17/05/2018
What is WETNET ?
An innovative low cost flow-meter and control system to enable the water companies to improve greatly their capacity to master distribution networks in detail, cutting down energy costs and emissions, and making better use of the resource.
WETNET technology allows water companies to have fine-grained, precise, timely data collection and a system that is easy to deploy and use.
Thanks to the WETNET system, every citizen can count on a water service able to pro-actively contribute to a better water management, cutting costs, managing needs in appropriate ways, optimizing consumes and investments, with a positive effects, considering the future climate scenarios.
The system has been designed to allow flexibility, incremental deployment and size (number of sensors) scalability, co-existence and/or integration with existing measurement and control systems – including communication infrastructures, to require minimal maintenance during an acceptable operational life time,to be replaceable and have a very low end-of-life impact.
WETNET is a complete system for a modern management of water networks. It is composed by:
1. a strain-gauge hot-tap insertion flow-meter device;
2. a telemetric datalogger;
3. a supervisory service software.
On pipes side there is an innovative sensor that can be installed and activated without interrupting the water flow and that gauges water thrust. The flow-meter is easy to deploy, bi-directional, with a low energy consumption, that fits also with low-cost standalone installations.
The system requires simple hydraulic set-up operations, and is easy to maintain. Several types of low-costs configurations has been engineered, composed by different integrated devices.
WETNET Pulse Flow-meter (WPF): bidirectional insertion flowmeter, waterproof to IP68. The insertion, setup and activation can be performed without interrupting the water flow. It has a measuring range from 0.1 to 1.8 m/sec and open collector outputs for RTU or datalogger. It has very low energy consumptions and has a user-friendly software to setup and control the functioning of the system.
WETNET Link Box (WLB): logger unit with GSM/GPRS data link for data sending, housed in IP68 cylinder. It allows local logging on SD card and has been designed for lowpower applications with both internal battery and external power source. It has analogue and digital inputs with counter function and digital outputs for supplying external instruments. It has USB interface for data downloading and settings and can have internal or external antenna.
WETNET Uplink Flow-meter (WUF): bidirectional insertion flow-meter, waterproof to IP68. The insertion, setup and activation can be performed without interrupting the water flow. It has a measuring range from 0.1 to 1.8 m/sec and 4-20mA /0-5V analogue output. It has an internal GSM/ GPRS module for data transmission and an SD card for data logging. Provided of analogical inputs for reading external meters.
The WETNET flow-meters can coexist with others of different type, and send data over existing networks or dedicated new one that can host and serve old and new devices, allowing smooth upgrade plans. On decision making desks, the sensors communicate with supervisory programs, the WETNET Supervisory Services (WSS), that need only an Internet connection to be used. WSS are an elegant dashboard for data analytics and intelligent, knowledge-based Integrated Water Network Management, linking to data sources, simulation and modelling tools, and corporate management software in use. WSS are able to immediately communicate the presence of leaks, breakages, malfunctions and to provide detailed information about the causes and thus facilitating the solution. WSS perform continuing analysis of the water network, processing relevant data through mathematical and statistical algorithms.
With WETNET in place, leaks, abnormal consumption variations, as well as inconsistent measurements, are constantly under control and linked to decisions that make sense for good management, for users, and for the environment.
WSS give information about:
• Consumption profiles and measures
• Nighttime pressure
• Modelling
• Districts’ and water balance
WETNET allows fine grained measures and a great technological flexibility, supported by several feasible different configurations. The main benefits are the deep knowledge of water network and the immediate alerts on the events that allow a quick solutions of problems and a resulting reduction of costs.
WSS is composed by a powerful processor, an SQL database and a web graphical interface. It can be used with common browsers.
WSS software is released under EUPL license.
WSS manage the exchange of pattern and calibration files with the Epanet software, one of the world most used software for the simulation of pipe networks.
WETNET eases gathering the information needed to feed key indicators for a water management system that respects the environment and helps align environmental policies. Particularly it allows to obtain useful data to evaluate the best use of resources and environmental performances:
• reduction of water consumption
• reduction of energy consumption
• reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
