AVK CSR 2023-24 web - Flipbook - Page 24
AVK SMART WATER
PROVIDES ACCESSIBLE
AND RELIABLE DATA
Water utilities’ primary duty is to ensure a safe and reliable
supply of drinking water for their consumers. To do this,
they must ensure reliable operations and functionality of
the water distribution network and be able to react quickly
when unwanted changes occur.
Nowadays, many utilities have installed metres
that can measure water consumption which is
essential to ensure correct billing and to reduce
the amount of Non-Revenue Water (NRW).
However, there is potential to collect and utilise
a larger amount of data from the utility network
by installing sensors, such as those AVK has
developed in our Smart Water solutions. By
applying AVK Smart Water solutions to key
network assets such as valves or fittings,
data can be delivered directly to a dedicated
software platform where it is transformed into
valuable knowledge and insight, saving both
time, water, energy, and labour resources.
ensure good coverage and long battery life.
NB-IoT can penetrate closed structures such
as wells, chambers, and other underground
structures.
Dividing the water network into sections
Leaks in pipes and other equipment caused by,
for example, bursts or breaks are some of the
main causes of water loss. When a leak occurs,
it can take days, weeks, and even years before
it is detected, and finding the exact area in a
large, wide-reaching network is no easy task.
Collecting valuable data
The AVK Smart Water solution is a combination
of sensors and software. Our software allows
easy integration with a preferred IT system as
well as visualisation in AVK Smart Water’s own
platform, VIDI Cloud.
Therefore, dividing the supply network into
separate sections, also referred to as District
Metering Areas – DMA, is an effective
technique that makes it possible to get an
overview of what is going on underground.
Water loss can be calculated in the sections
individually, and operators can better plan and
prioritise their efforts.
The sensors are designed for our gate valves,
fittings, and hydrants. Once installed, they can
provide data about pressure, flow, temperature,
or open/closed position directly from
applications in the distribution network. This
way of monitoring network activities makes it
possible to save resources, minimise water loss
as well as optimise operation and maintenance
activities, for example by quickly informing
about leaks.
Improved NRW calculations and support
for active leakage control with VIDI
Positioner
As part of the LEAKman project, VIDI
Positioners, battery-operated devices, are
installed on valves located at the boundaries
of the DMAs. Here, they provide reliable data
on valve status and opening ratio which is vital
information for the water balance and NRW
level calculations.
The sensors use the wireless IoT technology
NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) to
The LEAKman partners identified at an early
stage the need for knowing if - and when -
24 | AVK Sustainability report 2023/2024
The LEAKman project
The LEAKman project (LEAKage
MANagement) intents to demonstrate
Danish solutions to reduce the loss of clean
drinking water and to pave the way for new
Danish water technology.
Read more in the chapter on “Our
partnerships for sustainable development”
or at https://leakagemanagement.net/.
the DMA boundary valves are operated as
this affects NRW management and often
leads to false results when conducting the
water balance assessment and the minimum
nighttime flow monitoring.
Water balance calculations are highly
dependent on valid data. It is a well-known
issue that if the boundary valves have been
opened for maintenance, they are sometimes
not brought back to the closed position
afterwards. In other words, monitoring the
open/closed position of boundary valves can
help prevent unmeasured flow between DMAs
and thereby ensure more reliable data and
calculations.
