New technology for earlier detection of bursts in rising water mains

Condition-monitoring specialist Samotics has developed a new platform to give water companies earlier warnings to detect burst rising mains, assets that are well known to be difficult to monitor. Designed in collaboration with Yorkshire Water and Southern Water, using verified data from real bursts across both networks, Samotics’ monitoring technology uses electrical signatures of the pump itself to detect bursts. Rising mains and pressurised pipes that carry water uphill are among the hardest assets in the network to oversee, according to the firm. As a result, a burst is often only confirmed once wastewater reaches the surface and is then reported to the water company. The Environment Agency attributed around 20& of England’s serious pollution incidents in 2024 to spills from rising mains. The time taken to detect a burst is the biggest single factor in determining how damaging the incident becomes. Samotics said its new platform, SAM4, uses electrical signature analysis (ESA) to monitor pumps and motors remotely from the motor control centre utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse the current and voltage the pumps draw. Reading the electrical signal means SAM4 can monitor pump systems continuously, which often operate in times of high demand, picking up the early signs of a developing burst that would otherwise stay hidden until sewage surfaces. When an incident occurs, the system raises an alert so control rooms can investigate and mobilise resource quickly to assess the situation and determine the best course of action. Samotics head of UK & Ireland Tom Swain said, “Water companies already use SAM4 across thousands of pumping stations to catch faults such as blockages and airlocks. This is a problem we have been looking at for a long time, developing a mature and high-quality solution, which we are now proud to bring to the market. “Working closely with our scaled clients to develop this model has been pivotal, and we now have a solution that enables us to flag a likely burst with high confidence. It’s a great example of how a genuine commitment to condition monitoring and a collaborative approach between organisations has led to progress on an industry-wide challenge.” Southern Water head of pollution performance Chris Perkins said: “Knowing that an incident has occurred determines how serious it becomes, and rising mains have always been one of the hardest places to get that early warning. “That’s why we’ve backed this work with Samotics. It turns a signal we already have from the pumps into an earlier alert on assets we’ve struggled to see into.” Perkins added: “It has already alerted on a confirmed burst, giving us confidence that a genuine event was underway. A clear signal, read straight from the pumps, is exactly the kind of thing that helps our teams act quickly and decisively on assets that are notoriously hard to monitor. And the more certainty we have that an event is underway, the faster we can act to limit the pollution it can cause.” Yorkshire Water manager of operational intelligence George Cowell said: “We’ve worked closely with Samotics over the past year, following success observed across their blockage and airlock modules. “We presented the team with a challenge to help us solve the problem around more accurate rising main burst detection, using an alternative to conventional measures such as pressure and flow monitoring, whilst enabling faster widescale coverage due to our scaled approach with Samotics’ SAM4 monitoring, which is already in place.” He added: “Using our operational data, along with case study examples, and the knowledge of our field teams, we have been able to refine a system which generates low alert volumes with good accuracy. “It’s early days, but it’s genuinely collaborative, and we’re keen to see how it performs across the sewage pumping stations where we run SAM4.” Like what you've read? To receive New Civil Engineer's daily and weekly newsletters click here. Have your say or a new account to join the discussion.