Water and Effluent Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/454888
14 WET NEWS february 2015 Pipeline engineers need to be able to access information regarding an asset but this is not always straightforward. The challenge: Keeping tabs on underground assets INSIGHT PiPes & drainage The system retains the knowledge of what has been installed, which is particularly important if there is a change in asset ownership E ver since the first CIPP lin- er was placed into a pipe- line more than 30 years ago, knowing what is in the ground years aer the installa- tion is complete has always been something of a challenge. Even in the modern world of comput- ers there is always the potential for printed data to be lost or de- stroyed, by accident or purpose- ly, and for electronic data to be corrupted or lost when the unit on which it is stored fails. There are suggestions that less scrupulous contractors may looking to short-cut installations times and minimise costs by offering one type of material and installing another. Oen a cheaper, version can be virtually eliminated from the lining THE CONCEPT • urban detection and Management (udaM) involves implanting a spread of microchips into the CiPP liner • Once installed the information remains locked into the system for the life of the chip / liner installation and cannot be overwritten • Once installation is completed the lined pipe is scanned using a udaM scanner NEED TO KNOW 1 Tests are planned to ensure the chips will withstand the rigours of transport and installation 2 The potential for loss of vital pipeline information is minimised 3 The microchips used for udaM operation are designed to withstand the rugged and harsh environments inside pipes THE VERDICT • Over the life of the installation this base information can become increasingly valuable as the initial installation conditions are known and can be used as a means by which any deterioration in the installation can be measured by the asset owner, anyone taking on the installation should a change of ownership take place or any regulatory or governing body of the industry in question. Can the use of microchips on CiPP liner pro- vide the data on an installed asset? A solution : Chipping into the knowledge U rban Detection and Man- agement (UDAM) in- volves implanting a spread of microchips into the CIPP liner as it is manufac- tured. the manufacturer's de- sign identification reference (ID) is stored on each chip be- fore the liner leaves the factory. This ID can then be back-refer- enced to the manufacturer's da- tabase, which includes specific information relating to the manufacturing process, materi- al used, liner thickness, date of manufacture, and conformity details. Once at site and installed, the contractor can add informa- tion relating to the asset owner, the installation contractor, times and dates of the installa- tion and operational informa- tion for the installation process. Once installed the information remains locked into the system for the life of the chip / liner installation and cannot be over- written – just accessed for data retrieval. The data is termed Fixed and Variable, depending on the stage at which it is input into the record. Over the life of the installa- tion this base information can become increasingly valuable as the initial installation condi- tions are known and can be used as a means by which any deterioration in the installation can be measured by the asset owner, anyone taking on the installation should a change of ownership take place or any regulatory or governing body of the industry in question. The microchips used for UDAM operation are designed to withstand the rugged and harsh environments inside pipes as well as those experi- enced during liner installation operations, which cover most, if not all, of the widely accepted installation techniques includ- ing UV cure, steam cure as well as hot water cure and ambient cure. Once installation is com- pleted the lined pipe is scanned using a UDAM scanner, much in the same way as a CCTV unit would be passed through the pipe, to record the chip data. This data is then compared with the manufacturer data provided to ensure they corre- spond and that the liner installed is in fact the one pro- vided from the factory. The next step in the process has been to develop the micro- chips to carry not just the regis- tered ID but to actually imprint both the manufacturer's data and the asset owner / contractor data onto the chip. Currently tests are planned to ensure that these chips will withstand the rigours of transport and instal- lation and that data can thereaer be successfully retrieved. Testing is expected to take place during 2015. With manufacturer data and installation data available immediately to the asset owner, this means that the potential for loss of vital pipeline infor- mation is minimised, if not negated completely, as the data remains in place to access at any time over the life of the pipeline, provided the scanner and UDAM soware are main- tained. It also means that the level of confidence in the instal- lation for the client is maxim- ised once the manufacturing data has been confirmed post installation. n data retrieved to cross-check records. This can then be retrieved at any time in the future using the data probe process if there is a data verifica- tion process involved. Furthermore, as staff changes over the years or ownership of the asset moves between com- panies or government departments, the knowledge of what has been installed, when the work was done, by whom and how it was completed can get lost over time. The question then arises of how best to store this valuable information for access by pipe- line engineers working on the lined pipe at some time now or in the future. One solution being investi- gated and field tested by Hong Kong-based RJS Associates is to store the information within and retrieve information from the liner itself. Known as Urban Detection and Management (UDAM) this is a "unique" system that provides implanted data to help cata- logue information of trenchless repairs and installations for the life of the installation. It also protects intellectual property from being copied by authenti- cating the materials used by original manufacturer. implanting the data chips in the liner during the manufac- turing process all data stored for future reference both on the chips in the liner and at the client site