Using fibre optic sensors to monitor water networks against wastage: the international journal Sensors published the results of an experiment carried out at Politecnico di Milano aimed at optimising the water network.
Researchers from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering pioneered the use of distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) based on Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) technology for monitoring water pipeline networks over long distances. At the heart of this technology is the common and inexpensive optical fibre used for telecommunications (which brings the internet into our homes) capable of measuring deformations to a hundredth of a millimetre.
The scholars worked on High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) piping, today the most commonly used material for distribution systems. By wrapping and fixing the fibre optic sensor cable on the outer surface of the pipe, they tested the ability to detect deformations related to pressure anomalies along a pipe, such as those caused by water leaks.
In the future, the tested technology will be further developed towards industrial-scale production of ‘natively smart’ HDPE pipes, where DFOS are integrated into the pipe surface during the extrusion process.
The study was signed by Manuel Bertulessi, Daniele Fabrizio Bignami, Ilaria Boschini, Marina Longoni, Giovanni Menduni and Jacopo Morosi.
