Severn Trent is trialling satellite technologies to detect leakage from space – the water company is already using drones to spot leaks from the air.
Dr Bob Stear, Head of Innovation at Severn Trent, explained:
“At the moment leakage detection hasn’t developed much in the way of new emerging technologies, so we’ve chosen to take a chance on satellites. We’re doing two trials to find leaks in different ways.”
The water company is working with Rezatec, who analyse different types of satellite data and imagery to monitor changes in the landscape near to the pipe. This includes changes to the vegetation, water content in soil, water accumulation and sub-centimetre ground movement all of which help to identify potential leakage.
Severn Trent is also doing some work with Utilis, using a Japanese satellite, 637km above the earth. It works by picking up a signature of longwave radiation of chlorine in water, tracking them “signature” of drinking water escaping into the ground.
The trials have so far identified many points of interest, which teams are then following up with onsite investigations. Any leaks found are then planned in and fixed as soon as possible.
Philip Briscoe, COO of Rezatec said:
“It’s incredible what we can understand from satellite data in relation to monitoring asset networks. Identifying high risk areas of underground pipeline infrastructure and detecting symptoms of leakage is a cost-effective alternative to more traditional methods as its non-invasive, frequently updated and highly scalable.”
According to Nick Haskins of SUEZ UK, who are exclusive representatives of Utilis in the U.K. and Ireland, the ground breaking satellite technology orbiting the Earth at 633km, offers the most up to date and innovative method for locating water leaks. This gives water companies the ability to survey the whole water pipe network in a single operation.
Bob Stear added:
“We’re really excited to be working on this. Its early days so far, but it’s looking really promising. What’s really impressive is that we’re picking up leaks as small as boundary boxes and leaks on valves – something that is normally incredibly difficult to pinpoint.
“With this new satellite technology, the time it takes to locate leaks should significantly reduce, which is obviously great news for leakage levels and our customers. We can see clearly the value that this level of geospatial data insight can deliver and we fully expect to be able to improve our costs and efficiency by making better informed decisions when finding and fixing leaks.”
“SAS (Surplus Activated Sludge) is a bit weird and 
Owen Mace has taken over as Director of the British Plastics Federation (BPF) Plastic Pipes Group on the retirement of Caroline Ayres. He was previously Standards and Technical Manager for the group.
PureTec Separations, the Ledbury-based water treatment engineering firm, has appointed Dan Norman as its new Sales Manager – Water Process Systems, supporting the company’s continued growth in the UK and international markets.
bNovate has launched BactoCloud, a secure cloud-based platform that connects and manages its BactoSense instruments, enabling real-time monitoring and optimization of microbial water quality.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.
Find out more about the remarkable career opportunities on offer at WSP - scroll down to watch the inspirational video.