Case Sanepar – Ada system for reducing and controlling real losses

The search for efficiency and process optimization is a constant in any organization. In the case of the Paraná Sanitation Company (Sanepar), the need for innovation to reduce and control real water losses became a priority.

Open Innovation Program: Sanepar Startups

Founded in 2021, Sanepar Startups is an innovation program for environmental sanitation. It was created by SANEPAR in collaboration with the Itaipu Technological Park (PTI-BR), The Finep – company of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae/PR).

The objective of Sanepar Startups is to accelerate startups in the water sector in Brazil, and in this scenario the Ada System came into action, reaching a new level in loss management with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. To learn more about the Ada System, see our information page Solutions by clicking here.

How was the implementation of the Ada System?

The strategy was to carry out the Pilot test in 2 different sectors of Curitiba, both operated by Sanepar, with around 1,000 connections and 11 km of network each. 

After installing the Pascal Pressure Devices, we began to create a robust database and characterize system operating profiles and an indicator monitoring system.

In the initial analysis, we found that sector A had very poor performance rates compared to Sector B.

ILI – Infrastructure Leakage Index: It is a metric that combines data on real losses and inevitable losses to evaluate the efficiency of the distribution network. The lower the ILI, the better the efficiency. 

What indexes were like before using the Ada System

As seen in the infographic above, the ILI for Sector A was 26.4, the actual loss was 644 liters per connection per day, resulting in a financial loss of R$1713.00 per day. 

In sector B, the ILI was 2.9, the real daily loss was 84 liters per connection per day, equivalent to R$265.00 of financial loss per day.

What about after using the Ada System?

In 6 months of using our Ada System, we were able to observe an excellent improvement in its indexes. There was a reduction of 70% in real water loss rates.

The ILI for Sector A has reduced to 7.2, the actual daily loss to date is 198 liters per connection/day and the financial costs are now R$526.00 per day. 

In sector B, which had more balanced performance rates, we also saw improvements. The ILI has reduced to 1.6, actual daily loss is at 49 liters per connection/day and financial costs have decreased to R$156.00 per day. 

Sanepar Sector A and B Considerations

Loss managers typically face issues of water loss and inconsistent field data, always chasing emergencies. In the case of Sanepar, one of the problems to be solved is the reduction of the warning, location and repair time for leaks and other operational events.

Although each sector behaved differently, the Pilot test is showing that the Ada System is effective in terms of reducing warning time and locating leaks, enabling the adoption of preventive measures in sectors with different levels of losses.

To date, we have recovered 491m³ of water per day, reduced 98,484 kWh per year in electrical energy and contributed to the reduction of 895 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. 

It is results like this that indicate that we are on the right path, creating technology to preserve the essentials and promoting innovation and sanitation technology to increasingly make access to drinking water a reality for the entire population.

Do you want to know more about the Ada System? Click here and contact us.