Water & Wastewater Treatment

www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | NOVEMBER 2015 | 45 In the know Technically speaking: pipes and pipelines worst being capable of passing 24,000 litres of groundwater per day. CCTV surveys provide a huge amount of information but trying to identify the speci c important details is challenging without dedicating lots of time and resource. There is also the issue of bad lighting obscuring detail and the ever-present possibility that the operator will simply drive past a defect while pointing the camera the wrong way. Panoramic vision However, using panoramic vision, it is possible to e• ectively 'take a photograph' of the entire inner surface of a sewer. This photograph lays the whole sewer at before your eyes, so you can easily tell the parts that need attention and have no need to scroll through seemingly-endless video footage of the inside of a sewer. This eliminates the problems associated with 1970s CCTV technology. Laser and sonar The same robot that carries panoramic vision can also carry laser and sonar sensors. These both perform the same task of accurately mapping the internal surface of the sewer in 3D – laser above the waterline and sonar below it. Areas where the circumference of the sewer appears larger or smaller than it should be are highlighted, since these are good indicators of potential problems. Deep Pipe Locator Applicable to any type of pipe, this method can locate pipes at a depth of over 20m within centimetres. While not strictly an inspection technology, it is invaluable in cases where construction, and especially piling, is going to be undertaken in the vicinity of a water main or sewer whose location is not precisely known. This can enormously increase the value of the land above the pipe. Conclusion So much for our overview of pipeline inspection technologies. It's well known that UK water companies are currently working to a 1,000 year replacement cycle. In the UK there isn't enough money to do all the replacement we need to and this situation is not going to change. We therefore need to use the technologies which are now available to assess and address the 'weak links' and ensure pipeline assets remain t for purpose and deliver for customers.

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