Danish legislation does not allow a water loss rate of more than 10%. Over time, this has resulted in Denmark having one of the world’s lowest average non-revenue water rates of 7.8%, and it has placed Denmark as a front-runner within water technology and solutions for optimising water application.
Water sources are already overexploited, populations are increasing and we need to apply better management of our drinking water. And what better way to start than by minimising the waste of water that has already been processed and is on its way to the consumers.
However, with increasing demands for efficient operation and documentation, better insight into conditions in the distribution network is necessary if utilities are to further reduce the water loss and still ensure a stable and energy-efficient operation.
Danish utility needed real-time insight into the supply network
The Danish utility Silkeborg Forsyning supplies drinking water to approximately 60,000 consumers through a pipe network of 640 kilometres and 21,500 consumer meters, producing around 3 million cubic metres of water annually.
It is difficult to identify leaks in the pipe network quickly as well as to prioritise efforts and resources without real-time data on flow and pressure. Therefore, Silkeborg Forsyning wanted a solution that could provide a more detailed and continuous overview of the network.
Dividing the network into DMAs
Silkeborg Forsyning divided the network into 24 District Metering Areas (DMAs) to enable better control, faster leak detection, more efficient operations and a better foundation for new investments in the distribution network.
They looked into several technologies to collect, send and analyse flow and pressure data directly from the network. And because of functionality, technical specs and competitive prices, they ended up going with the digital solution from AVK Smart Water.
Data-driven operation of the water supply
Monitoring the distribution network provides insight into which of the 24 DMAs receive the most water at night, helping identify potential water loss. Alarms set on night-time flow will notify the utility staff in case of a pipe burst or other unusual changes. This provides valuable information for prioritising actions and pipe renovations. In addition, the digital solution is used in the daily monitoring of pressure in the network to provide consumers and plumbers with information about the pressure they can expect in the households.
“We monitor the pressure levels both during the day and across the week, to see if we can regulate it up or down in the different sections, to achieve an energy saving”, says Gert Rasmussen from Silkeborg Forsyning.
A few different maps have been imported into the VIDI Cloud system, AVK Smart Water's dedicated software platform for data collection and visualisation. It helps give contractors and blacksmiths a better visual understanding of how the pipe network is connected, with transmission lines and sections.
“AVK Smart Water has provided us with several benefits, but if I were to highlight just a few, it would be that we, as a water utility, have gained an almost complete overview of the dynamics of our water networks and its sections. And the more data we log, the easier it becomes for us to detect deviations.”
The digital solution
The solution chosen by Silkeborg Forsyning included wireless, battery-powered sensors with stable data transmission, configurable measurement intervals, alarm functionality and seamless integration with their existing SCADA and IT systems:
- 33 pcs. VIDI Flow transmitters
- 33 pcs. VIDI flow meters
- 35 pcs. VIDI Pressure sensors
- VIDI Cloud Basic
Next, they will implement VIDI Cloud Premium with Leak Monitor software to analyse night flow and pinpoint leaks within each DMA, further enhancing network efficiency and supporting more sustainable water management.
Reducing water loss for a more sustainable future
Water is a scarce resource in many parts of the world. Yet, in some countries, between 20 and 50% of the treated water is lost on its way to the consumers. Consequently, up to 50% of energy used for production and distribution of treated water is wasted too. By combining digital monitoring and data analysis, AVK Smart Water provides water utilities with an effective tool for reducing water loss, optimising operations and ensuring a more robust and future-proof water supply.
