Abstracts

“Demonstration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Leak Detection Technology for Real-Time Drinking Water Distribution System Leak Monitoring” by Mr. Hunter Klein (EW21-5093)

This project supports ESTCP’s efforts for water resiliency at Department of Defense (DoD) installations by demonstrating an artificial intelligence (AI) leak detection technology for drinking water distribution systems that provides continuous leak monitoring. This technology detects sounds produced by leaks by using a sensor package primarily containing a hydrophone and pressure transducer placed within fire hydrants. The technology also employs robust data-driven machine learning techniques to filter out the standard acoustic variability caused by operating conditions such as pumps, flows, and nearby traffic to better detect and localize the acoustic fields generated by leaks. The main differences between this technology and others are as follows: (i) most acoustic leak detection systems are “inspection” technologies, whereas this technology is a real-time and continuous monitoring system that is fully automated; and, (ii) through the AI-decision support tool, this technology can continually learn the system and react to anomalies previously unseen during the initial training period. The system was demonstrated at Naval Base Ventura County Port Hueneme, CA by performing leak simulating on the live distribution system. The presentation will describe the results and findings of this demonstration, along with a summary of the technology hardware, artificial intelligence, and localization methodology.

 
“Mission Focused Advanced Analytics for Cost-Effective Water Measurement” by Mr. Scott Houldsworth and Dr. Conor Lewellyn (EW23-7752)

Understanding water use is essential for mitigating risk to DoD installation operations and critical missions. As water resources become increasingly stressed, the importance of understanding water uses and needs is essential for proper planning. Water metering and advanced metering systems (AMS) are frequently deployed at installations, but data is often not fully leveraged to track or predict water use. The objective of this study is to develop advanced analytical approaches using water data and models to better predict water use at mission-critical and water-intense facilities for a United States Marine Corps installation. Historic water use data from existing installation metering is being used to develop analytics to better evaluate and predict water use at metered and unmetered facilities and prioritize locations where additional metering is needed. The approaches developed as part of this study will provide DoD installation water managers cost-effective tools and methods to help target water use, risks, and to prioritize future AMS deployment at military installations. Initial water use baseline, model development approaches and findings, and prototype tool development will be discussed as part of the webinar.
 

Speaker Biographies

Mr. Hunter Klein is a Chemical Engineer at the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) with 4 years of experience in the field of environmental security and compliance. He has both assisted and served as the principal investigator for several research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) projects relating to energy and water resiliency efforts through ESTCP, NDCEE, NSETTI, and NESDI. These efforts have included demonstrations involving expeditionary waste-to-energy systems, wastewater and potable water treatment systems, and advanced leak detection technologies. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from University of California, Davis and a master’s degree in material science and engineering from University of California, Los Angeles.

Mr. Scott Houldsworth serves as Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps / Marine Corps Installations Command (MCICOM) Facilities Energy Management Program Manager. He is responsible for establishing policy and obtaining resources to ensure that the Marine Corps implements a proactive approach to improve its energy resilience and security posture and mitigate unacceptable risks to critical energy requirements through integrated planning, coordination, and targeted investments in reliable, efficient, and resilient infrastructure solutions. He has successfully implemented energy efficiency and conservation within MCICOM to emphasize the importance of energy security and installation resilience. Additionally, Mr. Houldsworth manages the Marine Corps' process to update the Annual Energy and Water Management Report. He has developed the MCICOM Policy Letter on Installation Energy Security and put in place the MCICOM Installation Energy Security Plan Template, improving the ability of Marine Corps installations to identify and address energy resilience gaps. He also paved the way to conduct the first Energy Resilience Readiness Exercise and microgrid test at a Marine Corps installation. Mr. Holdsworth received a bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College, and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Dr. Conor Lewellyn is a lead water infrastructure engineer at The MITRE Corporation based in McLean, VA. He is serving as the co-principal investigator of ESTCP funded research working with the United States Marine Corps focused on developing analytics for water use estimation and water meter prioritization. Conor has over 15 years of experience working in the water sector in design, research, consulting, and developing and implementing technologies. He is a professionally registered civil engineer who has authored numerous peer-reviewed papers as well as technical presentations. In addition, Conor serves as an Adjunct Professor of civil engineering at Villanova University focused on urban stormwater design in practice. Conor received his bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Maryland and his master’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering from Villanova University.