International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2019 | ISSN 2321–2705

Smart Water Distribution System

Raghavendra Havaldar & Sruthin Balachandran V.V

Assistant Professor in Electronics & Communication, A J Institute of Engineering & Technology, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India

Abstract- Water leakage in water distribution system is a major issue. The leak in pipes could be due to various reasons like poorly constructed pipelines, inadequate corrosion protection etc. The paper consists of a model that is been designed to detect and respond to the water leak at the earliest. During water leakage, real time transmission of information at dynamically changing environment should be achieved. This can be done using Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) technology. Here water flow sensors are used to detect water leak in distribution system by observing change in flow rate. The sensor data is collected using microcontroller and transmitted using an XBee module to the server. At the server the data is processed and is stored in the database which helps in the generation of report on consumption of water. A solenoid valve is used at the water head, which turns off automatically whenever a heavy leak in the system is detected.

Keywords- Xbee, Arduino UNO, Flow sensor, AT89C51 MC

I. INTRODUCTION

Water, “The Liquid of Life” is true in every aspect. The need for sustainable water supply systems is ever increasing. Though earth’s 70% of total area is covered with water, about only 1% of total water is accessible for direct human usage and with the increasing demand for fresh water domestically and commercially in rural and urban areas, utilities can no longer tolerate inefficiencies in water distribution systems and the resulting loss of revenue associated with water system leakage.

Old and poorly constructed pipelines, inadequate corrosion protection, unauthorized connection, poorly maintained valves and mechanical damage are some of the factors contributing to leakage[1]. Of the many options available for conserving water, leak detection is a logical first step. The traditional pipeline leakage detection methods depend on the periodical inspection[2] conducted by the maintenance personnel but this does not provide real-time monitoring of pipes resulting in leakages that might not be detected in time and thus causing the wastage of water in a large scale.

In this paper, we introduce a water distribution system which uses invasive sensors to detect the flow of water. This system is helpful in reflecting detection of the water leakage, generation of report on water consumption and indicates approximate location point of the leak.

Some of the potential benefits of this system include efficient use of water supply, reduced risk of contamination and improved environmental quality.