Monitored irrigation system in Verona

To be able to use the valuable resource of water more efficiently in the long term, the Consorzio di Bonifica Veronese decided to build an irrigation system for agricultural purposes. In addition to the egeplast SLM® DCT, the monitored egeplast egeSmart:Integrity DCS was also used for the almost 80 km-long pipeline.

Water is a precious resource, especially in hot and dry regions. Supplying water to extensive agricultural areas can therefore involve major logistical effort, particularly in southern countries. A newly built irrigation system will solve this problem in future for an agricultural area in Villafranca di Verona in the Italian province of Verona.

Monitorable irrigation system

The overall project comprises almost 80 km of pipelines in various dimensions. The Consorzio di Bonifica Veronese used the egeplast SLM® DCT on a large part of the route. Thanks to the stress crack-resistant PE 100-RC used and the robust protective jacket, the new pipe system can also withstand the high demands of stony soil conditions. Sand-free installation significantly accelerated progress on the extensive pipeline construction work.

The main feature: an integrated detection tape that makes it possible at any time – even in the future – to locate the pipeline in the ground. This means the route can be precisely surveyed in future and accidental damage can be avoided. As the pipe used is also corrosion-resistant, this new infrastructure will transport the urgently needed water safely and without damage for many generations.

To test the capabilities of the egeSmart:Integrity DCS system for future projects, the Consorzio di Bonifica Veronese decided to use it in a section of around 1 km. With the integrated detection tape and a monitoring unit tailored to the application, egeSmart:Integrity DCS enables convenient, efficient and reliable monitoring of the pipeline. It sends an alarm to the smartphone even before a leak occurs – minor damage to the outer protective layer is enough to trigger an alarm. The damage can be pinpointed to the exact metre.

Comprehensive consulting and on-site support from egeplast

To implement the project quickly and without errors, the client and construction company relied on close cooperation with egeplast. Planning and design of the monitoring concept, on-site instruction in the egeSmart:Integrity DCS system including application engineering support, and inspection of the correct installation of the system were carried out by an egeplast expert. The functionality of the fully installed system was also demonstrated to interested Design Engineers during a site inspection. During the inspection, various drillings and minor damage were simulated on the intact pipeline. The specialist audience present was visibly impressed by the alarm notification received immediately on their smartphones.

“Successfully bringing complex projects to completion to protect valuable resources is, of course, particularly enjoyable. We would like to thank the consortium for the very good cooperation and are pleased to be able to support this important project with our egeSmart:Integrity DCS system,” said Daniele Cucchiarini.

Once the final sections have been completed, the construction work that began in 2023 will be finished after the summer irrigation period at the end of 2025.

Source: Sustainability