A pipeline network that functions flawlessly is of great importance for waste and drinking water companies. Aging pipelines that cause leakages are one of the primary reasons that a pipeline network is not performing as it should. The condition of the pipeline network also depends on the relevant failure mechanisms and degradation processes per pipeline. Which failure mechanisms and degradation processes take place depends on the material that the pipeline is made of. Research done by our Material Specialist Hector Hernandez Delgadillo made it possible to inspect materials that were previously not possible to be inspected, like Sidero cement with the use of the Acquarius tool.
Waste and drinking water companies utilise remediation models to determine which pipelines need to be replaced first. Data about the condition of the pipeline network is necessary for the models to work properly. Large diameter transmission pipelines are most commonly made of concrete or reinforced concrete. To be able to inspect the latter pipes, Acquaint has received multiple pipe samples from foreign water companies to test on. The tests showed that the acoustic sensors of the Acquarius allow important failure mechanisms to be measured. The important failure mechanisms for Sidero cement are corrosion on the water retaining steel plate, damage to the links between pipes, wire break and production faults during the wrapping of the reinforcement. The research into these specific pipelines helps us further when inspecting a different type of (reinforced) concrete.
The inspection tools of Acquaint are able to inspect many different materials because the tools not only inspect the inner and outer layer of the pipeline but also measure on a subsurface level. One example of this is AC pipelines in the wastewater sector. H2S deterioration (hydrogen sulfide attack) is a dominant failure mechanism in cement-based wastewater networks. With our inspection tools, we can quantify the H2S deterioration levels and quantify the remaining healthy wall thickness. The latter happens on a subsurface level. The part of the pipeline where the deterioration process is ongoing is also researched.
The data of our inspections are saved in an online cloud environment. Which is easily accessible to our clients. Here all the results, from different types of pipelines can be found in one place. Based on these results substantiated assumptions can be made with relation to the quality of other similar pipelines. Because of this, inspections are not always necessary anymore.
Would you like to know more about this subject, or do you have another question? Contact our Sales Engineer Robbert Lodewijks via robbert.lodewijks@acquaint.eu.
