Abstract
Several millions of kilometres of pipes and cables are buried beneath our streets in the UK. As they are not visible and easily accessible, the monitoring of their integrity as well as the quality of their contents is a challenge. Any information of these properties aids the utility owners in their planning and management of their maintenance regime. Traditionally, expensive and very localised sensors are used to provide irregular measurements of these properties. In order to have a complete picture of the utility network, cheaper sensors need to be investigated which would allow large numbers of small sensors to be incorporated into (or near to) the pipe leading to so-called smart pipes. This paper focuses on a novel trial where a short section of a prototype smart pipe was buried using mainly off-the-shelf sensors and communication elements. The challenges of such a burial are presented together with the limitations of the sensor system. Results from the sensors were obtained during and after burial indicating that off-the-shelf sensors can be used in a smart pipes system although further refinements are necessary in order to miniaturise these sensors. The key challenges identified were the powering of these sensors and the communication of the data to the operator using a range of different methods.
Highlights
The buried utility pipeline infrastructure is the primary asset of a network owner and operator
For the development of a smart pipe system, issues related to communication, sensor development and integration within and around the pipe as well as the power requirements of such a system need to be investigated
A range of sensors and communication elements were incorporated into a smart pipe demonstrator unit utilising mainly off-the-shelf MEMS components
Summary
The buried utility pipeline infrastructure is the primary asset of a network owner and operator. It should be noted that utilities and their maintenance should not be treated in isolation since utilities are generally laid beneath roads, and maintenance and emergency repair operations often seriously disrupt road users Another issue with existing systems is that currently, water distribution systems are only monitored at discrete points in the distribution network. System (MEMS) technology has shown its potential in many different applications: aerospace, automotive, home entertainment and biomedical, to deliver small, cost-effective sensors [1,2,3] It has been identified as an ideal technology for the wide, distributed pipe network system, where large numbers of low-cost sensors will be required, as one of the key advantages of MEMS technology is that large numbers of sensors can be manufactured at very low cost. Initial results of the research carried out on communication, power and miniaturisation of the sensors are provided
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