PIPES & DRAINAGE 2018 5
apace in recent years: in-pipe crawlers
equipped with CCTV, acoustic technology
and other sensing elements can provide
industry professionals with an increasingly
rounded picture of the state of a below-
ground pipe and can help prioritise repair
and replacement. Aquam (see p6) is one
company making strides in this field.
Finally, when it is decided that the pipes
do need work, choosing rehabilitation rather
than replacement can result in significant
saving; that's why advances in trenchless
techniques are important to minimise the
cost and disruption associated with digging
up the network. With so-called lane rental
schemes set to mean utilities and their con-
tractors must pay councils according to the
time they spend digging up roads at peak
times, there is an additional incentive to
look at techniques such as cured in place
pipelines (CIPP) and patch repair. You can
find out more about these methods from one
of the leading companies operating in this
field, Source One Environmental (see p13).
All in all, when it comes to pipes and
drainage, innovation is taking place across
the value chain, and with smart decisions on
products, services, and design, the water
industry can approach the asset challenges
it faces with confidence.
Consideration of whole system Totex
includes the use of pipe bedding and
excavated material (FP McCann, p8)
Trenchless techniques are vital for
minimising disruption (S1E, p13)
Crawlers can be used to assess the
health of pipeline assets (Aquam, p6)
