Reducing Line ​Breaks with IoT

The Suburban Pittsburgh utility - West View Water Authority - is testing tiny pipeline sensors that are encouraging more efficiency — and fewer failures — in its sprawling system, executive director Robert Christian said.

Syrinix PipeMinder, Source: Syrinx

The adjacent Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority, which repaired about 1,000 water main and service line breaks last year, said it’s looking at the sensors and similar technology to bolster pipeline monitoring.

A single burst on a crucial water main this year cost PWSA some $2.5 million.

Installed in the West View system since December, two PipeMinders — at just more than $4,000 each — involve small, transferable devices a few inches wide and positioned along distribution pipes.

The setup transmits water pressure findings to a cloud-based computing network almost in real time. Workers follow the information remotely, a feature not possible with older equipment that takes fewer snapshots and doesn’t connect to cellular networks.

The new approach illuminates pressure changes when valves open, storage tank levels rise or other system conditions shift, Mr. Christian said. He said that drives stronger communication on the staff, plus operating practices — such as lower tank levels — that can reduce line failures over the long term.

Read full article: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Taxonomy

• Technology
• Business Strategy
• Leakage Detection
• Leakage Reduction
• Utility Management
• Utility Pipe Network
• Internet of Things (IoT)