Mueller Systems said soon utilities will have the ability to remotely detect and monitor water distribution main leaks through its latest advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) feature - Automated Leak Detection (ALD).
Set for commercial release in 2014, ALD integrates acoustic-based leak detection technology from Echologics with the Mi.Net(R) Mueller infrastructure network, Mueller Systems' fixed, two-way AMI network for utilities that fully automates the meter reading-to-billing process and provides remote access to real-time information, such as meter readings, alarm conditions and historical usage data.
It is anticipate that ALD should enable utilities to accurately detect and locate distribution main leaks - from their office - using laptops, smartphones and other web-enabled devices. This capability can help utilities more intelligently reduce non-revenue water while prioritizing and conducting repair projects by detecting leaks without using field crews, excavating potential leak sites or resorting to other costly and time consuming tasks normally associated with traditional leak detection methods.
The main component of ALD is Mi.Logger - a radio frequency transceiver featuring Echologics' sensors and algorithms housed in a cast-iron or high-density plastic enclosure that replaces the pumper nozzle caps of wet and dry barrel fire hydrants throughout a utility's service area. The Mi.Logger receivers collect acoustic data from pipelines before generating and wirelessly transmitting reports containing the data to the Mi.Net System's host software component - Mi.Host. Detected leaks, bursts, low flow and hydrant tampering can be viewed by utility workers online through the Mi.Host user interface, which is integrated with ESRI GIS Mapping software.
Workers can view the sizes and locations of leaks to determine whether or not immediate repairs need to be made, and they can compare collected data to reports transmitted by other Mi.Loggers to rule out false leak alarms.
www.muellerwaterproducts.com
