Introduction
With the national water crisis at an all-time high, the digitisation of drinking water networks has become the key to effective modernisation of the country.
Thanks also to an important boost from the 607 million PNRR and 21 projects approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility, Italian utilities in the water sector are adopting cutting-edge technologies to overcome technical limitsnetwork with large problems related to waste and continuous leakage.
In the field of digitalization, Onyax offers integrated water service managers the use of patented IoT solutions, such as NEMO, TUBE-T3 and EVALD, innovative solutions to the problem of leakage detection, together with comprehensive monitoring of chemical and physical parameters for water quality, able to carry out advanced water control and raise awareness of sustainable service to the citizen.
The challenges: efficiency, research and development
The activities that have led Onyax to introduce a cutting-edge solution in the water sector, started in 2018 with the release of the first patent on water conductivity, and then continued with continuous research and development activities, comprehensive network analysis and leak detection carried out in the field of innovation.
The first challenge on which Onyax has focused projects and resources in recent years, focuses on a complete management of the water network focusing on greater security of the network and its data, tangible and measurable energy savings and consequent efficiency in line with the requests of the authority.
The challenges that are faced daily at Onyax are the result of continuous experimentation, supported also by specialized research centers, accurate testing phases of physical and chemical parameters combined with simulation techniques, fluid dynamics and spectroscopic analysis, which aim to improve every single process of control of drinking water and wastewater.
TUBE-T3 and EVALD for leakage detection
With the aim of applying significant advantages to the water sector and differentiating itself from the traditional leak detection systems currently on the market, the first two patented solutions TUBE-T3 and EVALD were born in Onyax.
The TUBE-T3 is a multiparameter IoT sensor equipped with low consumption internal battery, modem and integrated datalogger. It is used for the measurement of pressure, flow, vibration and flows to which is added the identification and recording of water hammer.
The device, certified, small in size and easy to install, is used to start the process of advanced acoustic leak analysis, communicating directly remotely with the ACE control platform.
Combining exactly ACE’s processing potential, with arcGIS platform and the TUBE-T3 device, Onyax could at first experiment and subsequently patent the EVALD (ElectroVibroAcousticLeakageDetect) solution that proposes a leak detection method based on an “active” approach, nemely injecting a sound into the network instead of just listening to it. With EVALD, the result of network simulations with Deep-Learning techniques, it is possible to project the resulting areas of leakage probability directly on the cartographic vision of ACE ACE, in order to make the correct decision of intervene or to activate an additional targeted investigation campaign.
NEMO for water quality
Onyax has designed, manufactured and patented NEMO, the first chemical laboratory with battery and internal modems, installed directly in manholes and roadside shells that does not require any electrical installation. With NEMO (pictured right) it is possible to obtain a real-time analysis of parameters such as turbidity, conductivity, temperature, flow rate, ph, ORP, chlorine and other bacterial components, thanks to impedance spectroscopy techniques combined with Deep/Machine learning processes processed remotely directly in the ACE platform. “Thanks to NEMO, it is easier and faster to obtain chemical/physical information from the distribution network without depending on the interventions of laboratory technicians. The companies that are currently experimenting with NEMO need real-time data with a vision projected IoT” – explains Gian Paolo Quarta, CEO of Onyax.
Conclusions
With 3 patents dedicated to water and continuous experimentation, Onyax offers a totally innovative service to the Utilities of the water sector, simplifying their management processes and improving the quality of services towards citizens thanks to IoT. An interesting complete solution with a digital and sustainable impact in line with the demands of NRP projects and in favour of water resource protection.
