AI-Enabled Dewatering Pump Monitoring
Reliable ON/OFF detection for diesel-powered dewatering pumps using vibration and temperature sensor fusion, designed for Smart City rainwater management systems.
Project Snapshot
Diesel generator-powered pumps are used for monsoon dewatering in underground sumps and tanks. Since they are intentionally isolated from electrical power supply, Hexitronics deployed an IoT-based system to monitor pump status safely and accurately.
AI-enabled sensor fusion architecture combining vibration and temperature sensors for reliable diesel pump ON/OFF detection.
Project Overview
During monsoon season, several sumps and underground tanks in Smart City areas require dewatering to prevent waterlogging. In this application, diesel generator-powered pumps were intentionally used instead of electrically powered pumps to avoid risk in case of cable cuts, leakage, grounding, or danger to pedestrians.
The challenge was not just to know whether the pump was running, but to determine the pump ON/OFF status reliably, along with pump uptime and downtime, while avoiding false readings caused by environmental conditions.
Business Need
Monitor operational readiness of dewatering pumps in a safe, reliable, and remotely visible way.
Technical Need
Detect pump activity accurately despite sunlight, ambient heat, roadside vibration, and other false triggers.
The Challenge
Using only a single sensor was not enough to confidently identify whether the diesel pump was actually ON.
Temperature Sensor Alone
In daytime, the pump body is exposed to sunlight. The ambient temperature may rise even when the pump is OFF, causing a false ON indication.
Vibration Sensor Alone
Nearby traffic, site activity, or external disturbances can generate false vibration signals, creating confusion in pump status detection.
The solution required a more intelligent approach that could validate one signal against the other and reject false triggers.
Our Solution
Hexitronics deployed an IoT monitoring system that combines a vibration sensor and a temperature sensor. The signals are evaluated together inside the device logic to identify valid pump operation.
Temperature increases along with vibration presence.
Temperature drops and vibration is absent.
Temperature variation without vibration is not accepted as pump ON.
Vibration without temperature confirmation is treated as an anomaly.
System Architecture
Sensor data is captured by the IoT device, processed with validation logic, and then sent to the dashboard for reporting and analysis.
Temperature Sensor
Detects pump heating trend and ambient variation.
IoT Edge Device
Receives both sensor inputs and performs validation.
Vibration Sensor
Tracks mechanical activity and movement signature.
Cloud Dashboard & Analytics
Shows pump ON/OFF status, runtime, downtime, and trend analysis in a clear graphical format.
Dashboard Capabilities
The data collected from the field is presented in a web dashboard for operational visibility and analysis.
Live Monitoring
- Real-time pump ON/OFF status
- Current vibration and temperature values
- Event-based status updates
Historical Analytics
- Pump uptime and downtime logs
- Time-stamped activity history
- Trend charts for comparison and review
Benefits Delivered
Reliable Status Detection
Combining two sensors improved confidence in pump ON/OFF detection.
False Trigger Reduction
Ambient heat and roadside vibration were filtered using validation logic.
Operational Visibility
Site teams can monitor pump usage and downtime from the dashboard.
AI-Style Decision Logic
The system uses intelligent correlation to reject invalid signal patterns.
Project Summary
This Smart City dewatering pump monitoring solution demonstrates how Hexitronics uses practical sensor fusion to solve a real field problem. By combining vibration and temperature signals, the system reliably detects pump activity, rejects false triggers, and sends meaningful data to a dashboard for analysis.
The result is a safer, smarter, and more dependable monitoring method for diesel-powered dewatering infrastructure in municipal environments.
Build Your Next Smart Monitoring Project
Similar sensor-fusion logic can be applied to pumps, motors, valves, tanks, utilities, and other industrial assets where false detection must be avoided.