Safege - Research areas

Research areas

Safege's R&D activities take three forms : assimilation of the latest technological, regulatory and legal developments ; collaborative work through which we are able to draw upon the experience of others in our field (research institutions, universities, etc.) ; and innovation through our own R&D programmes, tools and methods.

STAYING AHEAD OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS

Because urban and regional development projects can take many years to come to fruition, it is critical to stay abreast of regulatory and technological developments so as to :

ensure compliance with the latest norms and standards,

anticipate developments, as Safege has done in the area of stormwater management, enabling its municipal clients to take timely action to implement new regulatory requirements.

To that end, we are able to draw on our network of experts and numerous partnerships with research institutions which give us a vista on the industry as a whole.

DEVELOPING NEW TOOLS

Piccolo, developed by Safege as a tool to help water operators identify solutions to optimise infrastructure investment strategies, is a water distribution modelling system that simulates flow problems in pressurized looped networks. Piccolo uses an event-driven method that

yields faster computation times and greater precision. As well as steady-state and extended-period simulation (of flow volumes, flow velocities and pressures) and water quality modelling capabilities, it provides output in multiple formats, including tables, plots and contours. Its effective graphics, versatility and anti-error safeguards combine with its performance characteristics to make it the most robust, reliable and efficient tool available for the analysis, management and improvement of water distribution systems.

IMPROVING REAL-TEAM SEWER SYSTEM CONTROL

Safege is the inventor of the so-called "observed-rainfall method" (simulation of long series of observed rainfall events) which, developed at the request of the Seine-Normandie, Artois-Picardie and Rhin-Meuse Water Agencies, is used to assess pollutant discharges and control sewer system behaviour in wet-weather conditions. Safege are past masters of the very complex disciplines involved in modelling and managing small rainfall events: representation of the distribution of rainfall (hyetograph), rainfall/runoff transformation (hydrograph), propagation of flow in the pipe system and water quality monitoring. Here, monitoring data are the starting point for the real-time, automatic management of sewer control structures.

OPTIMISING THE MANAGEMENT OF UNDERGROUND ASSETS

At a time when many of our underground pipe networks are nearing the end of their life, the enormous investment that they represent should make these systems a priority issue for local authorities. Safege develops methods and tools for the

assessment of underground assets, so that renewal policies can be optimised and methods adapted to take account of the original materials used and the history of the facilities.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT : A TOOL TO MEASURE A COMMUNITY'S ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE

Our work on the subject of environmental performance is a prime example of our R&D activity: extending beyond the sphere of water, it's a response to the challenges facing urban policy makers today and their need for ways to measure and control the overall environmental performance of their cities and communities.

At the request of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, Safege is developing a tool to measure the overall ecological footprint of a given community, as a reflection of the impact of the community's utilities.

The task assigned to us :

organise existing methods and tools in a single, unified evaluation matrix factoring in all sustainable development criteria such as climate warming, biodiversity, health and safety and noise,

develop simple graphical formats to illustrate overall environmental performances and recommendations.