VIDI Positioner, a new innovative device supporting active leakage control in Copenhagen
Installing flow meters on DMA inlet pipes and shut-off valves on the pipes connecting DMAs, enables water balance calculations at DMA level. Accurate water balance calculations are relying on robust, precise and complete data where all water entering and leaving a DMA is monitored and measured. Such calculations highly depend upon valid information confirming that all boundary valves are closed during the water balance assessment period.
VIDI Positioner increases reliability and usage of data
It is a well-known problem, that if the emergency valves have been opened during maintenance work, they are sometimes not brought back to the closed position following completion of the maintenance works. The VIDI Positioner will register such behaviour and instantly inform the utility when the valve is operated and whether it is open, closed or somewhere in between. It sends a signal when the valve is being operated and continuously sends updated data on how much the valve is open.
VIDI Positioners contribute to improved overview at Denmark’s largest utility
VIDI positioners have been installed as part of the LEAKman demonstration facilities at HOFOR, at three strategically important shut-off valves that are working as emergency valves between DMAs. Data is automatically sent to HOFOR at regular intervals, and if the valve is operated in-between the regular intervals.
The LEAKman partners did at an early stage identify the need for knowing if and when DMA boundary valves (emergency valves) are operated. Open boundary valves are a common influencer on NRW management as it often leads to false results when conducting water balance assessment and minimum night flow monitoring. During the implementation of the LEAKman demonstration facilities, AVK in parallel developed a new IoT device, the VIDI Positioner, which can be mounted on the valve spindle to register any operation of the valve and then transmit the valve position change to the cloud (online) for use by the water utility.
The data is then further integrated with the GIS so that the entire operation and maintenance staff automatically have direct access to the valve status information. The valve position data is further integrated with the smart water platform under LEAKman, and directly connected with the hydraulic model where the hydraulic simulations automatically will reflect the change in valve position. HOMIS will also utilise the information coming from the VIDI Positioners to disable water balance calculations during periods where the DMA boundaries are opened. This way, the VIDI Positioners ensure precise information about valve positions and allow for a better overview and automated knowledge sharing.
At the DMA shown, the VIDI positioner is installed at the two emergency valves and integrated with the online hydraulic model. This way the information on valve status is automatically available in the hydraulic model and used during simulations so that the information and changed hydraulics are directly available in the control room
Courtesy: AVK
The LEAKman partners did at an early stage identify the need for knowing if and when DMA boundary valves (emergency valves) are operated. Open boundary valves are a common influencer on NRW management as it often leads to false results when conducting water balance assessment and minimum night flow monitoring. During the implementation of the LEAKman demonstration facilities, AVK in parallel developed a new IoT device, the VIDI Positioner, which can be mounted on the valve spindle to register any operation of the valve and then transmit the valve position change to the cloud (online) for use by the water utility.