Views from Technology Companies and Water Companies: Case Studies
Dale Hartley, SYRINIX; Danny Burke, Quantum Innovation Centre; Nick Mills, Thames Water; Nick Hawkins & Richard Long, Acoustic Sensing Technology (UK): PRESENTATIONS ONLY
(free)
The Technology Company’s Perspective
Utility Support for Innovation
•Support does exist for innovation in utilities
•Lack of progress by individual SME’s may well be due to
–poor product
–lack of demand
–pricing
Examples
–Thames Water
•TrunkMinder
•Zebra mussels
•Smart metering
•LeakFrog
–Anglian Water
•“Love Every Drop”
•Twintex
–United Utilities
•TransientMinder trial
–South EastWater
•i2o
Dale Hartley , SYRINIX
Innovation Capability Assessment Framework
Typical Innovation Issues:-
•Often no clear definition of what Innovation means, in a practical way, to the organisation
•Difficult to articulate how the organisation will embrace and deliver Innovation.
•Lack of a robust strategy to embed understanding of Innovation into the organisation
•Difficult to demonstrate achievement in delivering Innovation to Regulator, customers, other Stakeholders and own People.
Danny Burke, Quantum Innovation Centre
- SewerBatt is a fast and economical system for surveying the condition of sewer pipes
- Result of 10 years of research at the University of Bradford
- Company formed in February 2013 with financial backing from the North West fund for Energy and Environment
- SewerBatt uses sound waves transmitted and received at the manhole
- Nothing but the sound passes through the pipe
- Results are digitally processed for immediate use on site
- Tests take just a few minutes
- ‘Traffic light’ classification tells the operator if the pipe is good, or whether further survey is required.
Equipment is now available to buy and is in use in UK, US and Australia
Nick Hawkins and Richard Long, Acoustic Sensing Technology (UK)
