E!115480 Minimally Invasive Installation of Pipeline Asset Strain Sensors

Our aim is to deliver cutting-edge pipeline excavation, inspection and sensor installation capability to water utilities. The project will see the development of a robot to automate the application of strain and temperature sensors to the walls of in-service water and wastewater pipes. These sensors generate the data required to forecast asset failure for water companies, preventing water loss and environmental fouling in the distribution and wastewater networks. The main objective is to optimise the installation of CIPPS: the Critical Infrastructure Pipeline Protection System. CIPPS is a cutting-edge advanced deterioration modelling tool which takes high-quality sensor data from in-service water and wastewater pipelines to predict mains bursts. To do this, strain gauges and temperature sensors need to be installed across the distribution and wastewater network on key assets to drive predictive algorithms. This manual process is slow and labour-intensive, presently taking 5 days to complete. Miniaturising the dig, install and reinstatement process with novel excavation techniques and a robot installer reduces the install time to ca. 3 hrs. We will call this novel system MINI-PASS (Minimally Invasive Installation of Pipeline Asset Strain Sensors). It will be the first time a robot is deployed through a ‘keyhole’ core drill to install sensors on pipelines. The combination of CIPPS and MINI-PASS can be considered a breakthrough innovation, as it will allow the delivery of predictive maintenance based on real-time sensor data for the first time. The project will comprise work packages that optimise the TRL7 system design for manufacturing and production scale-up in preparation for market roll-out and international expansion. The target markets in Europe and North America have been prioritised based on the prevalence of significant water stress, the degree of deterioration of existing pipelines and the propensity of water utility companies to introduce innovations. Through the project, we have managed to develop a method that allows sensor installation on water pipes of different types and sizes. Through the results we have achieved, we can see that the methods will be significantly simplified, in line with what was our goal. We can safely say that we have developed solutions to a level where we are ready to move forward with a version that is possible to scale up to production on an industrial scale.

The project has shown that it is possible for an acceptable price to produce a tool that performs the tasks we have worked to solve. This means that the direct consequence of the project is that we continue to develop the product into a "market version" to be used out in the field. Acceptable price means that the investment cost of buying the equipment is significantly lower than continuing to do this type of work in the "old" way. Return on investment will be achieved with relatively few installations. Exactly how many is not entirely clear. But there is obviously a big gain in using this type of tool. The impact this project has on the installation of sensors on pipes is quite significant, as you now don't have to make large holes with formwork and security measures to carry out an apparently simple task. This means that you get a significantly lower carbon footprint per completed installation, and particularly in urban areas where the alternative may be to close larger or smaller parts of a road. In addition, this also affects the costs, which will now be lower for installing the sensors.

The MINI-PASS project will deliver cutting-edge pipeline excavation, inspection and sensor installation capability to water utilities. The project objective will see the development of a robot to automate the application of strain and temperature sensors to the walls of in-service water and wastewater pipes. These sensors generate the data required to forecast asset failure for water companies, preventing water loss and environmental fouling in the distribution and wastewater networks, respectively. There are significant technical R&D challenges associated with the installation process we wish to automate. All processes are currently performed manually by an relatively large installation crew. The current state-of-the-art requires a 2m x 2m x 2m trench to be excavated to access the pipeline. This cube then has to be robustly reinforced with shuttering to minimise the danger to staff working within the trench. Our main R&D challenges are in developing a sophisticated adaptive robot & control system to identify the pipe, and to install the sensors that need to be fitted. We also need to provide suitable test capabilities and perform the necessary checks to test their function and ability to communicate sensor readings, as well as a quality control inspection capability of the bonding efficacy. Also reduce size and risk regarding the trench. Which also is an important benefit for this project.