Malaysia Using Remote To Monitor Water
Malaysian water utility is cutting non-revenue water by using remote monitoring
A trial involving the installation of the 295 Enigma3m remote correlating noise logger in water distribution in the State of Johor, Malaysia has successfully cut the flow by third.
The water supply company Ranhill Berhad as set a forecast to reduce non-revenue water by 5% by 2025. In December 2018 loss through leaks, burst and unauthorized connections created 24% and a number of actions was set in motion. Firstly, smart district metered areas (DMAs) of the water distribution network were implemented, with five DMAs involved in the first phase.
UK leakage technology specialist Primayer was approached by Ranhill through Mimtech, the company’s authorized distributor for the southern region of Malaysia, and the Enigma3m advanced remote correlating noise loggers were deployed in a three-month trial throughout August, September and October 2018.
The aim of the first month of the project was to locate leaks from the correlations obtained from the Enigma3m loggers; during the second month leaks were repaired and further monitoring was carried out in the third month. The trial was carried on Bandar Putra B DMA in the state capital Johor Bahru, with a total pipeline length of 38.51km and some 5,052 connections under investigation.
The leakage rate was determined by measuring the net night flow (NNF) and subtracting legitimate night flow from the minimum night flow. Prior to installation of Enigma3m NNF was 30.99l/s and total daily flow rate was 6,200m3/day.
During the implementation of the smart DMA program, a total of 295 Enigma3m units were installed by the team from Ranhill Water Services. The Enigma3m loggers were installed at hydrant valves, air release valves and on exposed fittings along the pipeline. The distance between sites for Enigma3m units varied depending on whether the pipes were metal or polyethylene.
The Enigma3m loggers installed in Johor use GPRS communications to transmit daily noise data from leaks to remotely locate leaks in water distribution networks, a major step-up from traditional techniques which include the use of metal rods to listen for leaks from above ground. They are deployed in underground chambers and require no outlay on surface level equipment.
It has been a successful trial and the implementation will help to monitor the water fluctuation and help to save water along the way.