nuron has developed a dual purpose distributed optical fibre sensing system to be installed into the sewers. This system not only provides water companies with essential information such as depth, flow, blockages, security events and infiltration, but provides infrastructure for communication fibres to support the roll out of 5G, fibre to the home and smart cities. By utilising sewer systems, full fibre roll-out can be achieved with minimal trenching of roadways and traffic management at a reduced cost by utilising the existing assets. Our system is designed to have a minimum 20 year in-sewer lifespan. During its installed life, it will be exposed to the varying conditions of the sewer, fluctuating thermal, salinity, and chemical levels, mechanical effects, and abrasion. Each of these conditions represent a unique challenge for product designers to overcome to ensure a long lifespan of equipment can be reached. Currently there are no off-the-self solutions to rapidly assess these varying parameters and their combined effects. Current testing methods are either not scalable and can only consider one of the parameters in isolation, which doesn't give realistic conditions; or take too long. We will solve this problem by developing a state-of-the-art test system, with the ability to vary parameters of the fluid stream such as temperature, flow velocity, angle of incident, and fluid composition. nuron and NPL will be able to produce a validated method to quantifiably assess the in-service life of in-sewer technology in an accelerated time frame. With a bespoke testing system, we will develop a standardised testing process for in-sewer technology. This will help all companies developing sewer-technology to be able to quantifiably assess the survivability of their products, aiding and supporting development of new technology. This has a three-fold impact: supporting new technology by providing a method to reliably validate new designs; reduce the need to over engineering in-sewer technology; and reduce the perceived survivability risk for new products, enabling faster adoption of new technologies. This will result in better, more environmentally friendly technologies being developed with improved life, less waste and utilising more sustainable materials. This will actively remove barriers to technology adoption and provide substantial benefit to the UK economy, job markets and supply chains.

First of a Kind Implementation of a Nervous System for the Sewers

To develop a step change in sewer flow monitoring and management technology. Continuous optical monitoring system delivers real-time, network wide measurements (flow, depth & temp) enabling water companies to actively monitor and control their sewers reducing sewer flooding and pollution.

"Sewer flooding in your home is one of the worst things to experience, costing owners and UK wastewater companies tens of millions of pounds each year. Blockages, which are one cause of sewer flooding, mainly occur in small non-man entry sewers with an internal diameter of less than 600mm. nuron has developed a unique fibre sensing technology that will provide a step-change for home owners and wastewater network operators alike. nuron fibre sensing technology has a unique containment system designed to be installed along the wall of a sewer network creating a nervous system for sewers so blockages, flooding and other environmental incidents can be predicted and prevented before they happen. The sewer environment itself represents a challenge to the installation of a monitoring system. It is confined and over and above the normal sewerage and fats, oils and greases, the gas that builds up in these small diameter sewers is a complex mixture of toxic and nontoxic gases produced by the decomposition of organic household or industrial waste with the potential to create fire or explosions. This project is focused on the design and development of a miniature robot for the installation of the nuron fibre sensing containment system in small non-man entry sewers of 225-600mm internal diameter, because there is currently no existing robot or other technique available on the market with the capability of installing our sensing technology within such a confined and inhospitable space. Our objective is to work with the industry leaders in sewer rehabilitation, TC Mechanical to design and develop a first of its kind robot that will give wastewater operators access to nuron technology across their entire sewer network, enabling characterisation and inspection, and the capability of localisation and mapping of issues in this critical infrastructure."

Climate change and population growth are increasing pressure on sewer networks. This challenge combined with increasing regulatory and public pressures to reduce environmental impacts and internal sewer flooding, means a step change is needed in sewer flow monitoring and management technologies. This step change is happening. Continuous monitoring of the entire network providing multiple parameters is on the horizon and with it Big Data. This data means that sewer operators can move to proactive and predictive management therefore reducing operating costs and reducing pollution incidents. This project aims to understand what the potential data uses are and how they will help sewer companies provide better customer services and protect the environment. But many new technologies fail because they are not designed with the people who will use the data insight in mind. Importantly, to make sure these opportunities are realised by operational personnel, it will identify what the data user interface and experience needs to be.

Global warming is making rainfall patterns more volatile and will steadily increase pressure on sewerage, drainage and flood defence networks. Faced with this challenge and with increasing regulatory and public pressures to reduce pollution incidents and improve the quality of rivers and seas, a step change is needed in the flow monitoring and management technology available to the drainage industry. Moormead Solutions is developing just such a transformation. Combining state-of-the-art monitoring technology, a purpose designed installation technique and ‘Big Data’ analysis, storage and visualisation tools, our system will provide operators with unprecedented coverage and integrity of data on critical drainage flows. This in turn will facilitate the introduction of real time network management into sewerage and drainage networks – ‘Smart Sewers and Smart Drains’. In 2015, with the help of an Innovate UK Smart Proof of Concept Grant, our system will move beyond desktop research and into a laboratory model which will prove the integrity of the monitoring and measurement techniques which lie at the heart of our system.