Delivering sustainable water systems by optimising existing infrastructure via improved knowledge, understanding and technology - project NEPTUNE
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Civil & Environmental Engineering
Abstract
Water service providers (WSPs) have obligations to supply drinking water to all consumers that meets increasingly stringent water quality regulations and minimum flow and pressure criteria. At the same time, WSPs are required to be ever more efficient to demonstrate value, moves to sustainable operation and also to be more profitable (even where the supplies are publicly provided). Worldwide, not only in the UK, suppliers of water increasingly have to meet a widening range of performance criteria that are expected to improve year-on-year. Other pressures include the growing costs and availability of energy needed to deliver water, especially through pumping, the increasing uncertainty caused by climate change and the drive to minimise water losses from supply networks. Traditionally the supply of water via networks, to the tap, has been provided by large scale engineering and low-risk, low-technology systems. These rely heavily on energy use for pumping etc. and often operate inefficiently, with more pumping than is needed and excessive pressures in networks, leading to higher than necessary levels of leakage. NEPTUNE intends, by advancing knowledge and understanding and introducing new IT and technological systems, to provide the means whereby water service providers in the UK (and elsewhere, where the systems are similar), can better integrate the operation of their supply systems, to more efficiently manage security at the tap, minimise leakage and the redundant and unnecessary transfer of water or storage, hence saving resources, especially costs and energy.
Publications
C Makropoulos
(2008)
Project NEPTUNE: improved operation of water distribution networks
Machell J
(2009)
Online modelling of water distribution systems: a UK case study
Ediriweera D
(2010)
Monitoring water distribution systems: understanding and managing sensor networks
in Drinking Water Engineering and Science
Mounce S
(2010)
Development and Verification of an Online Artificial Intelligence System for Detection of Bursts and Other Abnormal Flows
in Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Machell J
(2010)
Online modelling of water distribution systems: a UK case study
in Drinking Water Engineering and Science
Savic D
(2011)
Pipe burst diagnostics using evidence theory
in Journal of Hydroinformatics
Dicken J
(2012)
Power-Extraction Circuits for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters in Miniature and Low-Power Applications
in IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics
Ye G
(2012)
Energy Harvesting from Water Distribution Systems
in Journal of Energy Engineering
Mounce S
(2012)
Identifying Sampling Interval for Event Detection in Water Distribution Networks
in Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Farley B
(2013)
Development and Field Validation of a Burst Localization Methodology
in Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Description | Development of a range of novel analysis tools for optimising and managing water distribution networks. |
Exploitation Route | Main findings were produced in collaboration with water utilities and system control supplier, who will incorporate research and tools in their future R&D activities. |
Sectors | Environment Other |
Description | New knowledge and research tools incorporated into future R&D activities of water companies. |
Description | EPSRC |
Amount | £94,329 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/H500235/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | EPSRC |
Amount | £94,329 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/H500235/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Technology Strategy Board |
Amount | £163,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | UIN1797 |
Organisation | Innovate UK |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Technology Strategy Board |
Amount | £131,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | UIN1851 |
Organisation | Innovate UK |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Technology Strategy Board |
Amount | £132,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | P2 210910 |
Organisation | Innovate UK |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |