Smart Ball underground leak detection tech saves DEWA 130mn gallons
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s (DEWA’s) Smart Ball water transmission technology has been reported as saving 130 million imperial gallons of water through heightened leak detection in water transmission underground pipelines.
Underground pipeline water leaks are usually difficult to detect using traditional leak noise logging techniques due to depth.
Aiming to meet this challenge, the Smart Ball system consists of a small diameter sphere with a highly sensitive acoustic sensor, which is inserted into the water network where it travels freely, driven by water flow.
The Smart Ball technology detects these sounds generated by leaks and identifies gas pockets or anomalies, which have unique characteristics.
Once the Smart Ball is extracted, the compiled data is analysed by software using mathematical algorithms showing the precise location of leaks, gas pockets or anomalies.
The Smart Ball travels freely inside the transmission pipes at around 3km per hour and can inspect over 35km in one day without affecting the water flow.
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Year long project results
The Smart Ball tech was initially used by DEWA in April 2021. Until the end of 2022, it detected 43 leaks in the utility’s water transmission network in Dubai, saving 130 million imperial gallons of water and AED5.2 million ($1.4 million).
“In addition to ensuring around-the-clock water supply and early detection of leaks to reduce wastage, the Smart Ball technology contributes to reducing losses in water transmission and distribution networks which is currently 4.5%, one of the lowest worldwide,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of DEWA.
DEWA launched its water smart distribution management system – of which the Smart Ball forms a part – hoping to improve automation, efficiency of operations and reliability of water supplies.
It has a centralised around-the-clock system for remote control and monitoring, as well as smart equipment and systems.
The system uses Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) installed at interconnections between the transmission and distribution pipelines. In addition, it is linked with advanced water SCADA and hydraulic-management systems to improve fault location and lowers costs.
