When detecting water loss becomes easy

For a long time, it was a challenge for the Groß-Umstadt water utility to identify water loss in the distribution network. Often, it was only possible to react when leaks or pipe bursts became obvious. The switch to Kamstrup‘s flowIQ® 2200 water meters with acoustic leak detection resulted in a quantum leap in terms of resource conservation and efficiency for Groß-Umstadt.  

Groß-Umstadt, also known as the northern gateway to the Odenwald and the "Odenwald wine island" in the wine-growing Hessische Bergstraße region, is a historic small town with nine districts and around 22,150 inhabitants. The water supply covers around 7,000 house connections. 

Before switching to electronic meters, the utility used analog wet dial meters, composite water meters and Woltmann meters. The switch to flowIQ® 2200 meters in 2021 had many reasons. A key aspect was the simple and efficient detection of water loss, a benefit that made Kamstrup’s meters score points in the tender. The new meters also offer the highest level of data security in accordance with European data protection standards (GDPR) as well as economic advantages through possible calibration period extensions.  

The meter types MULTICAL® 21, flowIQ® 2200, flowIQ® 3100 and flowIQ® 4200 (ranging from DN 20 to DN 150) are used in the distribution area, and are read in READy Manager (drive-by) with a wireless M-Bus solution. In addition, system hosting and support as well as the Leak Detector software with pipeline integration are provided by Kamstrup. 

The overall rollout was completed in mid-2022 and the city benefits from numerous advantages:

• Targeted support in controlling the pipe network
• Precise measurement of actual water consumption
• Better overview of loss, sales and production
• Greater sustainability: Less water loss reduces energy costs and conserves water supplies
• Time saving and efficiency: simplified processing of the annual statement and shortening of the period, avoiding incorrect readings
• If necessary, rapid localization of leaks, which previously took hours or even days
• Meter operational lifetime of at least 12 years through calibration period extension

The rollout is also a win for end-users. With the help of info codes, the utility can regularly inform 400 to 500 citizens per year about leakage alarms and have them check their home installations and save valuable drinking water and costs. Positive feedback from end-users confirms the added value of this service.  

In addition, the end-users can view the info codes directly on the meter display, which creates additional transparency. The introduction of electronic meters has significantly reduced the number of objections to the annual statement and strengthened the trust of the end-users. This also means less work for the utility.  

Overall, the measures have led to a significant reduction in water loss, with a continuing downward trend. 

In addition to detecting water loss on the consumer side, the flowIQ® 2200 water meters also detect leaks and pipe bursts in the pipe network. "If there is a need for it, we cover the area using READy drive-by. Kamstrup's own Leak Detector software can then be used to determine whether to focus on leaks in the pipe network or after the house connection," says Hans Jürgen Bahlecke, Water Utility Manager. The meter technology uses ultrasound to detect noise patterns in the water and record the lowest noise level. This allows background noise such as above-ground traffic to be filtered out. The noise analysis is based exclusively on sound waves in the water and does not depend on the pipe material.

"From 2022 to 2023, water loss upstream the water meter was reduced by 28,000 m³ - we attribute a large part of this success to the use of flowIQ® 2200 meters," says Björn Mattheß, Operations Manager. A recent example demonstrates the effectiveness of the technology: On a main supply line, water meters up to 25 meters away from the pipe burst detected a noise that indicated a water loss. The graphic on the left shows where the water pipe burst was, and which meters registered it. Without the acoustic leak detection function, this damage would not have been noticed and could have led to a loss of more than 100,000 m³ of water over the course of a year. This impressive case shows how important the prevention of water loss is.

The Leak Detector can be used to identify leaks in the network precisely and efficiently. The software enables intuitive visualization and analysis of the noise data from flowIQ® 2200 water meters. Thanks to an advanced algorithm, the system automatically interprets the noise data over time and identifies meters with a high risk of leakage.  

The changes in the noise patterns recorded by the water meters are clearly shown graphically in the software.  

The practical example from Groß-Umstadt, shown on the left, shows how a water pipe burst on the main supply line was analysed using the software. It is easy to see the increase in the noise level from when the pipe burst occurred and the decrease in the noise patterns after the repair.

With the almost complete digitalization of water measurement (99.8%), Groß-Umstadt has already turned the present into the future. "Our focus is on sustainability in order to secure the water supply for future generations," Mattheß emphasizes.  

Conclusion  
Decreasing water loss not only mean savings for the city, but also lower energy costs for water handling and thus make a valuable contribution to climate protection.