Search

A water utility requires myriads of data for effective decision-making. As the sources and ranges of data are becoming increasingly complex, the use of a metadata framework can play a significant role in effective data management. Using case study method, this research analyzed data needs of a water supply system in a small town in South Australia and designed a demo portal of a metadata framework. As part of the case study, the project team undertook a broad investigative approach using focus group (interviews), observation, exploration of potential data sources, identification of knowledge leaders and information technology systems. The metadata framework comprised two separate but interconnected metadata groups, (1) metadata elements to describe the metadata source and (2) metadata elements to describe the datasets held in each data source. The metadata framework was populated to describe data sources and data held in each of the sources. The data catalogue created by this process showed that it was accomplishable and appropriate to describe data sources and datasets via a metadata framework. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Reinforced Concrete Pipes (RCP) has been widely used for long-distance sewerage pipeline globally. However, concrete pipes are susceptible to microbially-induced acid corrosion (MIC) which leads to premature failure far before reaching their asset life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of using CAC (Calcium Aluminate Cement) – GGBFS (Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag) blended SHCC (Strain hardening cementitious composite) to retrofit damaged RCP. Prior to the retrofit, RCP was pre-loaded to 70%, 80%, 90% of its ultimate strength to create cracks. Retrofitted pipes were tested under three-edge bearing (TEB) load for assessment. Load–deflection relationship, load–strain behaviour along with pipe ductility and stiffness were analysed and discussed. Experimental results show that the ultimate load-carrying capacity of the retrofitted RCP increased up to 50.6% compared to original RCP. The retrofitted pipe acted monolithically with the lining material without debonding observed before failure. Moreover, a prediction formula was proposed to calculate the load-bearing capacity of retrofitted RCP in addition to experimental work. The theoretical model considers the impact of the pre-loading level on the original RCP and was verified with the experimental results. CAC-GGBFS blended SHCC is proven to be an effective repair solution to damaged concrete sewerage pipelines. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

There is an increasing need to use online instrumentation for continuous monitoring of water quality. However, industrial applications using online instruments, such as submersible UV-Vis spectrophotometers, may require the use of alternative techniques to remove particle effect rather than performing a physical filtration step. Some submersible UV-Vis spectrophotometers have built-in generic particle compensation algorithms to remove the filtration step. This work studied the influence of suspended particles on the measurements of a submersible UV-Vis spectrophotometer as well as the performance of the built-in particle compensation technique under laboratory-controlled conditions. Simulated water samples were used in the combinations of standard particles from laboratory chemical and natural particles extracted from water systems with ultrapure water and treated water from a drinking water treatment plant. Particle contributions to the UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV254) measurements of water samples varied differently when particle types or concentrations changed. The compensated UV254, measured by the submersible instrument using the built-in generic particle compensation algorithms, was compared with laboratory UV254, analysed by the bench-top instrument with the physical filtration method. The results indicated that the built-in generic compensation algorithms of the submersible UV-Vis spectrophotometer may generate undercompensated UV254 or overcompensated UV254 for various surface waters. These findings provide in-depth knowledge about the impact of suspended particles on the measurements of submersible UV-Vis spectrophotometers; source water dependence; and why site-specific calibration is often needed to get accurate measurements Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Condition assessment is extremely important for development of suitable plans for maintenance, retrofit or replacement of assets. However, the most significant challenge for water utility asset managers is to obtain accurate condition information of the asset, particularly when the inspection points are physically difficult to access or inaccessible. Therefore, a reliable and cost-effective asset monitoring (sensor) system, preferably real-time with ability to streaming online, is in search for asset management, particularly for water utilities. It is well accepted that moisture ingress in concrete reduces durability and life span of water assets. This project describes our approach to develop a distributed humidly sensor for condition assessment and environmental monitoring of structures both inside and outside, such as inside the concrete and surrounding soil. In addition, this research also takes a machine learning approach to use the sample sensor data to predict the potential pipe burst events. The result shows that a machine learning approach has a great potential to predict the burst and enable preventative maintenance. It is also expected the accuracy will increase overtime with ongoing data capture. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Water pipe failure can be disruptive to the water utility sector in terms of economic loss, cause public inconvenience and damage to the surrounding property. Within South Australia, there were no thorough investigations conducted to determine these failures. In this paper, an approach was proposed to focus only on several key factors, while the others remained the same, by adopting a case study after careful selection of two similar sites within a capital city.Then, a multivariable analysis was conducted to develop a relationship between the pipe properties (age, diameter and material) to the number of failures or failure rates. Through the analysis, it was found that age and material were linked, and older pipes made up of Cast Iron Concrete Lined (CICL) material are far more susceptible to failure. Pipes under the age of 30 years old, primarily composed of new-age PVC materials, are unlikely to experience failures, pipe age of 50 years old shows an increase in failure rates and pipe age of 80 years old was deemed critical. Pipe diameter has little impact on the number of pipe failures; however, when these failures do subsequently occur, they are likely to happen in smaller pipes of 100 mm and 150 mm diameter due to the significant portion of water main pipes.Therefore, the failure rate (number of failures per km of pipe length) is a better representation of the pipe failure.After a statistical analysis of all the factors, the pipe diameter and material exhibit good correlations with the failure rate per km, which are helpful in a further development of a prediction model for water main failure. Refereed/Peer-reviewed