Case Study
Louisville Water Company (LWC)
Following a water main break in 2009 that resulted in the loss of 15 million gallons of treated water, LWC began a Transmission Assessment Program, using various assessment technologies from Pure Technologies.
Project Details
Services |
PureRobotics® electromagnetics (EM) condition assessment
PureRobotics HD-CCTV inspection Inertial measurement unit for GIS component Risk prioritization |
Timing |
2015 |
Pipe Material |
PCCP |
Inspection Length |
3.4 miles (5.5 kms) |
Diameter |
24-30 inches (610-760mm) |
Transmission Type |
Water |
Project Highlights
Challenge
By prioritizing the risk levels associated with their transmission main system, LWC has created an ongoing inspection program to keep a watchful eye on the health of their pipelines. The program utilizes a number of Pure Technologies assessment tools to find active leaks as well as potential future threats.
Solution
The robotic crawler was also outfitted with specialized tools to conduct an electromagnetic assessment on the condition of the pipeline and inertial measurement unit (IMU) for the GIS component. The Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) deployed with PureRobotics uses a series of Fiber Optic Gyroscopes (FOGs) and accelerometers to track depth, lateral and horizontal movements from a known GPS reference point. The output is a GIS spatial map of the pipeline which depicts elevation changes as well as notable features of interest encountered during the inspection.
Pure’s electromagnetic assessment uses transformer coupling to detect anomalous regions in the pipe cylinder and prestressing wires. This data is correlated with odometer readings from the PureRobotics umbilical tether as well as HD recorded CCTV and IMU to attempt to locate areas of distress in the pipeline.
Results
One pipe section in the Ray Lane Easement pipeline was found to display anomalous electromagnetic signals showing a significant number of broken prestressing wire wrap breaks as well as cylinder wall loss. This was correlated with visual data, showing spalling and exposed steel at the invert of the pipe. LWC intends to investigate this issue at a later date.
Visual assessment also showed a number of pipe sections with spalling. Pure recommended continued monitoring at these locations during future inspections. Electromagnetic assessment also found 11 pipes with anomalous signals not consistent with wire breaks. Investigation performed on one of these anomalous pipes showed a non-standard metal sleeve used in manufacturing. From this information, it was determined that the remaining 10 anomalous pipes could be left in service.
As one of the first utilities to deploy the third generation PureRobotics platform, LWC now has defensible data to move forward with its ongoing rehabilitation program.