FUNCTION

 

Leak locating and pinpointing work can be a cumbersome task requiring 

a lot of time and specialised expertise. The use of Advanced Leak

Detection solutions reduces the time and resources required to identify,

detect, locate and resolve network problems and anomalies. 

 

Advanced Leak Detection can identify the following types of network events:

 

• Leaks

• Bursts

• Flow anomalies

• Zone breaches

• Consumption anomalies (e.g. water theft)

• Pressure drops and increases

• Meter faults (e.g. transmission, reading errors, flips)

 

Advanced Leak Detection solutions include: 

 

 

Fixed Acoustic Leak Monitoring

 

In a fixed network leak monitoring system, intelligent correlating sensors (loggers) are permanently deployed along the pipe network. At night, when the water usage is at its lowest point and pressure in the pipe the highest, they record sound files and transmit them via Radio, GPRS or Ethernet to a central cloud server where all data is collected, stored, visualised and analysed. Upon the occurrence of a new leak, the system generates an automatic alarm. The sound files are time-synchronised, which allows the server to run correlations between all neighbouring sensors, a feature essential to identify real leaks, filter out and eliminate non-leak noise sources, and pinpoint the accurate location of identified leaks within 1 meter.

 

 

Intelligent Pipeline Monitoring System

 

Clean water trunk mains are critical infrastructure for most utilities but often the detection of leaks is a reactive and intrusive process. Technology now exists that uses a 4-dimensional sensor array that is permanently attached to larger trunk/bulk water mains. This provides real-time operating data and early identification of emerging and emergent leaks that are often the precursor to costly failures. This approach transforms the operating and risk management of critical trunk/bulk water mains. Data is transferred for conditioning, filtering and interrogation, which is undertaken automatically using a stochastic model and bespoke algorithms. This sophisticated model screens out distracting ‘false positives’ and creates a high resolution early warning alert. These real-time alerts can precisely pinpoint the site of an initial leak along the pipe providing operators with important information when planning remedial work.

 

 

Pressure Transient Detection and Reporting

 

Pressure transients can cause bursts and discolouration, yet most transients go unnoticed. Solutions exist that focus on the detection and notification of pressure transients within a network of pipelines. Higher resolution is often required to create a real picture of how operational activities directly impact a water network and to indicate the most probable source of damaging pressure events. Network operators benefit from immediate notifications of a pressure transient event, which allows for faster response and a deepened network understanding. Further data about the event, including pre and post information to enable a comprehensive understanding of the pressure transient and its causes, can often be provided by these types of systems.

 

 

Immediate Burst Notification

 

Bursts are a reality of pressurised water distribution networks. Water utilities now have access to technology that delivers constant pipeline monitoring and immediate burst notifications. Field deployable units with always-on high resolution monitoring at 100+ samples per second provide rapid burst location, mitigation and network management. These units provide network operators with the ability to transform their asset management from reactive to active. These systems can also receive the new configuration via GSM, saving time and resources. In the event of a detected burst, this technology will immediately notify the network operator. Taken together, utilities can locate bursts within the monitored network and the instantly identify which pipe has burst in complex and parallel pipeline scenarios.

 

 

BENEFITS

 

High resolution, real-time reporting systems provide network operators with the tools they need to minimise risk, reduce operational costs and dramatically improve the durability and working lifetime of key pipeline installations and assets.

 

Advanced Leak Detection solutions can provide a utility with the following benefits:

 

• Cost savings from dramatically reduced leak run times

• Faster issue detection and better return on repair activity

• Reduced operating costs related to leak detection work and field surveys

• Near-immediate notification of new leaks

• Greater transparency on the state of the pipe network and the existence of leakage problems

• Increased compliance with water loss and operational targets

• Improved water quality and energy savings

• Better communication, collaboration and customer service

 

 

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

 

Below, is a brief description of the components that support different Advanced Leak Detection solutions:

 

• Acoustic loggers: Alert an operator when a “noise” indicative of a leak is detected

• Flow loggers Enable calculation of water supply throughout the network

• Pressure loggers: Enable calculation of pressure throughout the network

• Communication: Allows frequent transfer of meter and sensor data

• SCADA/Telemetry: Performs centralised monitoring and control for field sites over long-distance communications networks, processing status data and issuing alarms for various network operations

• GIS: Provides geographic location data to alert on events and calculate hydraulic traces

• Hydraulic Modelling: Water modelling software provides optimisation modules for leakage management