Detecting water leaks from within a water main

Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, Yorkshire Water and OpTIC Technium are to develop innovative technology which will detect water leaks from within a water main, without excavation.

The GBP850,000 project, which is supported by investment of GBP380,000 from the Technology Strategy Board, aims to create a pipe assessment camera and sensor system which will be able to assess the structural integrity of a live water main and accurately locate leaks.

John Proctor, Yorkshire Water's Principal RandD Engineer said: "This is a truly innovative project which supports Yorkshire Water's Clearwater Strategy of developing technology which enables the maintenance and repair of our underground pipes, without the need to interrupt service or dig holes in the road or pavement".

The funding provided by TSB will be used to develop technology which will present a wealth of society and environmental benefits.

Not only will unnecessary excavation be almost eliminated and traffic disruption reduced to an absolute minimum, but this equipment will also help to significantly reduce the level of water wastage and unnecessary maintenance, thereby providing a much more efficient all round process.

The project intends to develop a camera system with a wider array of sensors, providing even more detailed information from inside live water mains.

The first live pipe inspection camera developed in 2006 can already access the water network without the need for an excavation and the project scope aims to increase camera visibility capability while adding cutting edge sensoring arrays and manoeuvrability to a range up to 150 meters.

Colin Kelly, Operations Director for Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions said: "This funding has provided us with a fantastic opportunity to work in partnership with Yorkshire Water and OpTIC Technium to create a piece of equipment which will improve the way we work in the future as well as provide huge benefit to society".

The team are in the process of formalising a structured plan for the project which is due to begin in January 2008.

A number of Universities are also working on the project including John Moores, Salford and Manchester.

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