The search for water leaks is now more efficient, thanks to cosmic rays
Focus
Focus
Category Facet
Custom Facet
Search Results
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jul 25, 2022 10:14 AM
2022-07-25 The Group has successfully concluded its certification process with the multinational Bureau Veritas, the sector’s leader, confirming the commitment shown by Hera over the years with...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa Other press releases -
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Jul 20, 2022 2:34 PM
bs_home_card_2.png bs_home_card_3.png Group 8.png Data Center Methodological guide to the Report (with the full list of material topics) Check out the sustainability section Sustainability...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jul 19, 2022 12:42 PM
SI Shared value, a new approach to corporate social responsibility By working in synergy we can create economic value and sustainable development for our local area, producing a positive impact on...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jul 7, 2022 2:51 PM
490 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhFRnWDMNbg 870
Tipologia Web Channel: Corporate film Highlights -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 30, 2022 11:49 AM
The Hera Group, acting through its subsidiary Marche Multiservizi, the leading operator in public utilities in the Marche region, has acquired from the Iesari family 70% of Macero Maceratese, 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...
-
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Jun 27, 2022 10:16 AM
SI Page update 16 April 2024 NO No Sinistra
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 27, 2022 9:58 AM
SI A Lego model to tell the history of Hera Group The tradition of Lego bricks to pay homage to the history of the Group: it took 18,500 to construct the model of the coke canopy, the workshop and...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Aug 2, 2022 11:43 AM
Coupon date on June 20, 2022, and payment on June 22, 2022 The dividend, amounting to 12-euro cent, shows an increase over the past and in line with what had previously been announced in Annual...
Tipologia Evento: Price sensitive -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 20, 2022 9:59 AM
According to Arera, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment, we are among the top providers in Italy regarding technical quality of the water service. The ranking, drawn...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 15, 2022 3:45 PM
We are the foremost company in Italy for the importance of sustainability policies, fully and consciously incorporated within business strategies. This is demonstrated, for the second consecutive...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 15, 2022 2:50 PM
We are the foremost company in Italy for the importance of sustainability policies, fully and consciously incorporated within business strategies. This is demonstrated, for the second consecutive...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 15, 2022 11:30 AM
2022-06-15 For the second year in a row, the Group leads the overall ranking in the index measuring the degree to which ESG factors are integrated within corporate governance. Hera is the foremost...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa Other press releases -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 15, 2022 10:50 AM
null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 15, 2022 10:28 AM
SI News HERAtech laboratories NO No Sinistra
-
Web Content Article · written-by ANDREA DE CRESCENZO on-date Jun 13, 2022 10:58 AM
SI Case study The satisfaction of our stakeholders is a fundamental element for Hera Group's growth. We want to provide solutions that meet people's needs and offer high quality services, while...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 8, 2022 10:30 AM
2022-06-08 The Hera Group subsidiary is among the first public lighting companies in Italy to include in its articles of association a commitment to produce benefits for its stakeholders,...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa Other press releases -
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Jun 7, 2022 4:40 PM
SI Page updated 27 July 2024 NO No Sinistra
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Jun 3, 2022 2:34 PM
2022-06-06 Please note that the deed of execution dated 18 May 2022 relating to the issue by Hera S.p.A. of a 500 million euro Green Bond is available to the public at its registered office, on...
Comunicati stampa: Hera Spa Other press releases -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date May 27, 2022 9:46 AM
true He was born in Modica (Ragusa) in 1967. Since May 2022 he has been Chief Executive Officer of the Hera Group. From January 2022 to May 2022 he was Chief Operating Officer for Sustainable...
Asset Publisher
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.
Search Bar
Tag Facet
Search Results
Asset Publisher