Key points
Data analytics can be used for a variety of purposes in water network management and the increased availability of proven technologies means that a more efficient and proactive service is within reach, says Alan Cunningham, technical director, Ovarro
Water companies, given their position supplying clean wholesome water to their customer base, should be aiming for a point where they can notify the customer in advance of any issue and provide advice.
The roll-out of technologies that capture the power of data is accelerating, with increased availability of both hardware and software products that save water companies time and money by simplifying tasks and exploiting data in real-time.
Areas of focus include remote asset monitoring, giving users an overview of what is happening across multiple water and wastewater sites; sewer level monitoring, reducing the risk of potential pollutions; asset intervention, providing the ability to carry out remote resets, reducing the number of call-outs; and data analytics to improve asset investment, supporting capital delivery and strategic planning.
Leak detection
Given regulator Ofwat’s stretching AMP7 targets around leakage and customer supply interruptions, tools that enable local and remote leak detection will perhaps present the most interest to water companies throughout the 2020-2025 investment cycle.
This regulatory pressure, combined with customer expectations and the water scarcity driver, has seen application of real-time data analysis quickly go from it being ‘quite a nice idea’ to ‘we need to do this, we need to do it now’.
The good news is the increased availability and falling cost of real-time leak detection technology. As digital solutions become more readily available, that makes them more affordable for a wider range of situations.
Water utilities typically use flow and pressure data from night flows as good indicators of leakage events and to identify which particular areas might be experiencing leaks. As their approach moves into real-time data analysis, companies have the potential to locate and remedy the larger leaks before the customer even becomes aware of them.
Network visualisation
Data analytics provides water utilities with the tools to run a range of statistical models which can be used for a variety of purposes in water network management. The software provides visualisation of the network that was not previously available and is making easily digestible information available on dashboards and in apps.
As well as traditional flow and pressure logging, utilities are carrying out more acoustic logging of noise data, which helps to locate the leaks as well as work out the rate of water loss. New analytical techniques like machine learning and artificial neural networks (ANN) are being used to process data in smarter ways.
These technologies use programmed algorithms that evolve and improve as they process more and more data over time. That intelligence is then used to make increasingly accurate predictions.
ANNs can tell quite quickly if something unusual is happening in the water network and reduce the need for analysts to review it. It is by bringing the full suite of technologies together – measuring pressure, flow, acoustics and anything else relevant and available – that operators can get a broader view of potential water loss and risk to supply continuity.
Permanent logging
The UK has seen a significant shift to permanent installations of acoustic logging technologies where information is being acquired proactively. In other parts of the world, more traditional flow and logging equipment is still being installed and there is increased sectorisation of the network to locate leakage down to a specific area.
Acoustic logging technology is not new, ground microphones and hydrophones have been used for some time. Traditionally this has been on a lift-and-shift basis – the network operator identifies an area with leakage, acoustic logging equipment is installed and once the leak is found, the kit is moved to a new site.
As this acoustic logging technology advances and costs fall, the direction of travel is towards more permanent monitoring.
Pinpointing leaks
Having loggers distributed throughout the network and listening in at different points makes it possible to measure the time taken for noise to reach different loggers. This technique, known as correlation, makes for greater accuracy in pinpointing leaks.
Some UK companies are exploring best use of these techniques following trials over the last few years and there will be wider rollouts over the next five years.
Fixed network acoustic logging features in utilities’ business and water resource plans and chief executives are saying that this is what will help them achieve the stringent targets set by the regulator.
Looking ahead, the uptake of remote monitoring is expected to increase and the human resource challenge experienced during the coronavirus pandemic is a good example of why organisations must prioritise and accelerate their plans.
During times when companies are very reluctant, or the situation makes it impossible, to send people out to work on the network and risk the health and safety of their employees, so new ways of carrying out operations will have to be found.
There are always tasks that must be done on site and others that can be carried out remotely and companies are trying to prioritise remote working where that is feasible.
It is difficult to predict how that might impact on long-term trends, but given that remote working is already underway for equipment monitoring and meter reading, it is likely to accelerate in leak detection.
Reducing risk
Even before Covid-19 there was a perfect storm driving leakage toward digital solutions – water scarcity, tightening budgets, carbon reduction, rising customer expectations and importantly, the availability of better and more affordable technologies.
The water industry has necessarily been conservative and risk averse and has not always moved as fast as others in embracing new technology. These solutions are now becoming more widespread and where the risk is greater, whether that is from water shortages or sending operatives out on site, the balance shifts.
