Thanks to cooperation with UNICEF Ukraine, Lvivvodokanal has acquired modern equipment for finding hidden water leaks. The new mobile tracer system, combined with a geographic information system, allows the company to inspect and detect possible water losses in a small neighbourhood overnight, as the radius of the unit is up to 5 km.
It will also help eliminate illegal tie-ins (water theft). The first results of using the tracer will be visible within a few months of operation.
“Damage to water pipes is caused by various factors: metal corrosion, soil freezing, pressure fluctuations, depressurisation at joints, etc. And very often, when a pipeline rupture occurs, water does not come to the surface at the accident site. As a result, a pipe break can remain unnoticed for a long time and cause many problems: sinkholes, damage to roads, utilities, etc.
To detect hidden leaks, special equipment is required – a tracer kit with system software. We purchased such a set of modern German equipment with funds from UNICEF Ukraine. Such equipment is used by water utilities in Germany and Denmark,” says Lvivvodokanal.
The advantages of the new equipment for finding hidden leaks include
– the ability to detect leaks in polyethylene pipes (the old equipment did not allow this) and high sensitivity of the sensors, which allows detecting even the smallest leaks in long pipe sections;
– the function of recording the sounds of what is happening inside the pipe (network) and the ability to listen to it in real time: you can hear the noise of leaks, especially at high pressure;
– a set of loggers (data loggers) that can be programmed to scan water pipes offline without the presence of an employee;
– mobility and long battery life (without recharging).
“The new mobile tracer system, combined with a geographic information system, will allow us to inspect and detect possible water losses in a small neighbourhood overnight. Our old sensors had a range of 200 metres, while the new ones have a range of up to 5 km. At night, when water consumption is minimal, we will be able to detect whether there are water losses and eliminate them promptly. This is especially important for public facilities such as hospitals, schools, educational institutions and other institutions that need to have uninterrupted water supply,” explains Yuriy Rasyak, Head of the Hidden Leakage Department at Lvivvodokanal.
According to him, this equipment opens up new opportunities for the hidden leakage detection department. With its improved functionality and sensitivity, it will help to find leaks that the old devices did not even respond to, as well as eliminate illegal tie-ins (water theft).
Lvivvodokanal has more than 2,200 km of pipes on its balance sheet, both in Lviv and 100 km from the city limits. 80% of the pipelines are worn out, causing bursts with water losses.