The search for water leaks is now more efficient, thanks to cosmic rays
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Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Jun 11, 2024 1:21 PM
2024-06-11 The Hera Group, through its subsidiary operating in the natural gas distribution sector, strengthens its presence in the area served centrata This morning, at the Hera Group’s...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa M&A Price sensitive -
Web Content Article · written-by Mario Egidio on-date May 26, 2024 12:35 PM
Comunicati stampa: Sustainability Research and Development Financial Results Products/Services M&A Shareholders’ meeting -
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date May 15, 2024 10:22 AM
Through its subsidiary Inrete Distribuzione Energia, the Group was awarded the tender for the gas distribution plants and network serving the municipality of Argenta in Ferrara area
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A Hera Spa -
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Jan 25, 2024 2:07 PM
2024-01-25 With the acquisition of 70% of the Piacenza-based company, the Group reinforces its leadership in the waste management sector. This transaction, at full capacity, is expected to...
Comunicati stampa: M&A Hera Spa Other press releases -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Nov 10, 2023 11:49 AM
2023-11-10 Following Ascopiave’s partial exercise of the put option, the Hera Group, through its subsidiary Hera Comm, now holds 75% of EstEnergy, the largest energy operator in North-Eastern Italy...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Sep 27, 2023 10:17 AM
2023-09-27 The merger deed was signed today and follows the acquisition, last March, of 92% of Asco TLC by the Hera Group subsidiary and Ascopiave. The transaction will strengthen Acantho’s...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jul 27, 2023 4:58 PM
2023-07-27 The merger leads to the strengthening of Acantho's position in the IT-TLC sector: thanks to Asco TLC's cutting-edge skills and infrastructure, the digital company expands its assets and...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jul 6, 2023 9:52 AM
2023-07-06 This transaction, strongly linked to the local social and industrial fabric, represents a major new commitment made by the Group to promote the energy transition and decarbonisation in...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 29, 2023 9:24 AM
2023-06-29 Through its subsidiary Hera Comm, the Group has acquired 60% of the long-standing Rimini-based company, a reference point for technological systems and renewable energy throughout Italy,...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date May 5, 2023 4:41 PM
2023-05-04 The multi-utility’s 2022 Sustainability Report confirms its commitment to a just transition. Pursuing carbon neutrality, regenerating resources, enabling resilience and innovating remain...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa Sustainability -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Mar 14, 2023 10:19 AM
2023-03-14 The transaction represents a strategic step in the business portfolio evolution of both the groups in the IT-TLC sector, in line with their respective industrial plans. Today, the Hera...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Mar 8, 2023 10:06 AM
2023-03-08 With reference to the binding agreement signed on 7 November 2022, the partnership was finalised today between Hera and ACR, one of Italy’s leading companies in the sector of...
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Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Dec 29, 2022 2:26 PM
2022-12-29 Following the press release issued on 29th November 2022, the Hera Group and the Ascopiave Group herein announce that today they have signed the contract deliverables governing the...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa Price sensitive M&A -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Dec 1, 2022 12:02 PM
2022-12-01 Ascopiave partially exercised the put option on its investment in EstEnergy, selling 8% of the capital to Hera Comm, the majority shareholder. Subsequent to the transaction, the Hera...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A Hera Spa -
Web Content Article · written-by Davide Donnarumma on-date Nov 29, 2022 3:27 PM
2022-11-29 The partnership between the two companies, which won the public tender called by Asco Holding, is a strategic milestone in the evolution of the business portfolio of the two groups in...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A Hera Spa -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Nov 7, 2022 3:52 PM
2022-11-07 The binding agreement signed today provides for the acquisition by the Hera Group of 60% of ACR, based in Modena and leader in the remediation and industrial waste treatment sector. ...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Hera Spa M&A -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 29, 2022 3:42 PM
2022-06-30 With the acquisition of 70% of this long-standing company based in the Marche region, the Hera Group subsidiary expects a 10% increase in turnover and a 5% rise in Ebitda, when in full...
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Web Content Article on-date Mar 28, 2022 1:06 PM
2022-03-28 Kindly note that the following documentation, pertaining to the Shareholders Meeting convened for 28 April 2022, is available to the public at the Company headquarters, on the authorised...
Comunicati stampa: M&A Other press releases -
Web Content Article on-date Sep 10, 2021 4:38 PM
2021-09-13 By acquiring this Veneto-based company, the Hera Group has further consolidated its leadership in the waste management sector. From this and two similar transactions completed in the...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A -
Web Content Article on-date Sep 9, 2021 1:01 PM
2021-09-09 Through its subsidiary EstEnergy, the Group has acquired 11% of the share capital of Ascotrade, a gas and electricity sales company, from Bim Gsp, now controlling it entirely. This...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Hera Spa M&A
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Hera continues experimentation of the innovative, fast and low-cost contactless system that uses space technology to detect water leaks in the network more quickly and productively
So far, the method used to find leaks in the water mains that run under our streets has been acoustic detection: technicians walk the kilometres of asphalt above the mains and use special devices to locate leakage points.
Now, however, thanks to a system that uses cosmic rays, detection can also be carried out while following the network path in a car, thus proving faster and more profitable.
Cosmic rays: what are they and how can they be used?
Cosmic rays are an innovative method for water leak detection, based on the analysis of neutrons derived from secondary cosmic rays. It follows the same principle used to test whether there is water on Mars, but it can have different applications; for example, it is used in agriculture in the US for targeted irrigation.
In short, this technology exploits non-damaging particles, the neutrons, from space. These continuously impact Earth, generating collisions between secondary beams, the energy of which decreases according to the material that is passed through. In particular, hydrogen in water interacts with neutrons by slowing them down or absorbing them. The amount of water in the ground can therefore be assessed by monitoring neutrons in the air: ground where water is present in a higher percentage will have a greater moderating/absorbing effect on cosmic rays than a drier area.
By analysing the concentration of free cosmic rays, the presence of a water leak can be determined quickly and accurately, saving considerable time compared to traditional methods of investigation. In fact, this system can control a considerably larger network area, because it can travel on any vehicle on which it is mounted.
The search can be carried out by real-time identification, i.e. simply by the passage of the device over the tube and immediate verification of the leakage as soon as the sensor signals a decrease in the number of neutrons, or by deferred search, when the sensor placed on a moving vehicle passes over the area several times and then indicates the wettest spots.
The operator will no longer need to walk the entire water network with the geophone, but can go directly to the points identified on the map.
Experimentation and results
Together with the Department of Nuclear Physics at the University of Padua, we have developed a device that, mounted on a car, allows operators to travel along the network and monitor the concentration of neutrons on the road surface.
The vehicle moves at a speed of 40-50 km/h along the road under which the water network runs and, using cosmic ray analysis, the levels of detected neutrons are shown on a display. When the concentration drops, it is a sign that the neutrons have been retained under the soil by a cluster of water. When this happens, it means that there may be a water leak in that very spot, underground, and technicians can promptly intervene for repairs.
The testing of this technology, which we have been conducting since 2021, has confirmed the scientific soundness of the method: out of several thousand kilometres investigated, the same number of ruptures were found as with the traditional acoustic method, but with the advantage that the cosmic ray method is more productive, since the operator moves around in a car rather than on foot.
With a network of some 30,000 kilometres to check, having this tool allows us to make great strides. In addition, cosmic rays are sensitive to even modest leaks, such as those from pipe joints, which are more difficult to detect accurately.
This technology, which we have implemented thanks to a partnership with the start-up Cosmic and the team at Neptune Srl, is based on an isotope of lithium, lithium-6, which is the element that allows us to detect neutrons. We will continue to use it alongside the classic acoustic method, to locate all possible leaks and increase the level of effectiveness of interventions.
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