow and pressures THE CONCEPT • Loggers capture flow data and deliver it to i2O via a mobile phone network • Loggers monitor and provide insight into the condition of network assets • Data anomalies and patterns relating to specific network asset faults can be analysed NEED TO KNOW • Aging networks burst more frequently than new ones • grit, stone, and limescale can cause pressure reduction valves to become jammed • Increased water stress by 2030 is a largely accepted conclusion for most water utilities • Uk utilities are financially motivated to cut water waste and improve security of supply THE VERDICT • Losses from burst pipes and leaks in the parts of Anglian Water's network where i2O technology is used have been reduced by 56% and 40%, respectively • south east Water has reduced water loss by 4.9ml a day in 148 district metered areas • Affinity Water is saving 1.5ml of water a day and nearly £100,000 a year in water wastage reduction T he level of water lost from the UK's water distribution system has declined by more than a third since the mid- 1990s. UK leakage rates are currently around the 22% mark, thanks to improvements in how utilities manage the supply of water. With growing global concerns about the environment the data provides the insight and agility to implement precisely the right level of pressure control for each area of the network Leakage management HWM-Water Water management solutions www.hwm-water.com the company says its innovative technology is used throughout the world to combat water leakage and energy wastage, thereby helping to reduce C02 emissions and protect natural resources. Its primary focus for has been clean water and network distribution system monitoring, but has expanded into new sectors including gas, water and electricity meter consumption, gas network monitoring and sewer, river and flood monitoring. Itron Metering Solutions metering www.itronheat.co.uk Itron builds solutions that help utilities measure, manage and analyse energy and water. Its product portfolio covers electricity, gas, water and thermal energy measurement and control technology; communications systems; and software. products include compact ultrasonic metering combined with a variety of Amr solutions from mbus to gprs and rF fixed network. Katronic Technologies Flow meters www.katronic.co.uk katronic technologies is a specialised manufacturer of clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters for the non-invasive and non-intrusive measurement of clean and dirty liquids on pipes of various materials and diameters. the current range of clamp-on flow meters comprises the compact and light kAtflow 200, the Specifiers file: INSIGHT and growing water scarcity as a result of climate change, urbanisation and population pressures, however, leakage remains high in the public consciousness and on the risk agendas of utility companies. Increased water stress by 2030 is a largely accepted conclusion for most water utilities. More than 90% of water industry executives polled by The Economist felt it was at least "moderately likely" that demand would outstrip supply by 2030. Nearly all of the world's megacities are already experiencing some level of water scarcity and cooler climates are not exempt. Parts of the UK, for instance, would require standpipes in the street if it were to suffer two consecutive winters as dry as the one it had spanning 2011 and 2012. Ofwat has put outcome delivery incentives (ODIs) in place to ensure water providers continue to drive down leakage levels and minimise disruption to customers. These mean that UK utilities are financially motivated to cut water waste and improve security of supply. Most water companies now recognise the need to minimise waste and ensure security of supply. Many have started using new smart network manage- ment technologies to reduce leakage and optimise the per- formance of distribution networks. Demand for water changes dramatically across the course of a day. The high pressures required to satisfy customers during peak demand add additional stress on the pipework at other times. This build-up of pressure ages the network, bursts more pipes and massively increases the rate of leakage. Traditional approaches to water network management meant water pressure had to be maintained at unnecessarily high levels to ensure adequate supply to customers. Pressure settings were based on a combination of customer complaints and conservative guesswork. Changing them required expensive site visits, road closures, and customer disruption. portable kAtflow 230 and the kAtflow 150 for permanent installation. SebaKMT UK measurement equipment www.sebakmt.com the company specialises in leak location equipment, including correlator, ground microphone, noise and datalogging equipment for the water industry. It supplies the Hydrogen gas leak detector from sensistor, suitable for non metallic pipes and service pipe leaks, and has a wide range of pipe location and tracing instruments in the Uk, including new easyloc and magnetometers and cover locators. Underground Location Systems Leakage management www.correlators.co.uk specialising in the servicing, repair and calibration of leak noise correlator systems, ground microphones and hydrophones, box locators and surface listening devices, the company has more than 20 years experience of servicing most makes of equipment, past or present, for many U.k. and european companies. the company has recently been appointed Uk service agent for the new correlator product range from Canadian company echo-Logics. NAB Water & Environment Consultancy www.n-a-b.co.uk nAb is a specialist consultancy in water consumption reduction and effluent plant process optimisation, operational management review and feasibility studies for upgrades. monitoring programs to identify detailed water consumption, effluent flow levels and effluent strengths. services include leakage detection of underground pipework.

• Cover