pipe::scan - measuring TOC, DOC, Turbidity, Chlorine, pH and more - directly in the network

Drinking water is a primary nutrient. Thus, not only the transport in the drinking water network, but also the excellent quality for the consumers must be ensured. s::can offers with the pipe::scan a revolutionary solution for monitoring drinking water in the distribution network.

Currently, the quality of drinking water is ensured by means of laboratory samples. This approach is costly and, owing to their slow dynamics, problems such as contamination events can often not be detected at all. In order to increase transparency, many water suppliers worldwide require online sensors so that responding to issues related to the water quality in their drinking water distribution network is possible in real time.

The pipe::scan from s::can is a modular sensor system for monitoring the drinking water quality in pipes under pressure. It is ACS drinking water certified and measures up to 10 key parameters in one system: Organic parameters (TOC, DOC, UV254/UVT), turbidity, colour, chlorine, pH/redox, conductivity, temperature and pressure.

The sensors in the pipe::scan are well-known, reliable s::can sensors which have been on the market for many years: the i::scan, the chlori::lyser, the pH::lyser, the condu::lyser and a miniature pressure sensor. All these sensors need extremely low maintenance and have been used for several years in drinking water applications worldwide. The real-time data can be transmitted to any central database via almost any communication protocol using the terminal con::cube. Therefore multiple pipe::scans are the ideal solution to monitor drinking water at any point in the distribution network.

Some of these systems have been installed in distribution networks of major European cities for a long period of time already. The data show how well the continuous measurement of several parameters is performed in high-resolution and without drift under fluctuating pressure conditions over many months. In detail day and night pressure fluctuations in the drinking water network between 3 and 4 bar can be seen. Distinctive changes in the conductivity indicate different water sources.

Furthermore, with the pipe::scan, organic parameters such as TOC, DOC or UV254 can be measured very precisely. These parameters are essential for determining contamination events in drinking water. For example, in the drinking water network of another city it could be observed, that although the concentrations of some parameters changed continuously, no alarm limits were reached. With the help of the extremely stable and accurate pipe::scan measurement, it could be seen in detail that there is a strong decrease in free chlorine for a few hours and thus, no adequate disinfection took place at this point at that time – a concerning situation.

The innovative approach of measuring the water quality directly in the drinking water network with online sensors provides very valuable and comprehensive information.

Drinking water safety is of great importance worldwide and by making extremely stable, accurate and robust sensor technology available with the pipe::scan, this is no longer a topic of the future but already a reality.

Discover more about the pipe::scan here.

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