The electronic water meter:
technology and precision serving the measurement of water networks
Electronic water meters – or water smart meters – are devices used to measure water consumption precisely and accurately.
They offer several advantages over traditional meters. Water flow can be quantified through ultrasonic physical processes that ensure absolute accuracy in measuring consumption in real-time.
Other technical devices built into the meter enable historical recording of consumption data, and detection of water leakage or other critical issues, and can be read remotely through remote reading systems. The electronic-type meter, as a fundamental part of a smart metering network, is the best answer to the growing need for rationalization and efficiency in the management of water, an increasingly precious and indispensable resource.
The first mechanical meters date back to the mid-19th century. The construction concept was “simple”: by counting the rotations made by the turbine or piston, the volumes of flow passing through the pipes were measured. From the early 1980s, the first prototype meters began to appear that relied on electronic technologies for measurement, such as electromagnetic induction or ultrasound. The mechanical meter is still used by the market, but climate change is forcing increasing attention to consumption. Water, once plentiful and cheap, can go through periods of scarcity.
Today’s drinking water utilities are very focused on efficiency: this means being strongly committed to reducing losses and optimizing operating costs. To meet these challenges, to manage and control the water network, it is essential to have accessible and reliable data: that is why WaterTech makes smart meters designed to make measurement increasingly accurate and intelligent.
COUNTING OR MEASURING: ELECTRONICS CHANGES THE CONCEPT OF THE WATER METER
Measurement instruments are required to have higher performance and greater completeness of information.
The electronic meter simultaneously meets more needs than traditional meters. Thanks to electronics, the smart meter not only improves the very quality of metering, but also provides a range of additional data that are indispensable for achieving the goals of rationalizing water networks, reducing waste, and measuring consumption on time.
Utilities, starting with the electronic meter, can build a complete grid to monitor the state of the network. Robust and reliable monitoring over time because static technology is not subject to the wear and tear or performance deterioration typical of mechanical instruments.
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The limits of mechanical technology are overcome by the latest generation of ultrasonic electronic meters. A turbine meter performs the sole task of detecting turbine revolutions, and its moving parts are inherently subject to wear and tear over time and mechanical hindrances.
The electronic water meter – by eliminating moving components – is not susceptible to wear and tear, blockages, or slowdowns that can compromise the veracity of the measurement, making the water consumption reading extremely accurate. It is a true snapshot of what is happening at the point of measurement that, combined with that of other devices as is the case in a smart metering network, returns a real-time picture of the water network situation. Such performance is maintained over time because static-type electronic meters have no moving parts, they do not suffer natural performance decay.
ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES FOR WATER METERS
The ultrasonic meter uses the movement of an ultrasonic wave to calculate transit velocity and the amount of water passing through the measuring tube. A technology used in a variety of application fields and in areas that require absolute accuracy.
In the water sector, the ultrasonic electronic static meter is the most advanced product on the market.
With its absolute measurement accuracy, reliability, and consistent performance over time, it is suitable for measuring both large industrial or agricultural utilities or critical waterworks distribution nodes and points and residential utilities.
It is worth pointing out that ARAD Group is the pioneer of ultrasonic static technologies: back in 2009 it was already producing and selling in significant quantities, “first in the world,” the OCTAVE large-caliber electronic water meter.
For those utilities that instead prefer to continue to rely on solid and reliable traditional mechanical technology, WaterTech has developed a range of hybrid meters, consisting of a mechanical-traditional metering unit (whether turbine or piston) to which electronic equipment is added, so that the meter can transmit data and alarms over the smart communication network.
WATERTECH ELECTRONIC WATER METERS
WaterTech’s deep knowledge in the field of water metering and meters has been transferred to electronic technology. Today, the range of solutions offered by WaterTech features top-notch products for both domestic and industrial users. SONATA and OCTAVE meters represent excellence in electronic water meters in terms of construction quality, component reliability, control functions, and data veracity.
The adoption of electronic technology is not in itself sufficient to guarantee the excellence of a meter. In fact, constructive arrangements that ensure the solidity and durability of the meter throughout its 13-year legal life, as well as designs dedicated to the specific needs and criticalities of the individual water network, are essential. Compared to other types of utilities, electricity or gas, water meters must consider the morphology of the territories, but also the sites where they are placed, which are often extremely humid or dirty (with the risk of water seeping into the electronic meter) and very unfavorable for data transmission (manholes or basements). These are all factors that impact the lifespan of the meter, its electronic components, and its battery.
The indispensable features of a smart meter
In fact, water smart metering has one aspect of greater difficulty than gas smart metering: the working conditions of the meters. Smart gas meters are often installed above ground, in outdoor alcoves; therefore, they are in a much easier condition from a transmission point of view. The electronic water meter is frequently placed in an underground manhole or alcove or in a basement, thus subject to significantly worse installation conditions than gas meters. Therefore, smart water meters must be extremely high-performance, solid, robust, and durable, so that they are able to operate in the most difficult situations.
This is made explicit in two capabilities that the electronic water meter must necessarily have:
- ability of the meter to withstand adverse weather conditions: it is essential that the meter be able to withstand flooding of the sump lasting up to months; “only” IP68 is not enough, but one really needs the meter’s ability to survive “a lifetime” under water.
- transmissive capacity of the meter in unfavorable conditions: the electronic water meter needs much more transmissive capacity than the gas meter, being in unfavorable positions, where the signal “comes out” less and encounters more difficulties in spreading.
A new era of measurement
Highly advanced construction solutions and superior inherent quality in materials make our electronic meters true engineering gems. With WaterTech’s static electronic meters, you are effectively entering a new era of measurement.
Our state-of-the-art ultrasonic static-type electronic smart meters are:
- Precise: maximum measurement capability, total insensitivity to the passage of air, impurities, or solid particles, and ability to detect even imperceptible flows of water.
- Reliable: the presence of dual batteries ensures timely recording of events, alarms, and information, long meter life, and maximum security against the risk of data loss.
- Durable: constructed of corrosion-resistant materials and highly protected against moisture and water infiltration (IP68 lifetime, with the ability to remain submerged even for the entire legal life), they are designed to last up to more than 15 years.
The widest range of transmission systems
WaterTech meters fully meet and exceed the standards required by authorities in terms of durability, weather protection, and operation in severe weather conditions, ensuring that those who choose them can measure consumption in a timely and safe manner over time.
In addition, WaterTech’s range of smart water metering is incredibly versatile in terms of transmission. Indeed, it is possible to equip electronic water meters with any of the countless transmission systems available on the market: NB-IoT, LoRa WAN, 169 MHz, 868 MHz, GSM. The comprehensive package of data collection and transmission technologies offered by WaterTech allows the distributor to choose the solution that best suits his or her specific needs:
- Point-to-Point typology: the NB-IoT technology is the most widespread in Italy among those based on the switched telephone network. In addition to it, WaterTech also has the GSM transmission system and, for specific applications, the CAT-M system.
- Point – Multi Point typology: in the portfolio of technologies that WaterTech offers its customers, there is certainly LoRa WAN, an extremely widespread system in Italy, either in a “stand-alone” version (this is a minority case) or combined with 868 MHz wMBus radiofrequency transmission, which in turn can be declined in OMS (Open Meter Standard) or not (this is the vast majority situation). The solution involving the use of the dual communication channel (LoRa WAN + 868 MHz) allows the distributor to be able to collect data in both Fixed Network and Walk-by / Drive-by: if the meter senses the presence of the LoRa WAN network, it attaches itself to it and transmits the data in Fixed Network; if, on the other hand, the meter does not find the network on which to attach itself, or if it is queried directly by a meter reader, it transmits the data in Mobile Mode (Walk-by / Drive-by). The two protocols operate in parallel, that is, they are both automatically active in the meter, with no need for human intervention to switch from one to the other. The meter is intelligent, being able to sense whether there is a fixed network or not, and adjusts the communication method based on that. Another highly innovative solution that WaterTech has firmly focused on for many years is the 169 MHz radio frequency system that complies with the UNI-TS 11291 gas standard. This is a smart water machine that can be fully hooked up and managed on the gas network (even from the same gas DAQ). It therefore becomes possible to integrate on a single smart communication network, both hardware and software, the management of water and gas networks, ensuring maximum efficiency for multi-service managers. Even 169 MHz technology can switch by itself from Fixed Network to Walk-by / Drive-by in a fully automatic manner, depending on the availability or otherwise of the fixed network.
With SONATA and OCTAVE’s state-of-the-art range of static electronic ultrasonic smart meters, the result of the union of parent company ARAD’s modern Israeli technology and WaterTech’s typical Italian innovativeness, utilities are moving into the future of water management.
