IIn water supply, there is an opportunity to make a significant contribution to protecting water as a resource based on knowledge about water losses or disproportionate amounts of water consumed.

The heart of a digital water supply is the electronic meter. This is about more than just measuring consumption. For example, leak detection, especially in connection lines, is often a time-consuming, inefficient and expensive task. Leaks in connecting pipes account for an average of 31% of a water utility's total water losses.

Kamstrup launched the flowIQ® 2200 ultrasonic water meter on the market in 2019. This has acoustic leakage detection in front of the house connection up to the supply line. Ultrasound is used to detect noise patterns in the water and the lowest noise value is recorded. This allows background noise, such as traffic above ground, to be filtered out. The noise is determined via the sound in the medium of water, regardless of the material of the pipe network. Identifying leaks early not only limits consequential damage, but also enables you to provide proactive customer service. With the help of detailed knowledge of the condition of the supply network, water suppliers are able to prioritize and, if necessary, postpone investments in maintenance, renovation or additional capacity. When it comes to data transmission, water suppliers like to rely on security.

In a current project, GELSENWASSER AG, PHYSEC and Kamstrup have developed an ultrasonic water meter with LoRaWAN-TLS. “With our LoRaWAN TLS solution, we meet the high standards for the digitization of critical infrastructures and are already a step ahead of the times,” says Janis Halbach, Head of Energy Automation and Measurement Technology, GELSENWASSER AG.