Pressure optimisation in the network

Water loss, aging infrastructure and rising energy costs are just some of the challenges that are influenced by the pressure in your distribution network. Up to 35 % of the clean water that is pumped out from the utility is wasted - due to leakages caused by high pressure among other things. Therefore, increased knowledge and pressure optimisation can have a significant impact on your water utility’s business.

A pressure which is too high, increases the risk of bursts and leakages in the network and causes the energy expenses to rise as more energy is needed to pump the water through the distribution network. A pressure that is too low will, on the other hand, increase the risk of water ingress and result in dissatisfied customers who experience an inadequate pressure in their households.

Monitoring the pressure is the foundation for your proactive efforts to optimise the pressure in order to secure customer satisfaction, limit the number of leaks or bursts and minimise the energy consumption of the pumps.

A pressure reduction causes less water to be forced through cracks in the pipes resulting in a distinct reduction of water loss from leakages. By lowering the pressure and thereby limiting the number of pressure surges, you can “calm” your distribution network and avoid unnecessary stress of the components to prolong the lifetime.

Measuring pressure directly in the network

When a water utility measures pressure in the network, there are several considerations that need to be taken into account in order to obtain useful measurements.

The most important factor is where the pressure is measured. If the measurement of pressure is done within the individual households, you will miss a significant amount of information.

Due to the dimensional differences between the distribution network and the earth- and service pipes, pressure surges are suppressed considerably, which means that you, in effect, cannot register these properly.

In addition, local changes in pressure and flow in the household has a tendency to interfere with the measurement. Therefore, it is more relevant to conduct the measurements directly in the distribution pipes.

Limit damaging pressure surges

Detect leaks and bursts in advance
Monitoring the pressure can give you knowledge about damaging pressure surges and variations, which can cause bursts in the distribution network. Thus, you will be able to identify the sources and eliminate them, resulting in fewer pipe bursts and lowering of the associated costs.

The measurement interval is crucial
The character of the pressure meter is important in order to obtain a good and useful result. In order to register the rapid pressure surges, which cause several bursts, it is necessary to have a high resolution where the momentary pressure is recorded several times per second. Only by having measurements in sufficient high resolution, you will get a complete picture of the condition of the network.