The search for water leaks is now more efficient, thanks to cosmic rays
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Web Content Article on-date Oct 3, 2019 12:30 PM
2019-10-03 (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, 3 October 2019 - The...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Sep 26, 2019 6:54 PM
2019-09-26 Announcement of sale of maximum of 14,426,407 ordinary shares of Hera S.p.A. Press release issued upon request and on behalf of n. 8 Public Shareholders of Hera S.p.A. ANNOUNCEMENT OF...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Sep 26, 2019 9:25 PM
2019-09-26 Conclusion sale of ordinary shares of Hera S.p.A. Press release issued upon request and on behalf of n. 8 Public Shareholders of Hera S.p.A. CONCLUSION SALE OF ORDINARY SHARES OF HERA...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Sep 12, 2019 9:48 AM
2019-09-16 logo_diversity_inclusion_2019_350x.1568272576.png This index, conceived to orient investors interested in companies committed to promoting diversity, inclusion and people development,...
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Web Content Article on-date Aug 1, 2019 2:09 PM
2019-08-01 (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, 1 August 2019 - The...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 30, 2019 5:49 PM
2019-07-30 The Hera Group extends the scope of its activities in Tuscany and consolidates its leadership in environmental services for businesses by acquiring the Serravalle Pistoiese landfill and...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 30, 2019 8:11 PM
2019-07-30 GH_ASCOPIAVE_870.1565010551.jpg Energy partnership between Hera and Ascopiave in the North-East gets the green light Today, the Boards of Directors of Hera S.p.A. and Ascopiave S.p.A.,...
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Web Content Article on-date Jul 25, 2019 11:38 AM
2019-07-30 Results for 1H 2019 A highly positive half-year, thanks to the organic growth achieved in all business areas. At the same time, intense activity in external development and an increase...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Financial Results -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 5, 2019 5:26 PM
2019-07-05 Repurchase and cancellation of certain notes Following the press releases dated 19 June 2019 and 2 July 2019, notice is hereby given that as at the date hereof Hera S.p.A. (the...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 5, 2019 3:17 PM
2019-07-05 Borsa Italiana welcomes Hera S.p.A.'s new bond to the green & social segment of ExtraMOT PRO New Hera S.p.A. 500 million euro green bond listed on the ExtraMOT PRO segment This green...
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Web Content Article on-date Jul 3, 2019 3:47 PM
2019-07-03 (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, 3 July 2019 - The following...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 2, 2019 11:25 AM
2019-07-02 Final results of the tender offer relating to certain notes Following the press release dated 19 June 2019, notice is hereby given that on 1 July 2019 BNP Paribas S.A. announced the...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A -
Web Content Article on-date Jun 26, 2019 6:05 PM
2019-06-26 Strong interest shown by international investors for the multi-utility's second "green" bond, which will finance environmental sustainability projects in 3 areas: energy efficiency,...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive M&A -
Web Content Article on-date Jun 19, 2019 8:48 AM
2019-06-19 The BoD of Hera S.p.A. authorises the issue of new notes and the refinancing of certain notes 1 For information purposes only, the purchase price for the 2021 Notes will, when...
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Web Content Article on-date Jun 17, 2019 7:34 PM
2019-06-17 The business partnership, through the joint venture EstEnergy, involves over 1 million customers, with the new entity's overall value coming to 864.5 million euro and its Ebitda...
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Web Content Article on-date Jun 10, 2019 6:18 PM
2019-06-10 TOP10_4_Hera_300.1560183835.png The Hera Group ranks fourth in the 2019 edition of the index that measures the integration of ESG factors within the strategies of Italy's main companies,...
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Web Content Article on-date Jun 5, 2019 3:48 PM
2019-06-05 (drafted pursuant to article 85-bis, paragraph 4-bis, of Consob Regulation 11971 / 14 May 1999) Bologna, 5 June 2019 - The following table contains the data concerning the shares...
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Web Content Article on-date May 14, 2019 9:48 AM
2019-05-15 Results as at 31 March 2019 Consolidated 1Q report shows growing results and a positive contribution coming from all main business areas, in particular the water cycle and gas. Focus on...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Financial Results -
Web Content Article on-date May 10, 2019 3:39 PM
2019-05-10 Kindly note that as of today the minutes of the Shareholders Meeting held on 30 April 2019 are available at company headquarters, on the Hera Group's website (www.gruppohera.it), in the...
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Web Content Article on-date May 9, 2019 4:48 PM
2019-05-09 Nuova_Palazzina_1_870x.1533219432.jpg The multi-utility has consolidated its leadership in the waste management area by acquiring the entire shareholding of the company operating in...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive 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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