May 74 min read

Advancements in Pipeline Pressure and Leakage Prevention: Elevating Energy Efficiency in Water Utilities

Due to physical Pipe leaks and bursts, 32 billion Cubic Meter of treated water are lost every year!

The energy efficiency of water utilities are significantly related to the water distribution and pipeline leakage preventions

Wasting While the Water Scarcity is Rising?

Water is and always will be an irreplaceable resource, essential to all life and economic growth. Over 2 billion people live in countries where the water supply is inadequate, rising with an expectation that half of the world's population potentially living in areas facing water scarcity by 2025. The global urban population facing water scarcity is projected to double from 930 million in 2016 to 1.7–2.4 billion people in 2050. Extreme and prolonged droughts are also stressing ecosystems, with dire consequences for plant and animal species.

Consequentially, the efficiency of water resources is paramount for the global sustainability, particularly in light of escalating water scarcity concerns worldwide. Yet, one of the most critical challenges facing water utilities is curbing pipeline leaks and optimising pressure levels across distribution networks. This is not only essential for conserving precious water resources but also for maximising energy efficiency in water delivery systems.

The losses of water leakage amounts to majority of the Non-Revenue-Water (NRW), marking the challenge of energy efficiency

Additionally, water utilities face multifaceted challenges, including water loss due to leaks, energy inefficiencies resulting from high-pressure levels, and the deterioration of aging infrastructure. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the United States loses an estimated 6 billion gallons of treated water per day due to leaks in its aging water infrastructure. On a global scale, it is estimated over 32 billion cubic meters of treated water are lost per annum, marking the pediments of energy efficiency of water distribution in the presence of pipeline burst and leakage.

Impediment of Energy efficiency in Water Industry

Non-revenue water (NRW): Industrial representation of water losses before reaching consumers, is influenced by factors such as network quality, maintenance, and leakage control strategies.

While the worldwide average NRW rate stands at 35%, in several low-income nations, this water loss could amount to as much as 60% of the water supplied!
These High NRW rates stem from real losses (actual leaks in the distribution network) and commercial losses (Unbilled water consumption).
Causes of Dramatic inefficiency includes poor management, insufficient support from service providers, inadequate device maintenance, pipe selection issues, and water theft.

With successful cases like Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA), it is without a doubt that systematically replacing damaged pipes could yield significant improvement in water loss reductions (i.e., nearly 30% in the water distribution network of Thailand). Through a proactive and extensive replacement effort, it's possible to decrease NRW rates to below 10%.

But How Do We Know and Consistently Replace the Area of Leaking Pipelines?

The maintenance of water pipeline is highly achievable but it is hard to do so without knowing which area of pipeline to replace, especially with pressure monitoring in the remote regions

Fortunately, the advancements in Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have enabled the real-time leak detection even across the remote and vast environments where it is challenging for any maintenance team to systematically examine them.

IoT sensors are small, smart devices equipped with sensors and communication capabilities that enable near real-time monitoring and data collection. The beauty of these sensors lies in their ability to provide continuous insights into the health and performance of water distribution networks.

Smart Leak Detection Systems: Unlike traditional monitoring methods, which rely on periodic inspections and manual data collection, IoT sensors offer a proactive and data-driven approach to water management. By analysing data from IoT sensors, utilities can pinpoint the location of leaks and take swift action to prevent water loss and infrastructure damage.
Pressure Management: With IoT sensors, utilities can achieve precise control of pressure levels throughout the distribution network. By optimising pressure settings based on near real-time data, utilities can reduce leaks, minimise energy consumption, and extend the lifespan of infrastructure.
Remote Monitoring with reliable connectivity: IoT sensors enable utilities to remotely monitor and control their infrastructure from a centralised location. Near real-time insights provided by IoT sensors help utilities optimise pump operations, detect leaks, and improve overall system efficiency.

The connectivity across a vast and remote environments are challenging, but LPWAN technologies are suitable for such purpose with a leading provider such as LoRaWAN

Suiting to your remote monitoring challenge in remote areas, LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) connectivity technologies like LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) hold significant potential for remote water pipeline pressure monitoring due to their ability to provide long-range communication with efficient energy consumptions.

Low Power Consumption: IoT sensors, especially those designed for leakage detection, are optimised for low power usage. This is crucial for applications where the sensor needs to operate for extended periods without requiring frequent battery replacements or recharging.
Long Range: LoRaWAN technology enables sensors to communicate over long distances, which is beneficial for detecting leaks in large water distribution networks. This allows for the deployment of sensors in remote or hard-to-reach areas without the need for extensive cabling or infrastructure.

Too much hustle to set up? Onboarding simplicity with Ellenex

At Ellenex, we believe that sensors and measurement systems are the most important parts of any process system and production line. Backed by more than 25 years of experience in this area and recent developments in IoT (Internet of Things) networks, we designed and manufacture one of the widest ranges of end-to-end industrial LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) for mass IoT applications. Our new range of products opens up new opportunities for industries to implement the industrial internet of things (IIoT) in their production plants and service system easily with the lowest cost and minimum integration

With Decades of design, manufacturing and servicing IoT sensors and measurement system, we offers professional yet simplified industrial LPWAN solutions! Among our 60+ of end-to-end monitoring advancements, Ellenex provides such LoRaWAN-based solution for remote water pipeline pressure monitoring, serving water utilities across the globe.

With an historical transformation for water management, we offer unprecedented insights and capabilities to address the challenges of pipeline pressure and leakage prevention. By embracing IoT sensor technology, utilities can reduce water loss, minimise energy consumption, and ensure the long-term sustainability of water resources.

Plug and Use: we offers consistent pre-configuration services for our water industrial clients to minimise the hazards of setting up complex IoT hardwares and software connectivities.
Conditional Sampling: Where a threshold can be defined on the device and the device will alert you when the pressure is out of the expected range indicating a blockage or a leak.
Data Analytics and Predictive Maintenance: Complementing with our highly integratable software platform, Ellenex IoT sensors enable water utilities to analyse data and implement predictive maintenance strategies.
Utilisation of Advanced Materials with battery efficiency management: Our IoT sensors are designed to work in harsh environments and with minimum energy consumptions of its battery, providing over 10 years of accurate remote measurements.