Jisha Surya
Thiruvananthapuram: Threatened by the looming drought condition, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is finding ways to tackle one of its major crisis – transmission loss. According to officials, 50% of water pumped from Aruvikkara is lost due to leakage at various points. As manual checking is practically impossible, the KWA is all set to introduce modern methods to identify the leaks.
Within two weeks, KWA will conduct trials of leak detection equipment at pipelines in the city. With technical support from Canada-based Pure Technologies, two inline leak detection equipment, Sahara and Smartball, will be tested. The trial will be held as part of non revenue water management of KWA.
“We are ready with the work plan. Once it is approved, the trials will start in two weeks. Further action will be formulated based on the result of trials. We are getting more offers form various companies. We will finalize only after considering its cost effectiveness and efficiency,” said a senior official of KWA. “Plugging leakages, especially at the time of a drought situation is extremely important,” he said.
“Both Sahara and Smartball work inline and detect leak from within. It will work without disrupting the transmission. The Smartball will move along with the water and detect leaks by sending variation of sound at the location. The Sahara has a small parachute, which helps in navigation, and its sensor will detect the leak,” the KWA official said.
The department also plans asset mapping in order to prepare drawings of transmission pipes. Some companies have approached KWA with equipment such as ground penetration radars which, in addition to locate leaks, also helps in creating asset mapping. “Some equipment could provide services such as leak detection and mapping. Such companies too are under consideration. For KWA, which laid several pipes for various projects, asset mapping will help in locating pipes,” he said.
HOW THEY WORK
Sahara
Insert sensor into transmission pipe.
A small parachute at one end will help its movement
The sensor is tethered to the surface, allowing for real-time results and maximum control and sensitivity
The surface tracking device will detect leaks
Smartball
Insert smartball into the pipe
It will travel with waterflow for up to 12 hours
The aluminium core of non-tethered form ball will detect acoustic activity associated with leaks
It is able to collect information about leak in a long pipe with a single deployment
Thiruvananthapuram: Threatened by the looming drought condition, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is finding ways to tackle one of its major crisis – transmission loss. According to officials, 50% of water pumped from Aruvikkara is lost due to leakage at various points. As manual checking is practically impossible, the KWA is all set to introduce modern methods to identify the leaks.
Within two weeks, KWA will conduct trials of leak detection equipment at pipelines in the city. With technical support from Canada-based Pure Technologies, two inline leak detection equipment, Sahara and Smartball, will be tested. The trial will be held as part of non revenue water management of KWA.
“We are ready with the work plan. Once it is approved, the trials will start in two weeks. Further action will be formulated based on the result of trials. We are getting more offers form various companies. We will finalize only after considering its cost effectiveness and efficiency,” said a senior official of KWA. “Plugging leakages, especially at the time of a drought situation is extremely important,” he said.
“Both Sahara and Smartball work inline and detect leak from within. It will work without disrupting the transmission. The Smartball will move along with the water and detect leaks by sending variation of sound at the location. The Sahara has a small parachute, which helps in navigation, and its sensor will detect the leak,” the KWA official said.
The department also plans asset mapping in order to prepare drawings of transmission pipes. Some companies have approached KWA with equipment such as ground penetration radars which, in addition to locate leaks, also helps in creating asset mapping. “Some equipment could provide services such as leak detection and mapping. Such companies too are under consideration. For KWA, which laid several pipes for various projects, asset mapping will help in locating pipes,” he said.
HOW THEY WORK
Sahara
Insert sensor into transmission pipe.
A small parachute at one end will help its movement
The sensor is tethered to the surface, allowing for real-time results and maximum control and sensitivity
The surface tracking device will detect leaks
Smartball
Insert smartball into the pipe
It will travel with waterflow for up to 12 hours
The aluminium core of non-tethered form ball will detect acoustic activity associated with leaks
It is able to collect information about leak in a long pipe with a single deployment
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