SES Water achieves a 40% reduction in leak run time with Twinn

SES Water supplies 160 million litres of clean water to more than 735,000 customers in the south of England. Its network consists of over 3,200 km of water mains, 8 treatment works, 23 pumping stations and 31 operational service reservoirs and water towers.

The challenge

Reducing leakages, speeding up response times and minimising supply disruption for customers

SES Water was looking for ways to reduce leakages, bursts and supply interruptions. Not only was this important for meeting industry-wide targets, but there was a water conservation imperative, too – its area receives, on average, 50% less rainwater than the rest of the UK. Leakage reduction was also part of its strategy to boost customer engagement, which is vital in reducing per capita consumption – an essential part of the company’s remit.

“We need to minimise water wasted to ensure we can continue to provide water to all and safeguard the natural environment for this and future generations,” explained Sian Evans, Lead Network Strategy Analyst at SES Water.

To achieve these goals, SES Water wanted a more efficient way to detect and localise leaks. Their existing process involved an analyst visually checking deviations in pressure and flow data once a day. Occasionally, a customer would notice a burst was affecting their water supply before SES Water. The organisation wanted to know about anomalies quickly – so they could limit the impact and provide timely information to customers.

“We needed to identify solutions that could reduce leakage by 15% and per capita consumption by 7% – and were also cost-effective and scalable over our entire supply area,” said Sian.

The solution

AI-powered leak detection, localisation and monitoring

Twinn Aqua Suite leak detection and localisation solution detects, localises and monitors leaks from an early stage. Its AI-powered predictive modelling capabilities take flow (DMA) and pressure (sensor) signals from the network and identify when leaks and bursts occur in near real-time. It instantly compares these predictions with current performance data to highlight anomalies. If Aqua Suite detects a burst or leak, it sends an alert to the 24-hour control room, so SES Water can investigate and solve the issue as quickly as possible with minimal disruption and water loss.

“We worked collaboratively with SES Water to trial Aqua Suite on their network. Many of the sensors were being deployed at locations for the first time. This meant Aqua Suite had to utilise new sensor data to learn and understand the network very rapidly – without much, if any, historical data to draw on,” said Graeme Baker, Senior Account Manager at Royal HaskoningDHV. “The solution’s AI capabilities were key in this scenario. It was able to analyse the network and provide insights quickly even though this involved complex analysis and a large number of unknowns.”

The impact

Faster leak detection and reduced run times – exceeding targets

The trial succeeded above and beyond SES Water’s ambitious targets, delivering quicker leak detection, reduced run times, shorter and less frequent supply interruptions, and less wasted water. Importantly, using Aqua Suite gave SES Water more control over events, enabling them to deliver an improved service to customers, in many cases achieving same-day repairs.

“Twinn leak detection and localisation is helping us reduce our leakage levels. It has helped us reduce the run time of critical burst mains on our network by 40%,” said Sian.

The continuous monitoring and enhanced data also helped the company achieve regulatory targets by enabling managers to make the right asset management decisions. As a result, SES Water is providing a more reliable, consistent and resilient supply for its customers and the environment.

SES Water has now rolled out Aqua Suite's leak detection and localisation solution across their entire supply area, becoming the first UK water company to introduce a fully intelligent network (iDMA). Its pioneering achievements in this area resulted in nominations for prestigious industry awards.