From Leak Detection to Water Quality: A Real-Time Digital Twin Approach for Potable Distribution at Large Airport
Presentation Description:
Large airports operate complex potable water distribution systems, much like a small city, with over 200 miles of subsurface piping that draws water from surrounding municipal sources. This session presents a large airport’s digital transformation strategy to modernize water system monitoring, leak detection, integrity testing, and quality assurance. Leveraging macro-level satellite GPR mapping to identify potential leak points of interest, paired with district metering areas (DMAs) equipped with high-accuracy flow meters, pressure sensors, and water quality instrumentation, the airport is advancing toward a real-time digital twin of its water infrastructure. Additional focus includes remote valve control, MQTT-secured communications, and converting traditional billing meters into real-time consumption inputs to improve modeling, speed up leak response, and minimize water loss—while maintaining the highest standards of potable water delivery in a mission-critical transportation environment.
Learning Objectives
- Discover how satellite radar leak mapping supports macro-level anomaly detection for large-scale infrastructure like airports.
- Understand how district metering with flow, pressure, and water quality sensors improves operational visibility and early warning capabilities.
- Learn how motor-actuated remote shutoff valves and targeted flushing routines optimize system response and water quality.
- Explore DFW’s use of encrypted MQTT communications and solar-cellular hybrid networking for remote, secure telemetry.
- See how real-time consumption monitoring enables more accurate hydraulic modeling and improves leak origin pinpointing.