Published Paper Details:

A wireless sensor network (WSN) is a wireless network consisting of spatially distributed autonomous devices using sensors to monitor physical or environmental conditions. WSNs measure environmental conditions like temperature, sound, pollution levels, humidity, wind speed and direction, pressure, etc. The development of wireless sensor networks was motivated by military applications such as battlefield surveillance, today such networks are used in many industrial and consumer applications, such as industrial process monitoring and control, machine health monitoring, and so on. This paper describes about the application of wireless sensor networks in water pipeline monitoring. Water distribution systems present a significant challenge for structural monitoring. They comprise a complex network of pipelines buried underground that are relatively inaccessible. Maintaining the integrity of these networks is vital for providing clean drinking water to the general public. This paper presents the design development and testing of a smart wireless sensor network for leak detection in water pipelines, based on the measurement of relative indirect pressure changes in pipes. The sensors are capable of measuring pressure changes due to leaks. These pressure profiles can also be used to locate the leaks. These capabilities are vital for reducing the time taken to identify and repair failures and hence, mitigating impacts on water supply. The developed monitoring system has significant advantages such as low cost, great flexibility, low power at high duty cycles, scalability etc over currently used telemetry systems.