Severn Trent trials drones for water leak detection
Image: Severn Trent
GB water company Severn Trent has been trialling futuristic new drone technology with the potential of helping to detect leaking pipes from hundreds of kilometres away.
The technology draws on thermal imaging to detect drops in temperature on the ground below, which could be indicative of a leaking pipe.
Currently the legislation requires drone pilots to be within ‘line of sight’, which means the drones can only be flown a few hundred metres away at a time.
However, this may be about to change and enable companies such as Severn Trent to maintain a series of drones at docking sites across its service area and enable them to be flown from a distant location.
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In preparation, the company has been trialling ‘drones in a box’, a new solution designed for remote operation in which the drones depart from and return to a secure ‘box’ and which also serves as a charging station and a housing.
In addition to leak detection, Severn Trent also has been deploying its fleet of drones, in operation since 2017, for surveying sites such as reservoirs and treatment works, avoiding the manpower and infrastructure requirements for on-site inspection.
Drone lead Duncan Turner describes drones in a box as a really exciting new technology.
“What drones in a box would give us is the capability to rapidly respond to issues or problems from many kilometres away. This could include helping spot potential leaks with our thermal drones, which is particularly useful in rural areas, plus conducting remote surveys of our sites when needed.
“It could also allow us to fly to the scene of a big burst within minutes to help send back photographs and video, so expert teams at our Coventry headquarters can make quick decisions, including on logistics.”
The flying of drones is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority, which is currently working on addressing the challenges of operation beyond visual line of sight and could lead to the relaxation of the current restrictions by 2027.
Severn Trent anticipates that if the restrictions are lifted, the drones in a box solution would be a big boost to its current fleet of drones.
Severn Trent is targeting a reduction of water leakage by 15% by 2025. The company is also aiming to halve the amount of water lost through its network by 2045.
For a rural pipeline, compared to an onsite team, the time to identify a leak with drones could be reduced to a few hours.
