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Best practices and technologies to overcome barriers to implementing smart water networks

Topic: Smart water networks; Automatic Meter Reading; Systems modelling, optimization and

decision support;

Authors names and affiliations: Miriam Surro (CEO MiDo Snc), Lamboglia Domenico (CTO MiDo Snc)

Key words: smart meter, open protocol, cloud computing

Contact person: Miriam Surro – m.surro@midoingegneria.com – tel.+39.346.6715601

Abstract

This paper reports the results of four years of pilot projects smart metering and monitoring of water networks in different scenarios and application environments, made with various public and private companies involved in the distribution of water resources

We want to prove that the applicability and economic sustainability of metering systems are only possible if you adopt open systems, versatile, interoperable, self-powered and complete.

Open systems, versatile, interoperable, self-powered and complete in other word means consisting of:

1. devices that can be connected to any type of mechanical counter or probes (pressure temperature etc.) via radio or wired using standardized protocols,

2. self-powered with a lifetime of 10 years at least, 3. complete with communication interfaces, and able to transmit the data autonomously to 4. data management systems provided as Software as a service (cloud computing service) or that

can be interfaced to existing systems management software.

Introduction

Water scarcity and water quality are emerging as key issues of public concern and more pressing inhibitors of growth in cities and countries around the world.

As a result, the market for safe, available water and for the infrastructure and technologies that treat and transport water is expected to continue to grow rapidly as stakeholders look for new solutions and approaches to integrated water resource management. However, according to Growing Blue, a consortium of industry colleagues, scientists, academia and environmental professionals, one-third of reporting countries lose more than 40 percent of the clean water pumped into the distribution system because of leaks before that water reaches end consumers. Water utilities lose an estimated $9.6 billion on an annual basis because of leaked water.

Utilities worldwide spend nearly $100 billion on water-related operations and almost $90 billion on capital expenditures each year. Much of the spending is inefficiently allocated and savings opportunities are lost because utilities:

Do not have access to sufficient information regarding leaks, status of pipes and water quality

Do not have data and knowledge integration across multiple operating divisions

Are not capable of analysing the information to drive decisions

Lack sufficient access to automated technologies that could turn information analysis and decisions into network improvements in real time

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Sy

ste

m In

pu

t V

olu

me

Authorised consumption

Billed Authorised Consumption

Billed Metered Consumption Revenue

Water Billed Unmetered Consumption

Unbilled Authorised Consumption

Unbilled Metered Consumption

Non-

Revenue

Water

(NRW)

Unbilled Unmetered Consumption

Water losses Apparent Losses Unauthorised Consumption

Customer Metering Inaccuracies

Real Losses Leakage on Transmission and/or Distribution Mains

Leakage and Overflows at Utility’s - Storage Tanks

Leakage on Service Connections up to point of Customer metering

Source: IWA - http://www.iwapublishing.com/pdf/WaterLoss-Aug.pdf

Figure 1: The IWA ‘best practice’ standard water balance

Opportunity of Smart water networks

Smart water networks offer utilities a tremendous opportunity to improve productivity and efficiency while enhancing customer service. Utilities can save between $7.1 and $12.5 billion each year from implementing smart water solutions that reduce operational inefficiencies and optimize capital expenditures.

Smart water solutions will help regulators, lawmakers and municipalities to:

To Savings on operating costs for network operations and maintenance

To Constant monitoring and timely consumption and quality

To Bill on real consumption: Pay for and manage water service easily and transparently. A smart water network solution that includes smart meters enables e-billing and e-payment options and allows consumers to interact with utilities via web portals for service requests and billing inquiries.

To Remarks: losses / thefts and follows the evolution, or meter blocked, anomalous peak values or sensor unsuitable: over-or undersized

To Quantifies the resource is not accounted

To Savings and rationalization of consumption: estimated consumption during certain periods or time slots

To Stimulates users to a more rational consumption

To have a simple and complete control of the water network

Smart meter network

A smart water network is a fully integrated set of products, solutions and systems that enable water utilities to:

Remotely and continuously monitor and diagnose problems, pre-emptively prioritize and manage maintenance issues, and remotely control and optimize all aspects of the water distribution network using data-driven insights

Comply transparently and confidently with regulatory and policy requirements on water quality and conservation

Provide water customers with the information and tools they need to make informed choices about their behaviours and water usage patterns

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Figure 2: Smart water network scheme

Figure 3: Smart water network conceptual functioning

Barrier in adoption

Smart water networks have existed conceptually for years but have failed to gain traction among utilities, technology providers and other industry stakeholders. Lack of a strong business case Water utilities companies are not sure if there is a compelling base and the benefits were not high enough to justify the investment. Lack of funding even if there is a business case Lack of funding emerged as a key constraint, even if the business case is compelling. “It’s too hard and expensive to buy all at once and manage lifecycle costs because vendors want to sell a 20-year investment all at once” Lack of political and regulatory support Political support consistently emerged as a theme preventing the adoption of smart water networks, both internal to utilities and external through municipalities as well as regulators. Lack of a clear, user-friendly integrated technology solution Proprietary vendor solutions were difficult to integrate, utilities said, and different vendors had different strengths in their offerings.

Overcome barriers to implementing smart water networks

To overcome the barriers of lack of funding Lack of political and regulatory support* actually they are creating regulatory framework that will regulate the field of smart metering world. In Europe, particularly there are cofinancing funds for the investments for the renewal and efficiency of networks water, but these factors will not be enough to implement the smart metering massively: The key question is the Lack of a clear, user-friendly integrated technology solution

save image

GPRS

Measurement and Sensing Intruments

Communication Channel

Data Analysis model

Feedback to the instruments

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Figure 4: Lack of a clear, user-friendly integrated technology solution

Nowadays the companies present in the smart meter market are the traditional producers of mechanical counters. Everyone of these stakeholders has developed to become smart a custom solution just for his meters, but you don’t find any utilities company in gas or water sector, that has just one type of brand of counter.

In addition, the customer has to deal alone about the aspects of the data transfer and coverage of the transmission costs, but the customer is responsible for water and gas and is not a telecommunications company.

Finally, the data is transmitted through a closed protocol that require the customer to buy expensive software and hardware that upsets the existing data management systems.

So these solutions are all wrong in all of their aspects: because they are based on a custom electronic device, are incomplete, and the protocols are closed.

EU and Italian regulatory framework Direttiva UE n. 32/2006 - EFFICIENZA ENERGIA E SERVIZI ENERGETICI Decreto legislativo n. 152/99 agg.2012 NUOVO TESTO UNICO AMBIENTALE Delibera 155/08 dell’authority per l’energia (AEEG) e la 28/12 Definisce le modalità di passaggio agli smartmeters gas e, attraverso le norme UNICIG11291, anche le modalità di comunicazione dei contatori attraverso la rete fino al SAC EN 16314 “Gas meters -Additional functionalities” N°393/13 Regolamenta la sperimentazione di soluzioni di telegestione multiservizio di contatori domestici.

Best practices and technologies with open interoperability self-powered smart system for water

We adopted "smart metering system" based on an electronic device with the following properties:

SELF POWERED with 10-year life cycle,

OPEN HARDWARE INTERFACE: the device is extremely versatile and can be connected to any type of mechanical meter, or sensor, (wired or wireless radio sensors with standard new protocol WM-BUS OMS (EN 1434))

The device stores meter read data in a BIG MEMORY (more than year of capacity of storage),

OPEN TRASMISSION PROTOCOL - SAAS (SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE) – CLOUD COMPUTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BASED: the device send trough wired or wireless network to a management system that we provide also as a cloud computing service. The transmission protocol is open, so the data transmitted can be easily integrated with existing data management system.

And we prove the above features are the key of success to the applicability and economic sustainability of metering systems

Closed

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Figure 5: Open, versatile, interoperable, self-powered and complete smart meter system

Application of smart metering in different scenario

We can classify users of a water network and therefore also the application fields of a smart metering system, into 3 groups:

1. Distribution network (pipelines, tanks, power plants) 2. Large users (industries - irrigation networks etc.) 3. Domestic consumers

In each of these groups has different needs and smart metering can be applied, but in a way, different technologies.

Figure 6: Example of a modelled city plant with different application of a interoperable smart meter system

Large users (industries, hospitals, schools), that is, all those users which consume large volumes of resource. These users require intensive monitoring with a high amount of readings (one reading per hour and sending data once a day). For these users, the remote reading is important to bill with frequency on actual consumption, and to check for leaks.

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The pipeline, production and distribution part of a water network requires a near real-time monitoring and amounts of data very high (less than once an hour reading and sending data to the management system less than once every 24 hours, for example) because the needs are:

check the status of the network, to act promptly in case of breakdown

to control and monitor the loss of water resources,

to plan the intervention strategy

and to be a valuable tool to support the management.

Final consumer needs: Few readings 1 or 2 per day, in order to obtain bills of real consumption, awareness of resource use, transparency with Municipalities.

These types of users are never clearly divided by zones on the territory, but they are always mixed, so in a metropolis for example we find large users (hospitals, schools, barracks) in the same area of apartments, private houses close to of a network of irrigation or nearby industrial district.

So in order to efficiently apply smart meter network is first of all necessary that the devices used are able to adapt without any changes or additional complexities for the utility companies, to the different contexts and regardless of the type of counters.

The smart metering devices while reading from heterogeneous sources must be able to interact between them and especially to send data into one remote management software.

The interaction between the various nodes monitoring enables nodes to calculate an instantaneous water balance, and promptly identify network problems

To have a single remote management system is the key factor in the smart metering, because only in this way, the remote management system can apply all the necessary mathematical models for optimizing strategic planning management of the network to calculate an overall water balance of the entire water network.

Field tests - Case of studies

The following scenarios shows different using of the same device in the different test pilot made with collaboration of a utility company based in South of Italy Acquedotto Lucano SpA and a Sub-metering company based in Florence Ditta Taglialegna

OPEN HARDWARE INTERFACE

What does means an open interoperability device? It means that the same device could be used in different scenarios

Wired version

A single device with several inputs for connection with meters or sensors (for example temperature and pressure) and GPRS communication interface. It is addressed to: Block of flats with collectors meters, large utilities (high consumption): Irrigation, Industries, Sub-distributions (such as support for the detection of leaks and breaks down on the network)

Figure 7: Wired device plugged with cable to one or more counters

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Master version

Concentrator for collecting consumption data by radio WM-BUS OMS (EN 1434), from meters (water, gas, heating), and sending via GPRS to the management system. It is addressed to: Domestic use, as block of flats or Industrial use: as Resorts, Hotels, Industries.

Figure 8: Master device connected Via Radio to the counters

Special version

For sewage and waste water with the use of ultrasonic sensors for example For water quality with use of biosensors (for example: Ammonium,pH, Conductivity, Turbidity, etc.).

Figure 9: Device connected with several type of sensors

OPEN TRASMISSION PROTOCOL - SAAS (SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE) – CLOUD COMPUTING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BASED

Utilities emphasized in the lack of a quality, integrated solution. Proprietary vendor solutions were difficult to integrate, utilities said, and different vendors had different strengths in their offerings. The lack of international open standards for devices posed an additional challenge. To overtake this limit we adopted a cloud computing service:

ARCHITECTURE AND CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICE FOR MANAGEMENT

A good Smart meter solution has to be a full service: in other words consisting of both the remote reading device to be associated with mechanical meters, both from the management software, tailored for the customer, also provided as a cloud computing service, without investments in infrastructure (both hardware and software) and human resources management.

DATA TRASMISSION AND ALERT EVENTS

To transfer data from monitoring point to the cloud we used a GRPS network and a DATA SIM. We used GPRS network, because it is safe, cheap, and standard. Both of OEM GPRS modem and SIM DATA was already included, configured and ready to use. When the technician of water utility company has setup the device on the mechanical counter, he did not made any extra and different work than the simple plug in the probe with the device. We adopt GPRS Network because it can be used as a bidirectional channel to send and change configuration parameter: transmission frequencies, to set up configuration alarms.

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SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE AND CLOUD COMPUTING

We complete our system with a management software, developed using programming languages: Php, Jquery (java script library) programming and Mysql (Relational database management system). All these technologies are free and open, does not require any software or hardware to be installed in the water company buildings.

WE developed a web-application and provided to the water company as SAAS (SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE where operators and maintenance workers and end users too "authorized", can access through authentication with any connected device, laptop, smartphone, tablet and check many information as

GEOREFERENCING of the devices,

Profile of the DAILY CONSUMPTION,

Profile of the CONSUMPTION TIME, AND SECTION for STATISTICS AND ALARMS

Figure 10: pages examples of the management software

I use case: Wired solution on large users in a wide area

Scenario: 16 large users on an area of 9.992 km² (Basilicata region) water utility company Acquedotto Lucano S.p.A.

Figure 11: Map of device on the region and example of installation

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Results: About a year after the beginning of the trial of the system on 16 large users, the technical department has been able to verify the reliability of the system adopted, the economy and especially the efficiency of the system, in fact, no device installed has never had any problem both in the data collection in the transmission of the same. The Technical Department in the two cases on which it received the request for verification of consumption by the consumers, thanks to the data in its possession has been able to quickly and unequivocally fulfil all the exceptions made by users , thus avoiding inspections and tests of any kind that would have lengthened the time with considerable additional expense for this company . Where there have been anomalies the system were promptly alerted users, in fact, have been reported excessive consumption on two occasions at the port and on a sub distribution, that alerted promptly took steps to repair. A broken counter of a industrial district was detected and quickly reported, otherwise it has been detected with considerable delay , even with months of heavy losses for the company Example of breakage of a pipe detected by smart meter system

Figure 12: Hourly detail consumption before and after the loss

Example: Counter stuck recorded on the day 07.16.2013 and 07.29.2013 replaced

Figure 13: Min, Max, Ave consumption before and after counter replaced

II use case: domestic consumer in a wide area using a mixing of wireless and wired probes

Scenario: The following pilot test concern a group of domestic users scattered in an area of 3km in a country area in Tuscany.

Consumption

after restoring

Consumption

with loss

Counter stuck Counter replaced

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Figure 14: Plant of the area

We used a mixed solution composed by

A master device connected both with radio probes (OMS WM-Bus Protocol 868Mhz) (7,8,9,13 in the figure) in a distance of 300mt and with wired probes (1,2,3,4, 5,6 in the figure)

- A wired device connected to 3 counter with wired probes

(10,11,12) and a A wired device connect to a main counter that supply the entire area

Radio trasmitter 868 mhz Figure 15: Combinated wireless wired device

Figure 16: wired device connected to 3 counters and the main supply

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All data-reading coming from all systems converge in the same remote repository via gprs network. In this case the management system provide day by day at water balance comparing volumes main input to the main counter and the output of the divisionals. As we can see on the following figures just after 24hours days of working the system has detected and quickly reported a gap in the water balance, there is a gas between volume of water input to the main counter and the divisionals. The building administrator in fact discovered a lost in a section of the net.

Conclusion Smart water networks represent a tremendous opportunity for water utilities to realize significant financial savings, address global concerns on water safety and quality, and position themselves for an increasingly resource-constrained future. The time is right for utilities to seize this opportunity, but that success will require smart solutions

Easy to use

Cheap

Integrated

Complete of transmission interface and Data SIM

Interoperability with any kind of monitoring device

Linkable with any kind of probes of counter

open software in cloud management system

Figures Figure 1: The IWA ‘best practice’ standard water balance Figure 2: Smart water network scheme Figure 3: Smart water network conceptual functioning Figure 4: Lack of a clear, user-friendly integrated technology solution Figure 5: Open, versatile, interoperable, self-powered and complete smart meter system Figure 6: Example of a modelled city plant with different application of a interoperable smart meter system Figure 7: Wired device plugged with cable to one or more counters Figure 8: Master device connected via Radio to the counters Figure 9: Device connected with several type of sensors Figure 10: pages examples of the management software Figure 11: Map of device on the region and example of installation Figure 12: Hourly detail consumption before and after the loss Figure 13: Min, Max, Ave consumption before and after counter replaced Figure 14: Plant of the area Figure 15: Combined wireless wired device Figure 16: Wired device connected to 3 counters and the main supply Figure 17: Water balance Reference http://growingblue.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Growing-Blue.pdf Water 20/20: Bringing Smart Water Networks Into Focus http://sensus.com/documents/10157/34871/2012-12-4-Sensus-Reports-Smart-Water-Networks-Save-Utilities-Billions.pdf Delibera 155/08 dell’authority per l’energia (AEEG) e la 28/12 http://www.autorita.energia.it/it/index.htm Assessing non-revenue water and its components http://www.iwapublishing.com/pdf/WaterLoss-Aug.pdf

Figure 17: Water balance