Chemical Engineering April 2023 - 52

sively than larger transient situations,
improving the overall network health.
Based on this project, EVWD has
now initiated a process of relocating
the monitors to different locations on
a rotating basis to provide ongoing
analysis of hot spots throughout its
service area. They continue to monitor
trouble spots, line-break events
and user pressure concerns to assess
the results of the calming.
With thousands of assets spread
over a wide geographic area, EVWD
gained access to actionable data to
guide their troubleshooting and network-optimization
efforts.
South East Water
FIGURE 4. The pressure drop related to the simulated
leak is seen in the analysis graph. The map
shows the location of the leak
A summary of pertinent data can
be sent multiple times per day and
high-sample-rate data are typically
only sent when the pressure sensitivity
threshold in each unit is breached.
At EVWD, the collected pressure
data were then analyzed to identify
the root source of the transients via
triangulation. First, similar transient
wave shapes from all monitored sites
were grouped to identify clusters of
recurrent transient events produced
by different sources. The analysis
then focused on identifying the
source of these events. Locations of
automatic triangulation results were
plotted on the water-main-break heat
map and matched with the transient
clusters previously identified, pinpointing
the source of the recurrent
transient event.
During the first phase of monitoring,
the analysis found that the aggressive
starts and stops of a specific
pump station created transient
events that added additional stress
to the pipe. The insights revealed
by the analysis enabled EVWD to
identify the specific assets that produced
these transients and take action
to mitigate the transients to calm
the flow.
One benefit of high-resolution
monitoring is that it identifies smaller,
more frequent transient " noise " that
can, over time, cause significant
wear and tear on the pipes and other
assets. These can often be remedied
more quickly and less expen52
Use
case: South East Water
For South East Water (www.
southeastwater.co.uk), the utility
serving the U.K.'s South East region,
residential use spiked in 2020, with
per-person water use increasing by
a staggering 16% due to the rush of
people newly working from home.
That increased the utility's focus on
minimizing leaks and main breaks.
Recognizing that pressure transients
are a major source of damage
to pipes and other network assets,
leading to leaks and breaks,
South East Water initiated a pilot
program to assess how leak detection
and intelligent pressure monitoring
could help it identify and reduce
the causes of leakage. They chose
a compact system that combined
standard pressure monitoring with
acoustic monitoring to support both
leak detection and network calming.
Detailed monitoring data could
be sent in real time to a cloud-based
platform for analysis.
The pilot monitored a stretch of
water main running alongside a busy
road. Three monitoring sites covered
a total distance of 1,376 m. At each
location, a pressure monitor was
installed in an existing fire hydrant.
Built-in network time protocol (NTP)
clock synchronization facilitated accurate
global positioning system
(GPS) locations without requiring site
modifications. The three units were
installed as a string to confirm the
distance over which the leak noise
could be observed and to assess
the performance of using GPS timesynchronized
correlations with NTP.
The team conducted a daytime
test, opening a hydrant to simulate
a leak when busy road traffic was
observed. The pressure monitors
generated the hydrophone data (Figure
3) that enabled them to locate
the simulated leak to within 1 m. In
opening the hydrant, they triggered
a pressure event on the valve opening
analogous to a burst, which was
also captured by the monitors - a
valuable finding to support networkcalming
efforts.
Figure 4 indicates the pressure drop
at the moment the leak was started.
Real-time datasets from the three
pressure monitors were analyzed by
software to triangulate the location of
the leak. With an integrated GPS receiver
recording the unit's position, an
algorithm was applied to the data, the
exact location was pinpointed, and
the user immediately alerted. The triangulated
result, as shown by the red
flag in the map in Figure 4, indicated
the location of the simulated leak to
within 1 m. Since the outcome of the
trial was positive, helping South East
Water extend its record of hitting its
yearly leakage targets, the group now
plans to do a larger-scale project.
Applying learnings
As water-system operation and
water preservation falls under
greater scrutiny, for companies' own
internal ESG goals and for external
environmental regulation, taking care
to identify leaks and bursts early, and
also reducing the activities exacerbating
them, is a logical and cost-effective
step. As the cost of water increases,
eliminating leaks represents
a growing economic opportunity as
well. Technology used effectively for
large, pressurized water-distribution
systems in municipalities works just
as well for water systems in manufacturing
applications, and with the
same benefits.
n
Edited by Mary Page Bailey
Author
James Dunning is the general
manager of Syrinix (Email: james.
dunning@syrinix.com). With more
than 25 years of experience in the
utility sector, Dunning joined Syrinix
as CEO in 2010, leading its
growth as an award-winning
global market leader in providing
high-resolution data-led insights
for water utility networks. Prior to
Syrinix, he served as a lawyer and is a graduate of the
London Business School, as well as holding senior positions
within the corporate utility sphere and as an entrepreneur
in the renewable energy sector.
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APRIL 2023
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Chemical Engineering April 2023

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