Who’s in control when the cloudbursts hit?

When cloudbursts hit the cities, sewers and retention basins run close to their limits – but often without using their full capacity because control does not keep pace with the data available. With Flowmaster Pro, smart water level sensors and integration to digital twin platforms, SmartBrønd and DHI want to explore how stormwater can be steered automatically in real time, directing the water to where it does the least harm.

Cloudbursts without smart control

Municipalities and utilities are investing heavily in climate adaptation, new pipes and storage basins, but the final link between advanced hydraulic models and actual physical control in the network is often missing. Digital twins can already simulate, monitor and optimise sewer systems, but their recommendations are rarely translated into automated actions in the manholes while the rain is falling. As a result, existing pipe and basin volume is not always used optimally, and cities still experience unnecessary flooding, combined sewer overflows and expensive construction projects that could be reduced or postponed with better operational control.

Controllable manholes connected to digital twins

The project tests a solution where SmartBrønd’s Flowmaster Pro (a controllable flow brake) and intelligent battery powered water level sensors are integrated directly with digital twin platforms such as DHI’s Future City Flow. The sensors can measure water levels under manhole covers in real time, send data wirelessly and increase measurement frequency during heavy rainfall, while Flowmaster Pro regulates flow and direction based on model calculations and live data. Together, this enables automatic control of stormwater, for example by better utilising pipe capacity, filling less critical basins first and relieving vulnerable areas, without the need for manual on-site interventions.

From modelling tool to active control system

The ambition is to demonstrate that simple, battery powered hardware can turn digital twins from planning tools into active control systems in daily operations. In the short term, the partners hope to show fewer overflows, better use of existing capacity and more precise control during cloudbursts at the pilot utilities. In the longer term, the vision is for Flowmaster Pro and the intelligent sensors to become standard components in climate adaptation projects, a scalable, low cost solution that can be rolled out across Denmark and Northern Europe and ultimately reduce the need for new, CO₂ intensive infrastructure by getting more out of the systems we already have.