Managing Water Loss Using Acoustic Sensors and Advanced Wireless Communications

MLOG is a system of intelligent, wireless sensors which detects losses from the entire water distribution system every night. Each low-cost, battery-powered MLOG sensor is permanently installed on a service pipe near the water meter. MLOG sensors analyze and save vibration patterns from every location in the water distribution system, using advanced signal processing to characterize sound patterns in the pipes over time.

The water utility is alerted to the presence of leaks with the wireless transmission of MLOG sensor data. The MLOG desktop software reanalyzes all data from the entire network every day. Data from sensors and leaks is managed to facilitate information flow throughout the utility to managers, planners and field personnel.

MLOG data can be transmitted from the distribution system in two ways, either via:

• The utility’s automatic meter reading (AMR) system; or
• A hand-held or vehicle-based MLOG radio controller.

With the AMR approach to data collection, information from thousands of MLOG sensors is brought to the utility manager’s desktop every morning. The MLOG system leverages the investment in AMR, often paying for itself within 2 years of a specified 15-year operating life and providing an unprecedented amount of information about the integrity of the distribution system.

MLOG is an enterprise solution to leak detection throughout the entire water distribution system. It is the first economical and logistically sound approach to solving the problem of water loss between the treatment plant and the consumer, permanently reducing the production of non-revenue water

Feature	MLOG	Other Logger Systems
Battery Life
Warranted	7 years	3 years
Expected	15+ years of normal operation using integrated intelligent power management	Up to 10 years if loggers are turned on/off with optional sleeper unit
Installation
	Water service line at the meter (basement or meter pit)	Underground valve chamber on mains
Wireless Data Retrieval
AMR Connection	Works with all industry-standard AMR devices	No AMR connection capability
Mobile Radio	2-way MLOG radio controller downloads analysis data and programs logger in one operation	Radio patroller transmits only leak / no-leak status Downloading 7-day data summary requires the physical retrieval of logger and optional handheld interrogator unit
FCC Requirements
	902-928 MHz, advanced frequency hopping spread spectrum. No FCC requirements for MLOG-AMR	463 MHz, single frequency channel, annual FCC licensing required
Antenna
	Internal (sealed)	External, cabled, mounting kit & installation required
Environmental
	Entire MLOG unit is sealed& waterproof (IP68)	Potted electronics (IP68); antenna not waterproof
Leak Response Time
Fixed network AMR	Less than 24 hours	No AMR connection capability
Other wireless methods	Whenever water meter is read or on demand	On patrol schedule or on demand
Data Analysis from Single Logger
Overnight sound pattern	Continuously from midnight to 4:30am	Snapshot of data in the middle of the night
Long-term sound analysis	Yes	No long-term analysis capability
Frequency analysis	Identifies different types of leaks	No frequency analysis capability
Historical data record	Unlimited lifetime data managed in MLOG system software	7-day summary available via manual download in the field
Data Analysis from All Loggers
Leak Index	Yes	No
Color Map™	Yes	No
Historical data & analysis	Yes, at any selected time	No
Intelligent network-wide analysis	Yes	No
Software
Integrated GIS maps & logger information	Yes	No
Logger information exports to GIS	Yes	No
Leak data exports to GIS	Yes	No
Online support	Yes, remote login by Flow Metrix	No