Smart Cistern

Efficient rainwater usage based on precipitation forecast

Dimensioning a conventional rainwater cisterns that; meets the demand in water usage, store rainfall runoff while taking into consideration cost efficiency, is not an easy task.

A smart cistern® is more important now than ever. Based on precipitation forecasts, it has the potential to be regularly emptied (for Irrigation purposes, infiltration or discharge into a channel), so that heavy rainfall runoff can be, in all times, buffered. The effects of controlled usage show the videos at the right margin.

The collected water is pumped into storage above the sedimentation zone for individual consumption. Through automatic level sensing; the filling and residual volumes are detected. Depending on the applications and forecasted inflow of rainwater, different pumping scenarios are set up to ensure an efficient use of water and to optimize the impact of excessive stormwater drainage.

Radar-Based Precipitation Forecast

Weather services can now generate precipitation forecasts based on radar data. For a time interval of about 2 hours, the intensity and spatial distribution of rainfall can be predicted with a decent accuracy.

Predictions of runoff, based on rainfall intensity, are by themselves to enough. The company HST and in cooperation with the National Meteorological Service, has a service to simultaneously calibrate the radar data from point measurements. This is done so that the precipitation forecasts are quantified and validated. The data is freely available in Germany and online as a "virtual rain recorders".

Runoff Modeling with STORM

STORM is a hydrological water balance and material flow model with numerous different modules. With STORM the drainage and storage operations can be simulated for rural catchments and for urban drainage systems.

The program includes various model components for decentralized systems such as; Cisterns, Swales, Storage trenches, infiltration pits, Green roofs and Retention basins.

Runoff prediction & Control

By linking the hydrological model STORM with the radar-based precipitation it is possible to predict runoff or flood for catchments and urban systems.

STORM computation occurs within a limitless timeframe it regularly reads the data from the virtual Rain recorder and writes the forecast for runoff in a web-based database.

Whenever system threshold values occur, exceeding defined drains or water levels; emails or SMS can be generated automatically .Thus making it possible for an easy control of valves, pumps or other similar devices.

Web-Interface

The calculated STORM runoff and water level forecasts can be visualized via the web interface "HydroWebView ©". Upon request, the data and predictions can be personalized with a user-dependent access code.

It is also possible to retrieve and display historical simulation results. The program uses the open interface SOS (Sensor Observation Service), so that other time series such as Drainage / water level measurements or results of other simulation models are loaded.

The web interface "HydroWebView ©" was developed together with the company. "3s Sensor Systems Solutions”.