IWEX REVIEW
Leakage project wins challenge
R
esearchers from the University of Sheffield saw off stiff competition from a wide range of research projects in the
final of IWEX’s University Challenge event. The research being undertaken by Dr Steve Mounce’s team in the Department of Civil & Structural Engineering takes advantage of the revolution in data availability through both sensing and communications technologies to address the issue of DRIP (Data Rich, Information Poor) in water industry distribution networks. Dr Mounce and each of the five challengers had five minutes to convince the judges that their project deserved to win. Mounce explained that the work utilises artificial intelligence, or soft computing techniques, to learn and predict patterns in data and then to identify anomalies in new data as it is collected.
Specifically the work has been applied to data obtained from water supply systems to identify water loss as it first occurs. This is mature research work that has been developed through pure academic stages and partnership with industry, including Yorkshire Water and EPSRC
funding through project Neptune. Specific benefits include identification of small to medium leaks as they occur which would otherwise typically run unidentified until cumulatively such leakage became apparent in retrospective night line analysis. Overall the researchers believe that the work has the potential to lead to a step change in the awareness of the performance of water distribution systems by addressing the automated, timely transformation of data into information.
Balfour Beatty duo crowned drill kings
Team Balfour Beatty was crowned winner of this year’s Institute of Water Drilling & Tapping Competition. Contestants Jason Barrett and Lee Maddox beat off stiff competition securing the win with a time of 2:24 minutes. The competition was held as part of IWEX and over 13 teams took part in the annual contest, which sees contestants drill and tap a 150mm diameter ductile iron main under pressure and connect a service tap. The winners will go on to represent the UK in June 2011 at the American Water Works Association Exhibition in Washington DC. Congratulations also go to Northern Ireland Water Team A on winning the International Competition, which was narrowed as the Dutch team found itself stranded by flight disruption from volcanic ash. Severn Trent Ladies team also managed to keep hold of the its title with a winning time of 3:57 minutes. The 23rd Institute of Water
Jason Barrett and Lee Maddox take their prize at the final of the Drilling & Tapping competition
Drilling & Tapping Competition will take place at Sustainabilitylive! 2011, which will be held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham from 24-26 May. ■■■
Paul Horton of CIWEM, who formed part of the judging panel said that the standard had been very impressive, but the decision was unanimous in the end. Steve Kaye, manager of innovation at Anglian Water and Ken Gedman, business unit director, Mouchel also acted as judges. The other shortlisted finalists included a low-cost carbon capture technology based on micro-algae treatment of wastewater from Newcastle University, the generation of energy from the anaerobic digestion of screenings being investigated at the University of Leeds, ice pigging to save water in the food processing industry presented by Bristol University and a socio-technical study into rainwater harvesting being undertaken at the University of Exeter. The winners’ award will be presented at the
Water Industry Achievement Awards 2010, which take place on 20 May at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. The awards are hosted by WWT and sister title WET News, more information from
www.web4water.com/wiaa. ■■■
Inlet works wonders
Haigh brought an entire prefabricated 1500 ACE Inlet works to IWEX
The effort of bringing a whole prefabricated inlet works to IWEX certainly paid off for Haigh Engineering as numerous water industry visitors took the opportunity to explore the kit firsthand. The ACE Inlet Works was trialled by Severn Trent Water at Bakewell sewage treatment works last year and is pre- piped and pre-wired ready for installation at most sites. The ACE Inlet range incorporates flow control, coarse grit removal, fine
screening, screening handling, fine grit removal, access and gantry and control systems. Speaking of IWEX, managing director Luke Shepherd of Haigh said: “We couldn’t have asked for it to go any better.”■■■
May 2010 Water & Wastewater Treatment 35
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