New in-pipe monitor for turbidity and flow

Intellitect Water (UK) has launched a new version of the Intellisonde in-pipe water monitor that has been designed specifically to help decisions relating to both water quality and network hydraulics.

The new instrument, ‘IntellisondeTF’, will monitor just turbidity and flow, and will provide drinking water distribution network managers with a unique insight into water quality after it leaves the treatment plant and before it reaches the consumer.

The IntellisondeTF monitors turbidity with a tiny nephelometer, and a thermal mass sensor is able to measure very low flow - down to zero and even reverse flow.

Intellitect Water Sales Director John Howell says “The launch of the IntellisondeTF is an important development, because our traditional customers are focused on water treatment and drinking water quality, whereas this product is targeted to meet the needs of hydraulic modellers.

“The family of Intellisonde water quality monitors are able to monitor up to 12 parameters, but the new turbidity and flow version has been designed to offer a cost-effective means with which to both identify problems and measure the success of improvements.”

Developed in response to customer feedback and after discussions with researchers from the Pennine Water Group at the University of Sheffield, the IntellisondeTF will provide much needed data to inform network management decisions.

The Sheffield researchers are led by Prof. Joby Boxall. He says: “The underground water infrastructure in England and Wales is approximately 330,000km in length, but individual pipes comprising the system may be over 100 years old. These pipes perform satisfactorily most of the time, but failures due to deterioration in the internal condition do occur sporadically. It is vitally important therefore, that potential problems are identified before consumers are exposed to unsatisfactory water quality.”

Prof. Boxall´s research interests are concerned with understanding and modelling hydraulic, water quality and infrastructure performance. This work includes an EPSRC sponsored project known as ‘Pipe Dreams’ which aims to develop knowledge tools and techniques with which to maximise the performance of buried pipe infrastructure and help to identify and target future investment.

Knowledge of in-pipe water quality and flow is also key to the success of a further series of research projects working on the prediction and control of discolouration in distribution systems (PODDS).