Desalination & Reuse Handbook - Flipbook - Page 82
IDA
WATER SECURITY
HANDBOOK
Smart Leakage Reduction Market Profile
Non-revenue water (NRW) – water that leaves a utility’s
distribution network without contributing to its balance sheet –
occurs at all stages of the utility value chain. In 2016 the World
Bank put global NRW at 346 million m3/d, or 77 litres per capita
per day, with an estimated annual cost of $39 billion. The scale of
the problem varies greatly by location – averaging 20–25% in the
UK, 15% in Germany, and reaching 50% in some countries with
developing water networks – but there is no utility network that
does not face leakage or commercial water loss.
ascertain, and network maps often inconsistent, inaccurate, or
incomplete. This data scarcity is costly, forcing utilities to rely
on indicators such as network elements’ expected lifespan to
determine where to carry out repairs and replacements, and
to dedicate vast resources to manually pinpointing leaks. The
application of smart technology can produce accurate, real-time
data on a utility’s entire network, revolutionising NRW reduction
from low-level retrofits to network optimisation powered by
artificial intelligence (AI).
Water losses result from physical leaks due to ageing or
poorly-maintained pipes, and commercial losses due to illegal
connections or inaccurate metering. Although there is no
single solution to such a multi-faceted problem, tackling NRW
reduction can provide a cost-effective response to water stress.
Smart technologies can slash physical water losses in distribution
networks, providing precision tools to help utilities tackle water
scarcity or comply with NRW reduction targets.
A myriad of digital offerings has emerged to meet the varying
needs of utilities at different stages of digital transformation.
Improving integration and interoperability between different
hardware and software products – a major hurdle to would-be
adopters – is a key focus within the sector. Contractors are also
increasingly able to roll sensor and software installation into
network upgrade and sectorisation works, and have the ability to
act as a key conduit between global smart water innovation and
local NRW reduction by introducing products from a relatively
small number of specialist companies to an increasingly global
user base.
Digital technologies solve a key problem in tackling NRW – data
scarcity. The state of underground assets is often difficult to
Digital network monitoring: early adopters
Although more economically developed countries have seen the most consolidated adoption of digital technologies in utility
distribution networks, demand is rapidly spreading across the globe. While the use of sensors and software to monitor these
underground assets remains far behind demand for smart metering, sensor installation is set to grow rapidly as an increasing
number of successful pilot schemes lead to larger scale implementation.
Portsmouth
Water
Tacoma
UK
System-wide installation of
network optimisation software
USA
Innovyze InfoMaster software
platform for NRW reduction
NETHERLANDS
80% of utilities use AI-based
network optimisation software
CZECH REPUBLIC
Leakage monitoring software
for complex data collection,
leakage and NRW evaluation
TURKEY
Fixed-network acoustic leak
detection (300 measurement
points)
UK
Xylem FlexNet comms
network, Syrinix TrunkMinder,
Innovyze Floodworks
USA
Continuous acoustic leak
detection with plans to
install 10,000
measurement points
CHINA
Aquadvanced network
management software (Suez)
Antalya
Thames Water
San Jose
Macao
Severoeské
Riyadh
Lyon
FRANCE
5,000+ fixed-network acoustic sensors
integrated into AMI system and
network management platform
SAUDI
Network upgrade
with flow meter
and pressure
sensor installation
SINGAPORE
Flow, pressure and noise level
detection with integrated
leak detection software
Selangor
Cape Town & uMhlathuze
SOUTH AFRICA
Advanced pressure management
MALAYSIA
Advanced network pressure
management and trunk
main pressure monitoring
Queensland
AUSTRALIA
Pilot schemes involving a wide
range of software and sensor
solutions by utilities across the state
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