The LEAKman partnership creates valuable academic results
The LEAKman partnership continues to support the reduction of water losses in the Danish water sector through research projects where the partnership formed under LEAKman is a key in the development of competences and talents.
To date the partnership has engaged and facilitated one PhD and several MSc projects working with data and cases delivered by the utilities and supervised by NIRAS and The Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The candidates have contributed with valuable results and expertise in data and leakage management of water distribution systems, which in turn has been communicated through academic journals and conferences.
Data from the LEAKman partnership will continue to provide the basis for research and advanced developments within several areas including water loss control, demand forecasting, hydraulic modelling, and water quality monitoring.
Educating the future generation of NRW specialists
The close link between the industrial partners and DTU has created and innovative environment. By bringing challenges, data, and practical knowledge together with academic research LEAKman has generated new competences and continuously contributes to educate a new generation of environmental engineers with expertise in NRW management and optimisation of water distribution systems.
Amongst the results are the introduction of systematic data integrity testing and novel methods to ensure robust decisions-based smart meter data. The vast amount of smart meter data has e.g. been applied for suggesting improved national reference values for diurnal demand profiles and legitimate night consumption.
“The LEAKman partnership made it possible, during my PhD studies, to work closely together with stakeholders from all areas of the water sector, understand the challenges that they face, and how they may help each other solving them”
– PhD fellow at the LEAKman project, Jonas Kirstein.