SA Water is using acoustic detectors as part of its innovative data capture program which aims to help reduce broken mains and locate abnormalities in water pipes under Adelaide’s CBD, with early results of the program to be released in October 2017.
Since July 2017, a $4 million smart network has been monitoring water mains in Adelaide’s CBD, sending data back to SA Water’s control room in real time.
Three months into the project, SA Water’s Chief Executive, Roch Cheroux, and other water network experts from the company will provide insights into the smart network’s development, implementation and early results, at the Open State, Future Cities event on Tuesday 3 October 2017.
The network is comprised of 100 smart meters at large businesses across Adelaide’s CBD, and 350 devices within the pipe network such as flow meters, water quality and pressure sensors, and acoustic detectors that listen for leaks.
“We’ve harnessed technology from the Internet of Things to develop a smart network on a size, scale and complexity that has never been seen in Australia before,” Mr Cheroux said.
“Our cyber infrastructure tunes into the cadence of water moving through hundreds of kilometres of mains under the CBD.
“By analysing the data generated by the sensors, we can pinpoint abnormalities that might be the start of a leak or break, and fix them before they escalate to cause customer or commuter disruption.
“The network’s smart meters send data parcels at 15 minute intervals and are helping us identify efficiencies and cost savings for several major city centre businesses.
“We’ll be able to assess the full benefits of Adelaide’s CBD smart network by early 2018, but the technology is already helping us better understand our infrastructure, and will support our future planning and investment decisions.”
With the architecture for the smart network in place, there is potential for SA Water to take this blueprint and roll it out across metropolitan Adelaide and regional centres.
“Smart technology is helping us be a smarter business and when we’re armed with relevant, real-time data, we’re able to deliver better outcomes for our customers into the future,” Mr Cheroux said.
