Pipe Dreams Made Real - NDT Techniques for Assessing and Maintaining Reinforced Concrete Pipes

Reinforced concrete pipes transport water and wastewater of all types throughout the world. When these reinforced concrete pipes fail, it can cause major impacts to the public and the operation of critical infrastructure. Communities can be severely impacted if a water pipe fails, causing a loss of access to clean water. Major industrial complexes like power generation rely on reinforced concrete pipes to deliver cooling water. Without constant cooling, these generation plants are not able to operate. Agriculture is another major industry that relies heavily on water delivery through reinforced concrete piles. Without reinforced concrete piles, the world could not operate as it does today. However, inspection of these pipes is very difficult. This presentation will showcase several non-destructive methods that are used to assess the condition of reinforced concrete pipes, both from the external and internal surfaces, including the use of ROV’s. Through the testing of concrete pipes and determining locations of deterioration, repairs or replacement can be planned prior to failure, which will ensure that water is delivered, and wastewater is carried away as it should. 0:00 Preamble 3:50 Intro 10:30 Pipe Systems 14:30 Pipe Evaluation 28:00 Data Analysis 33:30 GPR Testing 39:30 Tank Testing 41:30 Case Studies 45:50 Summary 49:05 Q&A