Hydrelis is a specialized French cleantech and water diagnostics enterprise headquartered in Isques (Pas-de-Calais), France. Founded in 2004, the company operates at the intersection of environmental sustainability, the Internet of Things (IoT), and building intelligence. Hydrelis pioneered the concept of the "water circuit breaker" (disjoncteur d'eau), engineering intelligent fluid management hardware designed to monitor networks, identify leaks in real time, and execute automatic or remote shut-offs to prevent water damage and resource waste.
The company acts primarily as an institutional business-to-business (B2B) equipment manufacturer and software service provider. With technology deployed across more than 14,000 public and private sites in France, Hydrelis supports property managers, logistics operators, school systems, and industrial facilities in driving down utility expenses. On average, clients realize a 28% reduction in water consumption within the first year of deployment.
Core Operational Model
The core objective of Hydrelis is translating the safety concepts of electrical grid design into fluid dynamics. In standard building management, electric breakers instantly cut current when a short-circuit occurs, whereas water networks traditionally rely on retrospective monthly or weekly manual meter data. This creates extreme vulnerability to underground line bursts, structural pipe erosion, and running plumbing fixtures like leaky commercial toilets.
Hydrelis replaces this delayed observation structure with an active, autonomous telemetry system. The company designs specialized smart valve systems that plug directly into major water mains right after the distributor’s main billing meter. The integrated firmware continuously analyzes flow patterns. If abnormalities match a leak profile, the valve closes instantly without human intervention, broadcasts an emergency warning, and stops operational losses.
Products and Technical Solutions
1. The Switch Flow Connected Water Circuit Breaker
The core physical product line engineered by Hydrelis is the Switch Flow series, a line of intelligent, waterproof (IP67-rated) stand-alone automatic water breakers.
* Scalable Sizing Matrix: The hardware is produced across 9 industrial sizes ranging from small DN15 pipes up to massive DN100 high-capacity industrial lines, accommodating various plumbing networks.
* Long-Life Telemetry Power: Engineered alongside specialized embedded software platforms (including collaborations with MicroEJ), Switch Flow devices operate via internal lithium batteries. The hardwired communications configuration achieves a minimum 7-year continuous operating cycle, while the standalone wireless radio configuration maintains a 4-year cycle under continuous daily scanning.
* CLIP-Flow Analytical Technology: Incorporates proprietary, internationally patented measurement technology that parses minor micro-fluctuations in fluid velocity. This allows the valve to distinguish between intentional high-volume usage (e.g., automated irrigation cycles) and slow, continuous systemic leak flows.
2. Autonomous Presence-Driven Valves
To handle high-traffic common restrooms, office building facilities, and academic complexes, Hydrelis installs specialized proximity-linked valve networks.
* Ceiling/Wall Sensor Pairing: The water breakers link directly to an autonomous 180-degree motion tracking sensor positioned inside communal restrooms.
* Absence Shut-Off Tracking: When structural spaces are vacant, the system closes the sanitary water line entirely. If an individual toilet mechanism begins leaking or a sink tap is left running while the room is empty, no fluid is lost because the line remains completely depressurized until another person enters the sensor path.
3. Web Supervision Portal & Cloud Analytics
Hydrelis pairs its physical hardware infrastructure with an ergonomic, cloud-based data tracking platform.
* Real-Time Consumption Analytics: Grants facility operations managers instant, multi-site visibility into real-time operational water curves.
* Activity-Based Scheduling: Allows engineering teams to establish automated time-lock schedules. For example, cemeteries, parks, or corporate headquarters can be programmatically shut down at 8:00 PM every evening and re-pressurized at 6:00 AM, protecting assets from off-hours pipe failures.
* Instantaneous Alarm Broadcasting: Dispatches instant alerts via automated SMS and email corridors the moment a flow abnormality triggers.
Targeted Strategic Verticals
Hydrelis focuses its technology deployment on large, decentralized building portfolios where unseen water anomalies present significant liability and financial exposure:
Logistics & Retail Platforms: Deployed across expansive commercial shipping hubs and processing centers operated by global logistics brands (such as Amazon, DHL, FedEx, and Lidl) to track extensive, buried water networks.
Tertiary Office Buildings & Financial Institutions: Protecting high-value real estate footprints for large corporations like Orange, BNP Paribas, and Société Générale from catastrophic, multi-floor interior water damage.
Municipalities & Public Infrastructure: Adopted heavily by French regional departments, schools, and city managers (e.g., the City of Argenteuil) to monitor public complexes. Entire regional networks have rolled out Hydrelis hardware across public secondary colleges to align with green governance benchmarks.
Green Building Certification Support: Operating as an essential diagnostic asset, the installation of Hydrelis systems helps real estate developers score valuable points toward global environmental standards like BREEAM, HQE, and LEED.
Please note: This information is generated by AI. For legal use, verify with company sources.
