Smart sewer monitoring for efficient processes underground

Growing requirements

Janssen Riotech has been supplying solutions for sewer plugging and testing technology to specialist companies, network operators and municipalities across Europe for more than ten years. In practice, there have been increasingly higher demands on documentation, safety and efficiency. At the same time, work in the sewer network remained largely analogue until now – time-consuming, labour-intensive and hard to trace.

Lack of transparency

Pressure tests, sewer plugs and leak tests were previously mostly monitored manually. Whether the test pressure remained stable or leaks occurred was often only detectable after completion of the work. At the same time, skills shortages and new requirements for traceability make day-to-day practice more difficult. Janssen Riotech saw an opportunity in this: to create more transparency and control through digitalisation and smart sensing – directly from the sewer.

From measured value to platform solution

Together with WIKA, Janssen Riotech developed a system that combines traditional measurement technology with modern IIoT communication. The PEW and PEU pressure sensors used measure the internal pressure in the inflatable plugs precisely; a gateway transmits the data via LoRaWAN^® to the network server provided by WIKA. In the WIKA platform the values are displayed, documented automatically and archived in an audit-proof manner – for full control over test processes, even remotely. The solution is used in shaft structures, particularly, during maintenance and testing work in water and wastewater pipelines. But it is also used in industrial pipelines, for example in the chemical industry, when pipes need to be safely sealed off and monitored during maintenance work.

Partnership on equal footing

WIKA contributed its know-how and measuring instruments in industrial sensing and data integration; Janssen Riotech provided the idea and field experience. In several test phases, sensors, software and housings were optimised for deployment in the field. The result: a robust, user-friendly system that combines efficiency and safety and paves the way for digital sewer monitoring.

• Full process transparency: Measured values at regular intervals and automatic logs provide insight, at any time, into the condition of the sewer network.
• Fewer on-site inspections: Pressure and status can be monitored remotely – this saves time and travel.
• More safety: Early warning system for pressure deviations through automatic alarm messages.

• Higher efficiency: Automatic data acquisition reduces manual effort and shortens documentation times.
• Seamless documentation: Automatically recorded measured values ensure transparent and audit-proof test logs.
• Sustainability: Lower fuel consumption and reduced CO₂ emissions thanks to fewer trips.

Fewer site visits, greater impact

Digital monitoring can significantly reduce on-site inspections. This saves time, reduces fuel consumption and lowers CO₂ emissions. At the same time, the documentation time per job is significantly shortened since all measured values are recorded and stored automatically. The combination of precise sensing and intelligent data processing provides efficiency and rapid amortisation.