Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | JANUARY 2020 | 19 LEAKS AND BURSTS Water's region is expected to grow by close to 20 per cent by 2035, against a 2010 baseline," said Joseph Finn of Mueller Water Products. "The existing system could not support the forecasted demand." To help alleviate demand on the existing pipeline, Anglian Water devised a plan to install an additional 7.2km (4.5 miles) of water main between the reservoir and the plant. However, the utility also had to address problems with the pipe that was already in ground. "There was a higher than average number of breaks on the existing pipe due to cor- rosive soil conditions," Finn said. "This meant the main had to either be rehabilitated or replaced. Due to Anglian Water's commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, rehabilita- tion was the selected route." While conducting the rehabilitation, Anglian Water discovered a 198-metre (650Ž) stretch of pipe that potentially could be exempted from the project if the utility could prove its condition was suit- able for continued use. If this was the case, a costly and complicated rehabilitation could then be avoided. "The section ran under an environmen- tal protection area, where it was found to suddenly sink and rise in level on either side," Finn said. "This added to the complex- ity of the work and the risk of negative environmental impact." "We had an exceptionally difficult scheme to deliver, and the environmental impact of having to dig down on the main to replace it was going to be massive," said Boyle. "We don't take decisions like that lightly, so we knew we needed to make sure it was the right one." Listening in Anglian Water consulted the Water Innovation Network - a business network it operates in conjunction with Allia, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to "amplifying impact" - to evaluate possible solutions. AŽer small-scale pilot testing, Anglian Water chose to use Echologics' ePulse acoustic pipeline condi- tion assessment technology to determine if the main actually needed rehabilitation. ePulse is a non-invasive acoustic solution that assesses a pipe's condition and simul- taneously detects leaks. It con- siders information about the pipe material, the timeframe in which it was installed, the diameter of the pipe and the original wall thickness to help determine the condition and the remaining service life (RSL) of the pipe. "We chose Echologics' ePulse because of the ease of use and the reliability of the results," said Boyle. "We couldn't get a system inside the main to carry out the as- sessment and still have a cost- effective solution. Using ePulse technology, we were able to spend on the assessment and still have a business case that showed a benefit, as well as ensuring we had a positive environmental impact." The test was conducted with no major prob- lems in less than a day using existing fittings. The assessment's results suggested that the main was at or near the 50-year RSL required of new assets by Anglian Water. Therefore, the util- ity decided to forego rehabilitation and instead installed valve arrangements outside the protected area so that workers would have easy access to the pipe in the event of a break. "As a result of the acous- tic assessment performed by ePulse, Anglian Water was able to make the most appropriate investment deci- sion," Finn said. "This led to a cost savings of over $150,000 (€122,000), along with the added benefits of reducing its environmental impact, carbon footprint and impact on local customers, reducing the estimated time on site from several months to just four weeks." Anglian Water is now looking at other cases where the technology can be used to save time and money, as well as reduce the company's en- vironmental impact. It is also considering a wider-scale con- dition assessment programme in order to promote sustain- ability across its system. "We had an ex- ceptionally dif- ficult scheme to deliver, and the environmental impact of having to dig down on the main to re- place it was going to be massive." Le : A correlation image of Point of Interest (POI). Below: A map of site locations.