- Client: Vivaqua
- Location: Brussels, Belgium
- Project year: 2025
Challenge
One of the key water pipelines of Vivaqua, the public water utility responsible for Brussels, is the ring pipeline that distributes water around the different sectors of the Brussels metropolitan area. One section of this pipeline runs through forest sand parks that are difficult to access, meaning that leaks may remain undetected for a very long time. This pipeline section is a large-diameter (700mm) line with few access points, making it very difficult to monitor with traditional leak detection techniques.
To speed up leak detection times, improve the reliability of the network and reduce long-term water losses, Vivaqua searched for a way to permanently monitor this pipeline.
Solution
Fluves and Fiberflux deployed the DALI system on a pilot section of 2270 m of the ring pipeline and performed pilot-phase monitoring fora duration of one month.
The DALI cable installation was performed in one single section over the full length of 2270 m on a highly challenging section with a combined 270° in bends and a high internal pipeline roughness. Despite these challenges, the cable installation was performed in one day.
The DAS was installed in a secured container and ran fully autonomously, including autonomous power-supply and wireless connectivity.
Results
The Vivaqua pilot project demonstrated DALI’s ability to equip pipelines under challenging conditions and over long distances with a real-time monitoring system. Leakage tests conducted during the monitoring phase demonstrated the capability to detect leaks with a 5 m spatial resolution.
“The DALI project team successfully overcame the technical difficulties involved in installing fiber optics in a section of pipeline with many bends due to the very hilly terrain. The accuracy of leak location was in the order of 3 to 5 m, which, in the areas concerned — under fields and woods — was very good and technically satisfactory."
Miguel Sebastian Santamaria – Technical Department Manager at VIVAQUA
More information
Let’s have a chat via info@dalimonitoring.com.
