During a well-attended customer relations day Wednesday, Oct. 26, Water Alliance member Acquaint clients were given a unique look behind the scenes. At the event, the innovative company also announced the launch of their new tool. The inspection tool goes by the name ‘Aquabrella’, is included in the Dutch Chamber of Commerce innovation top 100 and will make it a lot easier for drinking water companies around the world to get a grip on the condition of their pipeline network. As of today, the rest of the world can get acquainted with the tool as well.
How does the Aquabrella work?
The Aquabrella, the name already indicates, resembles a series of umbrellas. In the pipe, it moves with the flow of the water and follows the shapes and diameter of the pipe. Along the way, the Aquabrella collects a lot of data using advanced sensors. For example, the tool measures wall thickness, subsidence, deformations, corrosion, leaching, sulfate attack and plots the x,y,z location of the pipe. Using ultrasonic sound waves and magnetic fields, the system very accurately determines the condition of the pipeline.
Unique in its kind
With this innovative wireless inspection tool, Acquaint increases the range of one kilometer with traditional visual camera inspection to a range of over twenty kilometers. Due to its flexible design, it fits through a manhole, barely affects the wall of the pipe during inspection and creates little turbidity, allowing the drinking water pipe to be kept in service with ease. In the process, the tool can detect wire breakage before it occurs.
The dream of every drinking water company
In the Netherlands there are over 120 thousand kilometers of drinking water pipelines that transport billions of liters of water. They lie underground, making their condition difficult to determine. The Aquabrella enables water companies to gain important insights into the condition of their pipes. Because water pipes often cross critical infrastructure such as dikes, highways and railroads, it is important to ensure the condition of the pipe so that it can safely remain in operation or be repaired or replaced appropriately and at the right time. Because the Aquabrella captures failure mechanisms in a timely manner, asset managers of drinking water companies can make correct decisions in order to deploy budget and mechanics appropriately. In this way, no unnecessary drinking water is lost and public infrastructure is handled in an economically responsible way and this guarantees the supply of clean and safe drinking water.
Validated technology
The Aquabrella has already been successfully applied in an inspection commissioned by the drinking water company Dunea, located in the Netherlands. In cooperation with GMB, the 40km long transport pipeline was inspected with the tool.
About Acquaint
Acquaint has developed multiple innovative and non-invasive inspection techniques and data solutions that enable pipeline owners and managers to predict pipeline failures in order to prevent pipeline damage and water wastage. Acquaint was founded in 2014 and since 2018 they operate from the capital of water technology, Leeuwarden. Their mission: to ensure reliable water infrastructure and services worldwide.
Source: Acquaint
