Session 3b: WaterSuccessful Horizon 2020 Project:

CENTAUR

Will Shepherd

Overview

• Context in relation to the call• Project details• Project Team• Innovation

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 641931

H2020 Call

• WORK PROGRAMME 2014 – 2015

• 12. Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials

• WATER-1-2014/2015: Bridging the gap: from innovative water solutions to marketreplication

Call details

• Aims to ‘… accelerate the commercialisation of eco-innovative water solutions …’

• Linked to EIP (European Innovation Partnerships) on Water priority areas.– Priority area for the project: ‘Flood and drought risk

management’• ‘…exploiting untapped potential of ICT by developing

and deploying advanced ICT solutions for water resources management in agriculture and urban areas.’

• Innovation action.

CENTAUR

• Aims to reduce urban flood risk – ‘Climate and Environment’

• Uses innovative solutions applying ‘untapped ICT potential’; optimises use of existing infrastructure – ‘resource efficiency’

• Team includes 3 Universities / Research Institutes, 2 SMEs and 2 Water Companies

• Full scale pilot studies accelerate commercialisation

• Builds on existing technologies

Project Concept

• CENTAUR (Cost Effective Neural Technique for Alleviation of Urban Flood Risk)– To integrate, local sensor networks with a data driven

control approach and a bespoke flow control device to adjust spatial distribution and so mitigate local flood risk

• Existing RTC schemes– System wide approach (flood risk, but often to control

water quality impacts)– Predictive modelling approaches – calibrated network

hydrodynamic model (forecasting, control and monitoring)

Concept of CENTAUR• Adjust the balance of flood risk upstream and

downstream of known flood locations• Data driven – local sensor network (training and

control) – reconfiguration possible• Installation in existing infrastructure

Initial proof of concept

• Not optimised

• Can address current local flooding, also potential to deal with future flood risk

Rainfall event return period

(years)

Existing Flood Volume

(m3)

Residual Flooding (m3) – after installation of active

control

Captured flood volume with

simulated CENTAUR device [%]

0.5 17.5 0.0 1001 45.2 0.0 1002 95.1 0.0 1005 213.4 0.0 100

10 356.4 48.1 8720 559.2 264.7 5330 710.9 424.8 40

Detailed concept

Laboratory testing• 40 m long test facility• 200 mm diameter pipes• 4 x 1 m diameter, 1.5 m high

manholes• Flows up to 50 l/s• Installed flow control device• Downstream valve to

alter flood risk

MH1

MH2

MH3

MH4 Level Monitors and transmitters

Repeaters andController

Pilot testingCoimbra, Portugal

Local Partners

Flooding in Coimbra• 9 June 2006:• Return period = 50 years

• 25 October 2006• Return period = 20 – 50 years

• 21 September 2008• Return period = 5 years

• 24 December 2013• Return period = 5 years

Available capacity

• Lighter colours = pipes with spare capacity

Project team

TimelineYear 1

WP1 – Develop monitoring and control

hardware

WP2 – Develop Control software and

model of pilot catchment

Year 2

Year 3

WP3 – Demonstration and Implementation

WP4

- Ex

ploi

tatio

n, C

omm

unic

ation

and

Di

ssem

inati

on

WP5

– P

roje

ct M

anag

emen

t

Innovation and Commercial Exploitation

• SMEs EMS and Steinhardt aim to market the final device

• Other partners benefit by publishing results and from exploitation agreement.

Summary

• Developed project clearly met the requirements of the call

• Ambitious but realistic programme

• Team has a history of collaboration

• Clear role for each project partner