Bosch Munitech IoT technology for drought management – typical ‘trailer’ type pumping configuration
Bosch Munitech, part of Bosch Holdings, was appointed by the Lower Berg Irrigation Board in the Western Cape, to design and implement a compliance metering and monitoring system on irrigation abstraction points along the Berg River.
“Because of critical drought conditions in the Western Cape, the Department of Water and Sanitation now requires that all agricultural abstractions from the Berg River – a key source of water for Cape Town, surrounding towns and agricultural enterprises – be metered,” explains Iaan de beer, Bosch Munitech. “An important criterion of this project, was that all flowmeter readings must be readily accessible in a database for online access of consumption data of each water meter connected to the system.
“To transfer measurement data from 135 abstraction points along the river, to a central database, an alternative to the traditional GSM approach was used. The team deployed a purpose-built Internet of Things (IoT) communications platform and Liquid Fibre web-based data management portal, which we believe is the first application of its type in South Africa.
“The Liquid Fibre portal allows users to conveniently view and export flowmeter data online from PC’s and mobile devices, such as tablets and smart phones. The web-based application overcomes the usual challenges of high installation costs, unreliability of signal coverage and SIM card management.”
Krohne Waterflux electromagnetic flow meters, which meet stringent potable water standards – were proposed and installed at the majority of abstraction points between Sonquasdrift and Velddrift. These low-maintenance water meters are designed for bi-directional flow measurement, over a wide dynamic range. Waterflux water meters have a rectangular sensor that enables a stable measurement, even at low and uneven flow rates. They offer high accuracy of less than 0.5 percent across its measurement range.
The optimised flow profile of this series enables installation anywhere, without the need for straight inlet or outlet runs – for example, behind pipe bends, control valves or a reduction in the pipe diameter. These meters are also suitable for burial installation and immersion in flooded chambers.
Another first, was the introduction of the highly accurate Nivusonic (Germany) transit time flow meters. The ease of installation of these meters offers substantial savings over the standard mechanical installation cost associated with inline flow meters on large diameter pipelines.
Bosch Munitech works closely with municipalities throughout the country to provide efficient service delivery solutions to urban and rural communities.
