Bringing Hydrant Data to Life During Fire Events
In the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles, the critical role of water distribution operations during fire emergencies has come into focus.
While water networks are not designed to fight large fires, communities rely on them to support such efforts.
This highlights the need to maximize the use of SCADA monitoring data, especially in tracking hydrant flows which may save properties and lives.
Organizing hydrant data for decision-making
Water networks collect vast amounts of SCADA monitoring data. However, hydrant flows are generally overlooked, rather than being leveraged for fire preparedness strategies and operational decision-support.
SensorClean allows for presentation of real time hydrant flows helping to answer questions, such as:
How much water is being extracted?
Where is this occurring?
What is the impact on pressure in the active areas?
Have we seen an event like this before?
What are the expected implications of the current event?
Benefits of quantifying hydrant extraction
To our knowledge SensorClean is the only software available that identifies, quantifies, and summarises hydrant flows directly from existing SCADA data.
Quantified hydrant flows can be used in live hydraulic models for operational decision-making. In addition, current day “more realistic profiles” can be used for better prediction and understanding of system implications during events.
Fire preparedness strategies can use quantified fire flows as part of limiting the impacts of future events. Moreover, data mining of fire events provides the necessary data for hydraulic models to confirm the story of system operation during fire events.
Hydrant notification
As SensorClean can convert SCADA time series data to text, notification of hydrant events can be sent to relevant staff, regardless of their ability to consume “technical” SCADA data. (see blog)
Notification of hydrant activity is also useful – outside of fire events – so the utility is aware of hydrant water theft. In a case study with two Australian utilities SensorClean quantified approximately $100,000 AUD of hydrant activity from three DMAs with no evidence of payment (Williams G. 2024).
SensorClean is moving towards connecting hydrant payment systems and hydrant activity shown in the data. This will mean that Operators will be aware of hydrant water theft occurring in DMAs.
Conclusion
SensorClean is unique in that it quantifies hydrant flows from existing utility data.
Quantified hydrant flows bridges the gap, delivering a new level of operational efficiency and preparedness for emergencies.
Please contact us for more details.
Williams G., W. B., Tondkar M., Wang S. (2024). Finding and quantifying hydrant non-revenue water. Ozwater'24. A. W. Association. Melbourne, Australian Water Association.