Smart Ball technology has helped Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) save 243 million gallons of water and Dh9.66 million in 2023. The Dubai utililty company has utilised innovation and the latest disruptive technologies in detecting leaks in the water transmission underground pipelines.
The technology detects leaks that are usually difficult to detect using traditional techniques. Since its implementation in April 2021 and until the end of 2023, the technology detected 81 leaks in the water transmission network in Dubai.
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It also reduces operational expenses, as small cracks in the water transmission pipelines are treated before they increase in size and cause further water wastage.
Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD and CEO of Dewa, said that dewa relies on the latest tools to anticipate the future, sound scientific planning, and seamless, swift, and effective smart grid operation. This ensures the sustainability of water resources in line with the Dubai Integrated Water Resource Management Strategy 2030.
Dewa uses the smart grid to develop state-of-the-art infrastructure for managing facilities and services using disruptive and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies. These include AI, drones, blockchain technology, Internet of Things (IoT), among others.
The company monitors and controls the water network in Dubai remotely around the clock using the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems. In 2023, DEWA launched its third phase of SCADA systems.
The Smart Ball system consists of a small diameter sphere with a highly sensitive acoustic sensor inserted into the water network, where the water flow drives it. It detects sounds generated by leaks and identifies gas pockets or anomalies with unique characteristics.
Once the Smart Ball is extracted, the compiled data is analysed by software using mathematical algorithms showing the precise location of leaks, gas pockets, or anomalies. The Smart Ball travels freely inside the transmission pipes at around 3 kilometres per hour and can inspect over 35 kilometres in one day without affecting the water flow.
Dewa has achieved competitive results that surpass prominent European and American companies in terms of efficiency and reliability.