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Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute and STACKIT realize AIoT project

AIoT Lab team finds every leak

AIoT Lab image

Background AIoT Lab and Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute

The AIoT-Lab is a research group of the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute and makes it possible to validate AIoT-enabled business ideas. AIoT stands for Artificial Intelligence of Things and will play a key role in the future, particularly in industry. The AIoT Lab conducts research into industrial use cases, among other things. STACKIT and the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute have joined forces in a cloud-based project to detect leaks in pneumatic systems. The primary aim is to localize leaks in hoses and pipes.

Animated image showing an open leakage

Did you already know?

A leak is a leak in a system that is caused, for example, by a hole in a hose. As a result, fluids, gases and solids enter and escape undesirably and unnoticed and can hardly be detected by human hearing. Ultrasonic sensors are currently mainly used to detect leaks, but they are only moderately successful at detecting these leaks despite the great effort involved.

Possible fields of application that can be affected by leaks

Leaks can be found in many areas of industry. In addition to coffee roasting plants, car washes and production facilities, bottling plants can also be affected. The fields of application have one thing in common: reducing pressure losses not only saves energy and costs, but also helps to reduce CO2 emissions.

Coffee roastery

Coffee roastery

Car wash

Car wash

Production plant

Production plant

Filling line

Filling line

Figures on leakages in Germany per year:

  • More than 62,000 compressed air systems
  • Over 16 billion kWh consumed by all compressed air systems
  • Up to 30% compressed air loss in most systems*
  • Approx. 5.14 billion € savings potential of all compressed air systems*

*according to research by the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute

AIoT Lab case

Complex problem simply visualized

The AIoT Lab at the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute took on the challenge of reliably detecting leaks in pneumatic systems. Using an ultrasonic microphone and an AI solution, the leakage data is recorded, analyzed, classified and then stored in the cloud. To illustrate the leakage problem simply, the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute uses the true-to-scale construction of a bottle filling system made of LEGO® bricks in a suitcase format. This case is used for training and demonstration purposes at interested industrial companies. In addition to STACKIT, the partners for the first pilot project are Mader, TÜV Süd and Bosch. The latter supplied the sensor technology for leakage detection.

Advantages of the AIoT Lab's leakage model

Numerous notable advantages of the leakage solution have emerged from the collaboration to date. In particular, the cooperation between STACKIT and the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute has shaped the success of the project. The STACKIT Cloud as an EU-secure, sovereign and, above all, regional cloud solution is the reliable basis for this successful model. This enables GDPR-compliant data processing and storage globally. Users also benefit from many other advantages:

  1. Easy integration of the model into existing maintenance measures
  2. Complete digital package including push notification of leakage data
  3. Prioritize relevant and less relevant leaks

These benefits increase energy and cost efficiency and significantly reduce equipment downtime through condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.

How leakage detection works in conjunction with the STACKIT Cloud

Are you using a pneumatic system and would like to test the solution on site?

Then there are just four steps to analyzing your pneumatic system:

  1. Contact AIoT-Lab team:
    Dr. Dominik Morar from the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute will be happy to make an appointment with you to participate in the analysis. He will be happy to answer any further questions you may have about the project.
  2. Selection of companies:
    The companies that take part in the leakage test are selected according to criteria defined by the Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute.
  3. On-site visit:
    The AIoT Lab team of experts visits you with 2-3 people for 90 minutes and collects all the necessary data to analyze your pneumatic system. Your data is stored in the EU-secure STACKIT Cloud. As part of the on-site analysis, you will also gain an insight into how the Steinbeis leak detection solution works.
  4. Your final report:
    You will receive a detailed final report with evaluations and recommendations for leakage reduction in your company environment.
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