Overview / Usage

Water is one of the most valuable resources to mankind and so, proper management of this resource is essential for socio-economic development of a society. Being scarcely abundant, it requires judicious usage and sustainable utilization. Smart devices, colloquially known as ‘IoT-based’ devices in industry parlance, have transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, including sustainable management of water. Sensors installed at various places of a water pipeline system transmit operational data and highlight any variations in pre-defined parameters, like water flow, temperature change, leakage, and level variation. This project aims to devise a real-time Aqua Monitoring system which measures freeze detection in pipes and proactively increases the water temperature. Freezing of water pipes during winter is quite a common occurrence. Pipe bursts often occur when the external temperature falls below 32°F. Based on a recent study, water wastage caused by frozen pipes is estimated to be around $300 million in the USA. In order to avoid such huge costs and damage to infrastructure, smart sensors-based systems are usually deployed at critical locations. The project simulates the workings of a smart anti-freeze IoT system, wherein heat automatically kicks in once the outside temperature goes below a certain pre-defined threshold temperature. This leads to constant heat being maintained within the pipes, thereby avoiding freezing of pipes and ensuring seamless water flow.

Methodology / Approach

II. HARDWARE | SOFTWARE
▪ NXP FRDM-K64F board
▪ ESP-8266 Wi-Fi module
▪ DHT-11 temperature sensor
▪ Base Shield
▪ Mbed online compiler
▪ TERA-TERM
▪ ThingSpeak web platform
FRDM-K64F board: It is an ultra-low-cost development platform, supported by Arm Mbed OS and Zephyr OS, both open-source embedded operating systems for developing the Internet of Things. It offers connectivity using onboard Ethernet port and headers for use with Bluetooth and 2.4GHz radio add-on modules.
ESP-8266 Wi-Fi module: It is a self-contained SoC with integrated TCP/IP protocol stack that can give any micro-controller access to your Wi-Fi network.
DHT-11 Temperature sensor: It is an ultra low-cost digital temperature and humidity sensor, with sensing time of 2 seconds.
Mbed online compiler: Arm Mbed OS is a free, open-source embedded operating system designed specifically for the Internet of Things; it offers a wide range of connectivity options with drivers for Bluetooth Low Energy, Thread, 6LoWPAN, Ethernet and Wi-Fi.
TERA-TERM: It is an open-source, free, software-implemented terminal emulator program.
ThingSpeak web platform: It is an open-source Internet of Things application and API to store and retrieve data from things using the HTTP protocol over the Internet or via a Local Area Network (LAN).