Development of a sensor node for continuous monitoring of water distribution systems

• Main Author: Chen, Qingyuan.
• Other Authors: Wong Kai Juan, Steven
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Computer science and engineering::Computer applications::Physical sciences and engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/48578
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Water is the most important natural resource, one of the most basic human needs and a valuable national asset, especially fresh water which is sacred. The major elements of a comprehensive water distribution system include source water protection, treatment to remove harmful contaminants, proper operation and maintenance. Major problems such as degradation water quality, Unaccounted-For-Water (UFW) and inadequate pressures might arise at tail end of the system. Water quality monitoring will help to detect, preclude or solve water quality problems before they adversely affect the public health. This project is to develop a sensor node to enable remote monitoring of the water distribution system at the user end. The purpose is to monitor the chemical properties (acidity/alkalinity) of the water, the pressure readings and water flow rate across the home distribution network or recording of the underwater sound which helps in locating possible signs of leaks or pipe burst. The sensor node will be fitted with a pH sensor, a pressure sensor and a water flow sensor or a hydrophone. The node will be powered by Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC) micro-controller from Cypress Semiconductor. There will be a built-in GPRS Module to enable remote data acquisition to a server for data processing and archiving. This report focuses on evaluating and improving the circuits for the sensors, hardware integration on a printed circuit board (PCB) and software development for receiving the data remotely from the sensor node.