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FIELD DEMONSTRATION OF INNOVATIVE CONDITION ASSESSMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR WATER MAINS: ACOUSTIC PIPE WALL ASSESSMENT, INTERNAL INSPECTION, AND EXTERNAL INSPECTIONVOLUME 1: TECHNICAL REPORT AND VOLUME 2: APPENDICES
Citation:
Nestleroth, B., S. Flamberg, V. Lal, W. Condit, J. Matthews, A. Chen, AND L. Wang. FIELD DEMONSTRATION OF INNOVATIVE CONDITION ASSESSMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR WATER MAINS: ACOUSTIC PIPE WALL ASSESSMENT, INTERNAL INSPECTION, AND EXTERNAL INSPECTIONVOLUME 1: TECHNICAL REPORT AND VOLUME 2: APPENDICES. U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-14/148, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
This report presents the results of the following nine pipe wall integrity assessment technologies: Three technologies for average wall thickness screening are discussed including Sahara® Wall Thickness Testing (WTT), SmartBallTMPipe Wall Assessment (PWA), and ThicknessFinder. These inspection technologies acquire pipe condition data in the form of general pipeline condition or average wall loss over a specified interval. Three technologies are discussed that use inline inspection of the entire pipeline length including Sahara Video®, PipeDiver® remote field eddy current (RFEC), and See Snake® RFT. These inspection technologies can acquire pipe condition data, such as metal loss, size of defects, and/or cracks. Three technologies are discussed that use external inspection at selected excavation points including External Condition Assessment Tool (ECAT), Hand Scanning Kit (HSK) and Crown Assessment Probe (CAP). These inspection technologies can acquire pipe condition data within an excavation and use models to predict the condition of portions of the pipeline that remain buried.
Description:
Nine pipe wall integrity assessment technologies were demonstrated on a 76-year-old, 2,057-ft-long portion of a cement-lined, 24-in. cast iron water main in Louisville, KY. This activity was part of a series of field demonstrations of innovative leak detection/location and condition assessment technologies sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The main goal of the demonstrations was to acquire a snapshot of the current performance capability and cost of these innovative technologies under real-world pipeline conditions so that technology developers, technology vendors, research support organizations, and the user community can make more informed decisions about the strengths, weaknesses, and need for further advancement of these technologies. Pipe wall integrity assessment was one part of a comprehensive water pipeline condition assessment demonstration where six inspection companies operated 12 technologies (nine for pipe wall integrity assessment and three for leak detection) that were at various stages of development and provided different types and levels of leak and/or structural condition data. Technologies were included for wall-thickness screening (i.e., average wall loss over many tens of feet), for video screening of internal pipe condition, for detailed mapping of wall thickness, and for leak detection. Both in-line and external inspection technologies were demonstrated. The inspection technologies used visual, mechanical, acoustic, ultrasonic, and electromagnetic methods for acquiring leak and pipe condition data. This report presents the results of the following nine pipe wall integrity assessment technologies: Three technologies for average wall thickness screening are discussed including Sahara® Wall Thickness Testing (WTT), SmartBallTMPipe Wall Assessment (PWA), and ThicknessFinder. These inspection technologies acquire pipe condition data in the form of general pipeline condition or average wall loss over a specified interval. Three technologies are discussed that use inline inspection of the entire pipeline length including Sahara Video®, PipeDiver® remote field eddy current (RFEC), and See Snake® RFT. These inspection technologies can acquire pipe condition data, such as metal loss, size of defects, and/or cracks. Three technologies are discussed that use external inspection at selected excavation points including External Condition Assessment Tool (ECAT), Hand Scanning Kit (HSK) and Crown Assessment Probe (CAP). These inspection technologies can acquire pipe condition data within an excavation and use models to predict the condition of portions of the pipeline that remain buried. Upon completion of the field demonstration effort, the 24-in. diameter test pipe was removed by Louisville Water Company (LWC) to prepare for installation of a 30-in. diameter replacement line. As the 24-in. line was being removed, the EPA’s contractor selected 12 pipe lengths for post-demonstration confirmation of the reported condition assessment technology results. Pipe segments were selected using the inspection results reported by each technology vendor and visual assessment of the pipe condition as it was removed. The pipes were grit blasted to remove coating, corrosion and graphitization and the amount of metal loss was quantified manually and with a laser scanner.