Most water utilities in Australia and New Zealand are trialling or considering the business case for digital metering (DM), which provides significant efficiency gains, including automated billing and improved customer engagement to reduce demand and detect customer-side leaks. One approach to locating physical leaks in the network is to include vibration sensors as part of the DM deployment.
South East Water (SEW), a large water corporation in Melbourne, Australia, developed the Sotto® network leak detection sensor (Sotto), an innovative technology designed to be integrated into static DM.
THE CHALLENGE
In June 2022, an analysis of the SEW Sotto trials within several neighbourhoods was undertaken to determine the effectiveness and financial viability of including the Sotto sensor in a DM deployment to determine leaks in the network. Jacobs Smart Water SMEs, Digital Advisory and Data Science teams designed and implemented this analysis in conjunction with SEW.
The analysis was structured based on the following problem statements:
- What is the success rate of leaks being detected in an existing
neighbourhood network using vibration data from Sotto? - What is the financial viability of including the Sotto sensors in an integrated digital meter deployment at every property?
- What is the financial viability of Sotto sensors in an integrated digital meter deployment at every second property?
RESULTS
The following summary stems from a thorough set of hypotheses and business considerations unique to SEW. To summarise, the analysis determined the following: .
- Previously undetectable leaks can be detected using Sotto sensors, and early detection of existing leak repairs could minimise water losses.
- It is financially beneficial for SEW to include Sotto sensors in their DM deployment at every property.
- It is financially beneficial for SEW to include Sotto sensors in their DM deployment at every second property.
In addition, the analysis determined the following key Sotto benefits after deployment:
- A proportion of leaks are detected before customer detection or business as usual (BAU). Leading to the volume of water saved through planned repair activities.
- Some leaks not found by BAU are detected, and the associated volume of water can be saved when repaired. However, additional repair activities are expected.
KEY FINDINGS:
- For the wider SEW network, it is financially viable to include Sotto sensors on a 1:1 basis for relevant properties (excluding high-rise buildings and new builds), this configuration provides a modelled TOTEX saving of 4.5% over 25 years and an OPEX saving of 10.9% from BAU yearly once the DMs are completely deployed.
- For the wider SEW network, it is financially viable to include Sotto sensors at every second property, this configuration provides a modelled TOTEX saving of 5.6% over 25 years and an OPEX saving of 10.2% from BAU yearly once the DMs are completely deployed.
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