The Great Man Made River Management System: A Pipe Risk Management System (Prms) for Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe: How an Expert Model And Monitoring Extend a Pipeline Lifespan at Lower Cost.

Abstract

The Great Man Made River is a water supply project in the North African state of Libya. Water is conveyed from well fields deep in the Saharan desert to the population centers that are concentrated on the northern coastal strip. To date almost 4,000 km (2,485 mi) of mainly 4 m (158 in.) diameter Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP) has been laid. This paper discusses the challenge of rehabilitation of the PCCP while maintaining the uninterrupted flow of water to consumers. The first step was the development of the Pipe Criticality Index (PCI) to assess the criticality of distressed pipes. While the PCI was a simple, fast and practical solution to meet the urgency of the initial rehabilitation requirements, it did not incorporate critical parameters. Thus, a more comprehensive and sophisticated Pipe Risk Management System (PRMS) was sought. The PRMS currently being developed will allow greater flexibility in long term planning of all the management activities such as inspections, monitoring, repairs and replacements, with the accompanying cost benefits and with a greater degree of confidence.