The search for water leaks is now more efficient, thanks to cosmic rays
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Web Content Article on-date Jul 21, 2021 11:00 AM
2021-07-21 The Hera Group ranks 5th internationally among the Utility Networks assessed by this rating agency’s Sustainable Finance analysts, thanks to its focus on sustainability, which has...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Other press releases -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 7, 2021 4:08 PM
2021-07-07 The two companies have partnered to form a NewCo for transforming organic waste and agro-food wastewater into 100% renewable methane and compost, using a plant equipped with the most...
Comunicati stampa: Other press releases Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 5, 2021 10:25 AM
2021-07-05 (drafted pursuant to article 85-bis, paragraph 4-bis, of Consob Regulation 11971 / 14 May 1999) Communication of the overall amount of voting rights Bologna, 5 July 2021 - The following...
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Web Content Article on-date Jun 30, 2021 7:28 AM
2021-06-30 The Hera Group has consolidated its leadership in industrial waste treatment and extended its scope of operations in northern Italy thanks to the acquisition of this Friuli-based...
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Web Content Article on-date Jun 16, 2021 10:15 AM
2021-06-16 The Hera Group leads the overall ranking in this index, which measures the extent to which sustainability is integrated within corporate strategies. Hera is also at the top of the...
Comunicati stampa: Other press releases Hera Spa Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Jun 3, 2021 9:57 AM
2021-06-04 (drafted pursuant to article 85-bis, paragraph 4-bis, of Consob Regulation 11971 / 14 May 1999) Communication of the overall amount of voting rights Bologna, 4 June 2021 - The following...
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Web Content Article on-date May 24, 2021 11:32 AM
2021-05-24 The NewCo will carry out its first interventions in the Tre Monti area of the Bussi sul Tirino (PE) site of national interest, and will later extend its activities to areas of the Bussi...
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Web Content Article on-date May 12, 2021 12:50 PM
2021-05-12 The consolidated quarterly report at 31 March shows further improvement in all main operating and financial indicators, with financial solidity confirmed as a strong point, as has also...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Hera Spa Financial Results -
Web Content Article on-date May 11, 2021 5:43 PM
2021-05-11 Sede Hera Following the press release dated 4 May 2021, Hera S.p.A. (the “Company”) announces the final results of the partial tender offer (the “Tender Offer”) addressed to the holders...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Shareholders’ meeting Hera Spa -
Web Content Article on-date May 7, 2021 4:31 PM
2021-05-10 Sede Hera On Friday 7 May, Standard & Poor’s upgraded Hera’s rating to BBB+ with a stable outlook, in recognition of the path of growth achieved over the years and the Group's results...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Shareholders’ meeting Hera Spa -
Web Content Article on-date May 7, 2021 9:54 AM
2021-05-07 Sede Hera Kindly note that as of today the minutes of the Shareholders Meeting held on 28 April 2021, as well as the articles of association containing the amendments approved by the...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Shareholders’ meeting Hera Spa -
Web Content Article on-date May 4, 2021 9:37 AM
2021-05-04 Sede Hera Hera S.p.A. (“Hera” or the “Company”) announces the launch of a partial tender offer (the “Tender Offer”) addressed to the holders of the outstanding “€700,000,000 5.20 per...
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Web Content Article on-date Apr 28, 2021 10:50 AM
2021-04-28 Solid fundamentals and growth in results, thanks to good operating, financial and fiscal management. Focus on creating shared value for stakeholders and local areas confirmed, reinforced...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Shareholders’ meeting Hera Spa -
Web Content Article on-date Apr 22, 2021 10:09 AM
2021-04-22 Science based target The Group’s objectives in reducing greenhouse gas emissions are among the most ambitious for an Italian company, as officially communicated today, World Earth Day,...
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Web Content Article on-date Apr 6, 2021 7:55 AM
2021-04-06 Kindly note that the following documents, approved by the Hera S.p.A. Board of Directors, have been made available to the public at company headquarters, on the website...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Shareholders’ meeting -
Web Content Article on-date Mar 26, 2021 7:28 AM
2021-03-26 Kindly note that the following documentation, pertaining to the Shareholders Meeting convened for 28 April 2021, is available to the public at the Company headquarters, on the...
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Web Content Article on-date Mar 24, 2021 11:21 AM
2021-03-24 Results as at 31 December 2020 The year ended positively, despite the nationwide impact coming from the Coronavirus emergency, during which Hera stood by its stakeholders and provided...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Financial Results Hera Spa -
Web Content Article on-date Jan 22, 2021 11:21 AM
2021-01-22 sede Hera Corporate events CALENDAR OF CORPORATE EVENTS (*) In accordance with art. 2.6.2 (Required Reporting) of the “Rules of the markets organised and managed by Borsa Italiana...
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Web Content Article on-date Jan 15, 2021 3:01 PM
In light of the positive preliminary results for 2020, exceeding expectations, the Group has presented its new five-year strategic document, which confirms trends showing growth and ongoing...
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Web Content Article on-date Jan 8, 2021 2:05 PM
2020-12-30 Sede Hera The Hera Group hereby communicates that, as of 1 January 2021, Mr. Roberto Barilli, General Manager of Operations for Hera S.p.A., will leave his office for retirement. The...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive
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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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