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 Aug 4, 2021 11:49 AM
No Business model Creating both economic and ESG value Reference market Source: Hera Group's 2021 Financial Statements … fully reflected by returns for shareholders and stakeholders The value...
-
Web Content Article on-date Jan 28, 2022 5:00 PM
The meeting of the BoD to approve ad interim results as at 31 March 2022 will be held on 11 May 2022. The Board of Directors, as communicated for the previous financial year and in line with the...
Tipologia Evento: Price sensitive -
Web Content Article on-date Aug 4, 2021 9:51 AM
2021-08-04 (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 August 2021 - The...
Comunicati stampa: Shareholders’ meeting Price sensitive -
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Aug 3, 2021 12:57 PM
SI Cookies disabled - content not available A Word From the Team the Hera Group purification plant at Rimini NO No Sinistra
-
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Aug 3, 2021 12:13 PM
No Customer served in the local areas - html data Areas Customer served Municipalities served Employees by location Environmental services Water Gas and Electricity Bologna 771,000 88%...
-
Web Content Article · written-by LUCIA ALGISI on-date Aug 3, 2021 10:34 AM
SI Page updated 9 April 2024 NO No Sinistra
-
Web Content Article on-date Aug 3, 2021 10:19 AM
null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null null Shareholders meetings of 28 April 2021 Shareholders meetings of 28 April 2021 Shareholders meetings of 28...
-
Web Content Article · written-by Palvi Andrea Tonziello on-date Aug 3, 2021 9:57 AM
Go to sustainability report 2021 SI Covid-19 impacts on business and operations In 2020 the Group, much like the entire utilities sector, did not directly suffer from the interruption of...
-
Web Content Article on-date Aug 3, 2021 9:56 AM
Si Covid-19 emergency management Bianco Si GRUPPO
-
Web Content Article on-date Oct 26, 2021 3:41 PM
398 Energy Solutions for the Climate The new 'Energy Solutions for the Climate' report by the HERA Group, in which the multi-utility company documents its commitment to the challenge of climate...
-
Web Content Article on-date Aug 2, 2021 2:33 PM
null null null null null null null null null null null No Top Management Corporate Brand Sustainability and innovation Energy Environment Water Customer Care Initiatives and events History's...
-
-
Web Content Article on-date Jul 30, 2021 11:19 AM
2021-07-30 potabilizzatore_val_di_setta.jpg The certification process for the Val di Setta plant, located in Sasso Marconi and serving Bologna’s main aqueduct, has been successfully completed,...
Comunicati stampa: Price sensitive Hera Spa Other press releases -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 30, 2021 12:00 PM
Potabilizzatore Val di Setta Hera’s Sasso Marconi (BO) drinking water plantcertified by the AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship), the leading international standard that encourages a responsible...
-
Web Content Article on-date Oct 26, 2021 3:44 PM
398 Val di Setta plant From today, Hera's potability treatment plant in Sasso Marconi (BO), which also serves Bologna, is AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship)-certified, the first international...
-
Web Content Article on-date Jul 29, 2021 12:39 PM
573 0 0 DA_Padova_Viale della navigazione_2021.pdf 0 2012-07-30 Fiorenza Bavieri 944 1 0 Fiorenza Bavieri
Tipologia DL: Environment -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 29, 2021 12:39 PM
581 0 0 DA_Trieste_Via Errea_2021.pdf 0 2012-07-30 Fiorenza Bavieri 963 1 0 Fiorenza Bavieri
Tipologia DL: Environment -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 29, 2021 12:39 PM
529 0 0 DA_Compartokm2,6_2021.pdf 0 2012-07-30 Fiorenza Bavieri 797 1 0 Fiorenza Bavieri
Tipologia DL: Environment -
Web Content Article on-date Jul 27, 2021 12:18 PM
SI The Group’s issuances summary BONDS MATURITY (YEARS) MATURITY DATE ISSUE SIZE (€/MLN) OUTSTANDING (€/MLN) COUPON PAYMENT ANNUAL COUPON Bond Luxembourg Stock Exchange 10 22/05/2023 68.0 68.0...
-
Web Content Article on-date Jul 27, 2021 12:16 PM
SI The bond issuances and contracted loans are adequate to meet the Group's investment needs and, at the same time, are obtained at competitive conditions, without any interest rate risk. Current...
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