The search for water leaks is now more efficient, thanks to cosmic rays
Focus
Focus
Category Facet
Custom Facet
Search Results
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 13, 2021 4:15 PM
Find out more img_olio@2x.jpg Recovery of vegetable oil Vegetable oil collected by Hera is sold to ENI, which uses it to produce green diesel fuel.
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 13, 2021 4:10 PM
Find out more img_qualita_bolletta@2x.jpg More quality = lower bill The higher the quality of separate waste collection, the greater the benefit of the citizen.
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 13, 2021 4:02 PM
Nero Bianco mobile_numeri_stone_EN.png desk_numeri_stone_EN.png Sì null
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 9, 2021 9:35 AM
Find out more img_controlli@2x.jpg The controls to be... in good water We guarantee water to be good and safe to drink, in compliance with regulatory requirements and with careful monitoring...
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 9, 2021 9:33 AM
Find out more img_carta_identita@2x.jpg The identity card of the water service and Hera's key figures Hera Group manages all the phases necessary to make water available and usable for civil and...
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 9, 2021 9:33 AM
Find out more img_Hera_investe@2x.jpg Hera invests for an increasingly safe and affordable water supply In 2020, we invested 166.1 million euros in water cycle. Investments in Hera Group’s...
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 9, 2021 9:36 AM
Find out more img_preferire@2x.jpg Preferring tap water generates economic and environmental benefits Tap water is good for the environment! 51% of customers drink tap water avoiding about 284...
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 9, 2021 9:34 AM
Find out more img_dove_arriva@2x.jpg Where does the water we drink come from Hera draws water from different sources: surface water (streams, rivers, and lakes), groundwater mainly in the plains,...
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 9, 2021 9:50 AM
Sfumato Bianco Si M_numeri_acqua_EN.png numeri_acqua_EN@2x-min.png No
-
Web Content Article on-date Dec 6, 2021 9:30 AM
750 2019-04-16 360 Michele Marsigli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y4k0-LTWv8 1 0 Michele Marsigli 640
Tipologia Web Channel: Hera on TV -
Web Content Article on-date Dec 6, 2021 12:40 PM
20 Webranking-2021 Webranking celebrates 20 years in business. To mark the event, Lundquist, the company specialised in digital communication that annually analyses with Comprend the business...
-
Web Content Article on-date Nov 29, 2021 2:56 PM
2021-11-30 Hera’s smart gas meter 4.0, the first of its kind internationally in terms of safety functions, is already prepared for its first experimentation in the network with hydrogen, and its...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Other press releases -
Web Content Article on-date Nov 30, 2021 3:24 PM
Rendering NexMeter With the Hera Group, also gas distribution is going green. NexMeter, our smart gas meter 4.0, the first of its kind worldwide in terms of cutting-edge technology and safety...
-
Web Content Article on-date Nov 29, 2021 9:09 AM
750 2019-04-16 360 Michele Marsigli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44o7U-tQyW8 1 0 Michele Marsigli 640
Tipologia Web Channel: Hera on TV -
Web Content Article on-date Nov 25, 2021 9:25 AM
Workshop HerAcademy 2021.pdf
-
Web Content Article on-date Nov 25, 2021 9:39 AM
Grande Nero Workshop - The evolution of social and relational dynamics for the “regeneration” of work SPAZIOHERA at the Hera Group premises Viale Carlo Berti Pichat no. 2/4, Bologna,...
-
Web Content Article on-date Nov 25, 2021 9:25 AM
SI Workshop - The evolution of social and relational dynamics for the “regeneration” of work SPAZIOHERA at the Hera Group premises Viale Carlo Berti Pichat no. 2/4, Bologna, 9th December 2021 THE...
-
Web Content Article on-date Nov 25, 2021 12:11 PM
2021-11-25 The winning proposal for the Bologna area, submitted by a consortium led by the Hera Group, focuses on sustainability, innovation and creating shared value. The contract with Atersir,...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Other press releases -
Web Content Article on-date Nov 25, 2021 2:59 PM
Bologna The Emilia-Romagna Territorial Agency for Water and Waste Services (Atersir), acting as regulatory agency and contracting station, has officially awarded the tender for urban and...
-
Dow Jones Sustainability Index: Hera once again world sustainability leader in Multi-Utility & Water
Web Content Article on-date Nov 15, 2021 11:31 AM
Dow Jones Sustainability Index: Hera once again world sustainability leader in Multi-Utility & Water S&P Global's Sustainability Award A further recognition to our strategy, which combines...
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