Kasugai City and Chubu Electric Power Launch Demonstration Test on Sewer Pipe Blockage Detection Using Electricity Smart Meter Communication Network

Kasugai City (Mayor: Naoki Ishiguro) and Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (President & Director: Kingo Hayashi; "Chubu Electric Power") will conduct a demonstration test on preventing sewage overflows caused by blockages in sewer pipes ("the demonstration") based on the "Cooperative Agreement on the Use of ICT to Solve Local Issues" ("the agreement"), which was signed in November 2019. The demonstration has started today.

In sewerage facilities, oil and grease contained in wastewater from restaurants, factories, etc. can clog the inside of sewer pipes, reducing flow capacity and resulting overflows through manholes, which causes pollution of the surrounding environment, traffic obstructions, etc. Kasugai City requires a great deal of labor and expense for emergency restoration work in the event of an accidental overflow along with for periodic inspections and cleaning to prevent it happens.

The demonstration aims to build a system that uses a float-type water level sensor installed in a manhole to detect the level of rising water inside as an indicator of overflow, and notify via the electricity smart meter communication network.
Approximately 10 million electricity smart meters have been comprehensively installed in Chubu Electric Power's service area. Since the distance between the communication terminal within the sensor and the electricity smart meter is short, wireless communication between them is easy to connect. Therefore, even if a communication terminal is installed inside a manhole covered with iron lid, it is possible to notify rising water levels via wireless communication without communication cable installation.
This enables remote and real-time monitoring of rising water levels in manholes without having the site inspections, saving labor and reducing costs in the maintenance and management of sewerage facilities, thereby improving services to residents by preventing overflows.

The agreement will utilize Kasugai City's expertise in community development, including safety and welfare, and the Chubu Electric Power Group's expertise in smart meters and other equipment and ICT to work together to solve local issues. The two parties will continue to work together to solve social issues by combining their respective knowledge and infrastructure.

Attachment

• Outline of Demonstration Test on Preventing Overflows Caused by Sewer Pipe Blockage