Duration
January 2025 - December 2028
Published: 24. Jun 2025
Intelligent pressure control should solve the challenge of pressure surges
Pressure surges are a global challenge that cause bursting of water pipes, water loss and stoppage of operation. The goal of a new project called FlowSens is to reduce pressure surges with intelligent pressure control.
Pressure surges put a strain on all physical components and in particular cause bursting of water pipes, while at the same time they can cause stoppage of operation. In the FlowSens project, the goal is to develop an intelligent, fully automatic solution for pressure and flow control in the water supply network.
In the three-year project, Danfoss project manager, Aarhus Vand, and Aarhus University are project participants. The project is supported by the Environmental Technology Development and Demonstration Program (MUDP).
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Pressure surges are a huge problem that we need to solve. We need to understand the problem better and deliver an intelligent product that minimises pressure surges and thus water loss worldwide
Aarhus Vand is providing 415 km. pipeline network
Aarhus Vand is providing an operational and innovation area for the project, called Water Living Lab, with 17,000 households and 415 km of pipeline network.
“By providing our infrastructure, we support development and become more knowledgeable about the pump control of the future, which we hope to phase into the entire pipeline network,” says Chris Heltborg Oxholm, technical project manager, Aarhus Vand.
As a utility corporation, optimised control and minimising pressure surges is a development journey that we are happy to take.
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At Aarhus Vand, we want to move from being primarily supplied via gravity to a supply that matches current consumption with intelligent pressure control. So, we minimise the load on the pipes and therefore also leaks
Sensors must provide data and knowledge about pressure surges
The prerequisite for development is a lot of real-time data. Danfoss supplies and installs sensors in the system that will provide data and knowledge about how pressure surges occur.
“Pressure surges and how they branch out into the distribution network are interesting to us. We need to adapt our frequency converters to control these pressure surges and document the robustness of the sensors in relation to these events,” explains Per Sønderiis, Global Market Segment Manager, Danfoss.
Thus, data from regular workflow is not that interesting, but rather the last 10% of data that shows the pressure surges.
Aarhus University analyses the large amounts of data
Large amounts of data are generated around the clock in the project. Data that Aarhus University helps compress and analyse.
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FlowSens is an important step in the digitalisation of the drinking water system. We compress data using new techniques that enable us to identify and analyse the most critical events, such as pressure surges. In this way, we contribute to the development of intelligent pressure control of the future.
Danfoss: Frequency converters must be able to predict pressure surges
Danfoss’ primary development potential in the project is the company’s latest generation of frequency converters. According to Christian Uldal, Research Manager, it is about putting intelligence into practice:
“We want to implement intelligent control directly in our frequency converters. This means that we can work with predictive algorithms and respond faster and smarter to changes in the network.”
In other words, in the project, Danfoss will find out what happens in the system before a pressure surge occurs in order to be able to predict it. Christian Uldal explains that Danfoss wants to develop a model for predictive control.
Crucial to develop in a real supply network
Danfoss has its own demo setups for development work but sees it as a great advantage to be able to test the new generation of frequency converters in a real environment.
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It is crucial that we can install and develop in a real supply network. For us, this is more real time than ever before in another project. We have plastered an area with sensors, and we get documentation from all branches of the distribution network. This is knowledge that we can convey to our customers around the world and that contributes to our development.
Aarhus Vand hopes that the experiences from the project will form the basis for future solutions – both internally in Aarhus Vand and more broadly in the Danish and international water sector.
” We are gaining important learning in this project, which enables us to anticipate a future with intelligent pump control. At the same time, we contribute to better pump control for a global market,” says Chris Heltborg Oxholm, Aarhus Vand.
Facts about the project
Partners
Danfoss A/S (project manager), Aarhus Vand and Aarhus University are project partners. In addition, Neurospace provides advanced data interpretation
Funded by
Environmental Technology Development and Demonstration Program (MUDP)