Water Consumption: the Reduction of Losses

Ep developed an automated and integrated solution for the control of water losses on a supply pipe in a large urban center. Thanks to two ultrasonic flow meters, any leaks can be intercepted in real time

With a huge experience in the instrument and measurement market (this year the company celebrates 30 years of activity), EP offers solutions, instruments and components for measuring performance in the field of calibration, ultrasonic flow measurements, pressure and temperature measurements and test tools. Thanks to an application developed together with a well-known utility, a completely automated and integrated solution has been recently developed for the control and reduction of water losses on the major water supply pipe in a large urban center. The system allows any leaks to be intercepted in real time so as to counteract and eliminate water waste, and therefore favoring a more conscious approach to the environment thanks to constant quality monitoring of the water supply to the community.

Two ultrasonic flow meters on the ends of the water pipe

Ep’s customer needs to check and monitor the leaks on an approximately 8 km long water supply pipe, that feeds the water consumption of a city of 180,000 inhabitants. The water pipe is old, but above all it is impossible to interrupt the flow of water. However it is essential to know the extent of any leaks to intervene promptly in respect of the environment and to save costs. The implementation of the flow measurement system must be therefore not intrusive.
Ep recommended the installation of two XMT1000 Panametrics ultrasonic flow meters on each of the two ends of the water pipe, one at the entrance and the other at the exit of the city center. The XMT1000 is easy to program, not expensive and its cutting-edge technology is enclosed in a robust transmitter suitable for all weather conditions, and can be easily installed outside the pipe. The construction technology of the XMT1000 allows to detect accurate and repeatable measurements, and to collect data to support the statistical reports essential for the monitoring of our customer.

Even small losses are detected

The application has been active for over 8 months, and today the customer is able to monitor the data collected in real time by creating a database that allows him to detect even small losses. Initially this was not possible except through a visual check along the entire water pipe. The customer can now monitor any leaks in real time and promptly repair them. Today, technology allows for careful and rigorous controls on the performance of activities, reducing analysis and verification times through automated systems that allow for high qualitative performance.
Ep supports the needs of its customers by offering the most suitable technical and qualitatively solution, technical consultancy, training and assistance to support the project. Today it is more important than ever that the tools communicate and integrate with new industrial automation technologies, in order to improve productivity and quality of processes in accordance with the Industry 4.0 guidelines.