Water Pipe Research Articles

The value of replacing lead water pipes in the US

The value of replacing lead water pipes in the US

Fatigue failure analysis of grey cast iron water pipes accounting for fatigue strength variation

Fatigue cracking is thought to be a critical failure mode for Grey Cast Iron (GCI) water pipes; however, this failure mechanism is poorly understood. Using a novel approach to sourcing GCI pipe material for testing, the variation in fatigue strength between pipes from the same batch was experimentally quantified. These results were used to assess the impact of fatigue strength variation on a hypothetical but realistic GCI water pipe years-to-failure scenario. Full-pipe sections were used during fatigue testing and the observed failure mode gave physical meaning to the years-to-fatigue-failure predictions for the first time. The accumulation of fatigue damage was predicted to represent a terminal and very small part of a GCI pipe’s life, so the loads applied to a GCI pipe early in its life are likely to have a limited impact on its remaining life and so do not need to be included in predictive modelling. For the scenario considered here, the predicted variation in lifetime was an 8.6-year range about an average of 59.4 years. GCI pipes in the UK are all > 50 years old, so this is a significant variation for asset and investment planners to account for as these pipes approach the end of their lives.

Evaluation of filler activation for sustainable FRP composite by studying properties, mechanism, and stability

The aim is to develop new fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) water pipe by activating fiber glass (FG) by vinyltriethoxysilane (VS) getting vinylsilane-activated FG (AFG) for filling vinylester (VE) via continuous winding to make a novel VE-AFG composite. The novelty of this work is the activation of fiber glass by vinylsilane as a single filler in vinylester and compounding them via a two-dimensional continuous winding process for the first time. The crosslinking occurred in the AFG/VE/curing agent system after activation. The activated composites increased thermal stability; 25% VE-AGF increased the degradation temperatures at 10%, 25%, and 50% weight loss by 73.3%, 10%, and 7.2%. With the activated 20% composite, values of axial strength, hoop strength, and hardness were developed by 6.3%, 2%, and 8.7%, respectively. The decay resistance to different microorganisms was increased with VE-AFG composites as a result of a sharp decrease in biodegradability percentages. The activated composites are stable toward water absorption; the least percentage was recorded by 25% VE-AFG, which minimized the water absorptivity by more than 62%. The reported characterization sentence approves enhancement of thermal, physical, and mechanical stability of sustainable vinylester-fiber glass composites manufactured by continuous winding; this is recommended for application in water pipe systems.

Reactivation of public–private partnership (PPP) models for rural water supplies in Rwanda: strengthening operation and maintenance systems

ABSTRACT The responsibility for operation and maintenance (O&M) in rural piped water supply systems in Rwanda has been transferred from the community to private operators (POs) during 2004. However, water supply services were suspended in many cases because of a lack of proper rehabilitation and regular maintenance due to technical and institutional capacity gaps of POs and other key stakeholders. As countermeasures, this project used the following six approaches: elaborating the O&M framework including the adoption of a licensing system for POs, establishing a drinking water quality monitoring framework, developing stakeholder capacity, developing inventory data and facility mapping, strengthening data management systems, and installing the necessary equipment for water supply management. As a result, the annual downtime of water supply services in the model districts was reduced by 41%. The result was inferred to be mainly related to the establishment of a licensing system for POs, improved reporting mechanism and royalty payment strategy, dedicated bank accounts for water, and the development of an asset inventory. To reactivate the public–private partnership models, it was important to identify specific issues from the national guidelines and contents of the contract between asset owners and POs to activities in the field and to work on improving them realistically.

Characterization of leakage signatures in buried water pipes by ground penetrating radar(GPR) and instantaneous frequency analysis

The aging and complexity of underground water pipes pose significant challenges to modern society, necessitating long-term monitoring and maintenance to prevent the socioeconomic costs. So, effective nondestructive and geophysical methods are needed to localize the possible leakage areas before any rational opening up is conducted. In this study, we propose a workflow to generate instantaneous frequency slices (IFS) from raw ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. Characterizing the horizontal and vertical patterns of water leakage using IFS revealed two key mechanisms—reflections due to the dry and wet interface and absorption due to water distributed in soil—that significantly influence instantaneous frequency. A well-designed real site (Q-Leak), in collaboration with the Water Supplies Department (WSD) of the government, was conducted to replicate typical leakage scenarios, validating the effectiveness of our IFS-based approach. The results of proposed method demonstrate that IFS is a reliable approach for characterizing leakages in buried water pipes, effectively addressing several challenges associated with amplitude slice analysis. Our proposed methodology enriches the toolkit available for large-scale, future-oriented water leakage detection.

Adsorption mechanism of octadecylamine on inner surface of steam generator feed water pipe of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant

Adsorption mechanism of octadecylamine on inner surface of steam generator feed water pipe of pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant

Research and application of rough set attribute reduction algorithm based on genetic algorithm in pipeline network

Abstract Explosion accidents often occur in urban underground pipeline network systems, which has caused safety issues in public life and industrial production. GIS technology can visually manage pipeline equipment and solve the problem of valve closure analysis in the event of current accidents, avoiding the escalation of the situation, but it cannot make predictions. Attribute reduction is one of the core contents of rough set theory and is an NP-hard problem. This article proposes a custom attribute reduction algorithm based on an algorithm and uses the algorithm in the historical burst pipeline dataset of the water supply pipeline industry. The results have shown that this method combined with a decision tree can make predictions before water pipe leakage. The algorithm provides the best result of attribute reduction for decision tree methods, which will improve the speed and accuracy of decision-making.

Prevalence and Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Gulf Countries with a Focus on Inhaled Pharmacotherapy.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a preventable, progressive disease and the third leading cause of death worldwide. The epidemiological data of COPD from Gulf countries are very limited, as it remains underdiagnosed and underestimated. Risk factors for COPD include tobacco cigarette smoking, water pipe smoking (Shisha), exposure to air pollutants, occupational dusts, fumes, and chemicals. Inadequate treatment of COPD leads to worsening of disease. The 2024 GOLD guidelines recommend use of inhaled bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and adjunct therapies for treatment and management of COPD patients based on an individual assessment of the severity of symptoms and risk of exacerbations. This article reviews COPD pharmacotherapy in the Gulf countries and explores the role of nebulization in the management of COPD in this region. Methods: To review the COPD pharmacotherapy in the Gulf Countries, literature search was conducted using PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar databases (before December 2022), using search terms such as COPD, nebulization, inhalers/inhalation, aerosols, and Gulf countries. Relevant articles from the reference list of identified studies were reviewed. Consensus statements, expert opinion, and other published review articles were included. Results: In the Gulf countries, pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), dry powder inhalers (DPIs), soft mist inhalers, and nebulizers are used for drug delivery to COPD patients. pMDIs and DPIs are most prone to errors in technique and other common device handling errors. Nebulization is another mode of inhalation drug delivery, which is beneficial in certain patient populations such as the elderly and patients with cognitive impairment, motor or neuromuscular disorders, and other comorbidities. Conclusion: There is no major difference between Gulf countries and rest of the world in the approach to management of COPD. Nebulizers should be considered for patients who have difficulties in accessing or using MDIs and DPIs, irrespective of geographical location.

Film forming amine maintenance effect on steam generator feed water pipe of PWR nuclear power plant

Film forming amine maintenance effect on steam generator feed water pipe of PWR nuclear power plant

A small-loop double-coil decoupling TEM device for high sensitivity near surface detection

Small loop transient electromagnetic (TEM) devices, several meters in size, are increasingly applied to near-surface geophysical exploration in space-limited environment. But the transmitter (TX) coil significantly affects the early time data acquisition of the receiver (RX) coil during current turn-off, resulting in the loss of shallow signals and creating a significant blind zone problem. We report a double-coil decoupling TEM (DCDTEM) device to solve this problem. The novel DCDTEM device ensures a weak primary magnetic flux region between the two coplanar transmitter (TX) coils with the same current direction and different radii. Simulation results indicate that the transmitting field of the DCDTEM device is more focused compared to the traditional central loop device, ensuring a stronger coupling with the target. 3-D TEM forward modeling results show that the DCDTEM device has the highest detection sensitivity, together with a relatively high lateral resolution compared to other small-loop TEM devices. We further carry out several physical experiments to test the response characteristics of the DCDTEM device with reference to both the offset and the ratio of turns between the TX and RX coils. The experimental results ensure that the position of the zero magnetic flux point can be accurately calibrated and mitigate interference from TX coils. The proposed DCDTEM device is also applied in a field test on water pipe detection, demonstrating its practicality in near-surface detection.

HydraulicBridge: Covert Signaling Channel between Air-Gapped Systems Using Hydraulic-Pressure Fluctuations

To protect critical computing systems from network attacks, modern enterprises typically employ physical isolation measures to disconnect them from open networks such as the Internet. However, attackers can still infiltrate these closed networks through internal employees or supply chain vulnerabilities. This presents the primary challenge that attackers face: how to effectively manage and manipulate infected devices that are isolated from the external network. In this paper, we propose a new covert communication technology called HydraulicBridge, which demonstrates how air gap networks can communicate through covert water pressure-fluctuation channels. Specifically, we demonstrate how water pressure from water pipes can be used to communicate with infected hosts within an air gap network. Additionally, we provide experimental results demonstrating the feasibility of covert channels and test the communication speed in the experimental environment. Finally, we offer a forensic analysis and propose various methods for detecting and blocking this channel. We believe that this study provides a comprehensive introduction to previously unseen attack vectors that security experts should be aware of.

Evaluation of Periodontal Clinicoradiographic Status and Whol Salivary Prostaglandin E2 Levels among Users of Water Pipe and Cigarettes.

The objective was to evaluate the periodontal clinicoradiographic status and whole salivary prostaglandin E2 (PgE2) levels among users of water pipe and cigarettes. Demographic data, duration of smoking (pack years), and familial history of smoking were recorded using a questionnaire. Participants were allocated into three groups based on their smoking status: group 1: self-reported cigarette smokers (CS); group 2: self-reported water-pipe-users; and group 3: non-smokers. The assessment included measurements of full-mouth plaque and gingival indices (PI and GI), as well as probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and marginal bone loss (MBL). Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected and PgE2 levels were measured. Group comparisons were done and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Thirty-three, 34 and 33 individuals were included in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Full mouth PI (p<0.05), GI (p<0.05), PD (p<0.05) and mesial (p<0.05) and distal (p<0.05) MBL were statistically significantly higher among patients in groups 1 and 2 than group 3. The scores of CAL in groups 1 and 2 were 3.45 ± 0.97 and 3.62 ± 1.2 mm, respectively. None of the individuals in the control group displayed CAL. PgE2 levels were statistically significantly higher among patients in groups 1 (231.5 ± 66.3 pg/ml) (p<0.05) and 2 (231.5 ± 66.3 pg/ml) (p<0.05) compared with group 3 (76.6 ± 10.6 pg/ml). In groups 1 and 2, a statistically significant relationship was observed between pack-years, the duration of water-pipe smoking, and the levels of PgE2 and PD. There is no difference in periodontal clinicoradiographic status and whole salivary PgE2 levels between CS and waterpipe-users; however, these parameters are worse in CS and water-pipe users than in non-smokers.

COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TYPES OF HYDROPONICS AND REGULAR CULTIVATION IN THE SOIL AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE GROWTH OF THE LETTUCE CROP

This study aimed compare the morphological properties of lettuce growth in different model of cultivation (soil, cork and water pipes). Samples of lettuce plants were cultivated in three models of cultivation. The first model was regular cultivation in soil, the second model was agriculture using water pipes and the third model was hydroponic using cork. After two months, the properties of each sample, including total length of plant, length of stem to end of leaf, length of root, length of leaves and number of roots. According to the result in this study, length of total plant, root, leaves and stem to end as well as number of leaves and roots were significantly greater in water pipes than in hydroponic with cork and soil, respectively..

Internal pipe corrosion assessment method in water distribution system using ultrasound and convolutional neural networks

Internal pipe corrosion within water distribution systems leads to iron oxide deposits on pipe walls, potentially contaminating the water supply. Consuming iron oxide-contaminated water can cause significant health issues such as gastrointestinal infections, dermatological problems, and lymph node complications. Therefore, non-destructive and continuous monitoring of pipe corrosion is imperative for water sustainability initiatives. This study introduces a dual-mode methodology utilizing advanced ultrasound technology and convolutional neural networks (CNN) to quantify pipe corrosion. Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) employs high-frequency ultrasound to generate high-resolution images of pipe thickness, indicating iron oxide accumulation. SAM also captures internal pipe data to measure iron oxide concentration in the water. This data, analyzed by CNN, achieves an impressive 95% accuracy. This dual-mode system effectively assesses both the extent of pipe corrosion and water contamination, exemplifying the successful integration of SAM and CNN for precise and reliable monitoring.

Optimized phased planning for dynamic rehabilitation of integrated municipal infrastructure

ABSTRACT Phased planning for municipal infrastructure is based on the time-dependent status of multiple networks, which is in contrast to the traditional approach, where one-phase construction and a single status are considered for planning system activities. This study integrates and optimizes the corridor-wise intervention planning of water, sewer, and road networks where the number of equally long phases and intervention decisions are among the decision variables showing the extent to which phase number optimization can impact the cost and coordination of the interventions in interdependent systems. Optimizing the phase number for municipal infrastructure optimization within an evolutionary algorithm is a challenging task due to the evolutionary recombination between numerous planning solutions with different decision variable lengths. A multi-phase design and construction approach is developed for the rehabilitation of the system in a real case study in Montreal, Canada. The study involves 20 corridors in which a street section is co-located with water and sewer pipes. A metaheuristic single-objective optimization engine is employed to minimize the total net present value of intervention plan costs for the whole integrated system. The results show that phased optimization could bring about a 25% cost saving for the rehabilitation master plan and coordinated multi-systems intervention activities.

Investigation of an Acute Gastrointestinal Illness Outbreak Linked to Drinking Water in a Higher Educational Institute in East Sikkim, India.

Introduction An acute gastrointestinal illness outbreak was reported in a higher educational institution among students and faculties in East Sikkim, India, from January to February 2023. The investigation was conducted to identify the source of the infection and causative pathogens and prevent the spread of the outbreak. Methods We defined a case as three or more loose stools in 24 hours, abdominal pain, or vomiting with the onset of symptoms between January 16 and February 16, 2023. Active surveillance was conducted by reviewing the affected individuals at the campus and patient registers at the dispensary, where cases were treated. Stool samples, rectal swabs, water samples, and suspected food samples were collected for microbiological testing using conventional culture, multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and kit-based real-time PCR methods. Results Out of 1,850 residents, 106 (5.7%) were affected by gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, etc. The attack rate for females was 23 (1.24%) and for males was 83 (4.49%). The most affected individual median age was 21 years (range: 2-51 years). From the laboratory investigations, most of the cases demonstrated polymicrobial etiologies. Gastroenteritis pathogens like Campylobacter, astrovirus, androtavirusdiarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) (EAEC, EIEC, ETEC, EPEC, and EAEC), Shigella,etc., were detected in the suspected samples. The environmental investigation indicated the presence of rusted and leaky water pipes and sewage pipelines, along with ineffective chlorination of the water plant. Conclusions Based on epidemiological and laboratory investigations, it is conjectured that sewage and fecal contamination of drinking water and poor maintenance of the water distribution system most likely caused the outbreak described in this study. Basic treatment modalities, adequate chlorination, and periodic inspection of the water system were suggested, which controlled the outbreak to a greater extent.

Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in A Sample of General Secondary School Students in Cairo and Its Correlation to Other Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract Background Tobacco smoking is considered currently as a global public health concern among youth especially school student. There is a scarcity of data about the impact of this global phenomenon in Middle Eastern countries. This study assesses the prevalence of tobacco smoking, including conventional cigarettes, E-cigarettes and waterpipe and its sociodemographic and psychiatric correlates among a sample of general secondary school students in Cairo, Egypt. Results A convenient sample of 391 Egyptian general secondary students from different areas of Greater Cairo were assessed using the Socioeconomic scale, Fagerstrom Test For Nicotine Dependence, The Lebanon Water pipe Dependence Scale, questionnaire for electronic cigarette using, Barratt impulsivity scale 11, The MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents. 12.8% (n = 50) were smokers. There is significant relation between family history of smoking and substance use and smoking and significant relation between smoking, impulsivity and mood symptoms. Conclusions Prevalence of tobacco smoking in Egyptian adolescents was 12.8% with significant relation between smoking and impulsivity and mood symptoms.

Improved water supply infrastructure to reduce acute diarrhoeal diseases and cholera in Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Results and lessons learned from a pragmatic trial.

Safely managed drinking water is critical to prevent diarrhoeal diseases, including cholera, but evidence on the effectiveness of piped water supply in reducing these diseases in low-income and complex emergency settings remains scarce. We conducted a trial of water supply infrastructure improvements in Uvira (DRC). Our primary objective was to estimate the relationship between a composite index of water service quality and the monthly number of suspected cholera cases admitted to treatment facilities and, as a secondary analysis, the number of cases confirmed by rapid diagnostic tests. Other exposures included the quantity of supplied water and service continuity. We used Poisson generalised linear models with generalised estimating equations to estimate incidence rate ratios. Associations between suspected cholera incidence and water service quality (RR 0·86, 95% CI 0·73-1·01), quantity (RR 0·80, 95% CI 0·62-1·02) and continuity (RR 0·81, 95% CI 0·77-0·86) were estimated. The magnitudes of the associations were similar between confirmed cholera incidence and water service quality (RR 0·84, 95% CI 0·73-0·97), quantity (RR 0·76, 95% CI 0·61-0·94) and continuity (RR 0·75, 95% CI 0·69-0·81). These results suggest that an additional 5 L/user/day or 1.2 hour per day of water production could reduce confirmed cholera by 24% (95% CI 6-39%) and 25% (95% CI 19-31%), respectively. Ensuring a sufficient and continuous piped water supply may substantially reduce the burden of endemic cholera and diarrhoeal diseases but evaluating this rigorously is challenging. Pragmatic strategies are needed for public health research on complex interventions in protracted emergency settings. The trial is registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT02928341. https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02928341.

Bacterial Contamination and Antimicrobial Resistance in Two-Spotted (Gryllus bimaculatus) and House (Acheta domesticus) Cricket Rearing and Harvesting Processes.

Food safety for cricket production is a crucial factor in producing edible crickets with safety for consumers and sustainability for two-spotted (Gryllus bimaculatus) as well as house (Acheta domesticus) cricket production. This study was conducted by simultaneously rearing two cricket species, comprising two-spotted crickets (G. bimaculatus) and house crickets (A. domesticus). A total of 16 rearing crates were used for the present study, which were allocated into 8 rearing crates for each studied cricket species, including paper egg cartons. Cricket eggs were incubated in the rearing crates. Once the crickets hatched, tap water and powdered feed were provided ad libitum throughout the experiment. At the end of this study (35 and 42 days for the two-spotted and house crickets, respectively), all crickets were harvested, rinsed in tap water, and boiled in water for 5 min. During the rearing and harvesting processes, samples were collected from various potential contamination points for bacteria, including E. coli and Salmonella spp. There were samples of the initial input (feed, drinking water, and staff hands), rearing environment (water pipe, crate wall, living cartons, frass, and cricket surface), and harvesting crickets (harvested, washed, and boiled crickets), with a 2-week sampling interval, except for the last round of sampling for the two-spotted crickets. Subsequently, all samples were submitted to isolate and identify contaminated bacteria. The samples from the last round of sampling for both kinds of crickets were submitted to quantify the level of contamination for E. coli and Salmonella spp., including antimicrobial resistance by the disk diffusion method for the positive isolate. The results showed that bacterial contamination was found in the rearing of both cricket species, primarily involving Klebsiella spp. and Enterobacter spp., mainly found in prepared drinking water and the water pipes of drinking water supply equipment, which are potential sources of contamination with cricket frass. E. coli was found in 4.8% and 4.3% of the two-spotted and house crickets, respectively, while no presence of Salmonella spp. was detected in any submitted samples. The quantification of E. coli and Salmonella spp. indicated E. coli contamination near the water pipe and the frass of two-spotted crickets, but Salmonella spp. was undetectable in both two-spotted and house crickets. The antimicrobial resistance of isolated E. coli mainly involved penicillin G, amoxicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, lincomycin, and tiamulin. Thus, good farm management with proper sanitation practices (such as cleaning and keeping the environment dry), as well as boiling crickets during the harvesting process, may help ensure the safety of edible cricket production.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene practices in areas affected by Cyclone Idai in Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the association between Cyclone Idai and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) practices in Chimanimani and Chipinge districts in Zimbabwe. The WASH parameters assessed included the main water source, the type of toilet in the household, the number of households sharing a toilet and the presence of a handwashing facility for use after using the toilet. The highest proportion of households that were mostly affected used piped water, while those not affected mainly used community boreholes (42.9%), protected wells (24.2%) and surface water (18.7%). Most households that were relocated to camps (70%) used the pit latrine with slabs, while most of the households that were not affected (41.8%) used the bush as their toilet facility. Only households relocated to camps shared toilets. Only the most affected and resettled population groups (in camps) had better access to improved WASH infrastructure. However, the sharing of toilets was high and the use of handwashing facilities was low in all settlement types. There was a significant association between the severity of Cyclone Idai and the main water source, adequacy of drinking water, sharing of toilets and the ability to purify drinking water.