Hydraulic pressure distribution for pipeline networks by wireless sensor networks

In this paper, we propose a new application of wireless sensor networks for real time monitoring of water pressure distribution in urban areas. Our application consists of a number of clustered sensor nodes that measure the pressure in water pipelines. Sensor nodes communication is based on the IEEE802.15.4 standard by the help of Zigbee modules. The data is collected in 15-minute periods and is sent to the control center via GPRS. The main purpose of this application is to solve the problem of unbalanced water pressure distribution in cities. We setup smart cyclic sleep modes that made our system, energy efficient and very low-power consumption. We implemented this application in city of Mashhad. We analyzed water pipeline system pressure measurement in several periods, which gave us the optimum pressure needed for an area based on its population, longitude and consumption pattern. We concluded that our solution will improve and eliminate the city water pressure distribution problem.