Is Continuous Monitoring Only for High-Risk Pipelines?
SoundPrint® AFO has been the gold standard for continuous monitoring of high-risk prestressed concrete pipelines (PCCP) for over two decades. Data from the platform has guided utilities in making hundreds of proactive repairs.
SoundPrint AFO monitors wire breaks in near real time. The technology helps utilities prevent the kind of catastrophic failures that make headlines. However, failures on high-risk assets aren’t the only concern for pipeline owners. Monitoring data can also help utilities better understand risk today and into the future to control operating costs and improve customer service. In fact, installing SoundPrint AFO in new pipelines before they are commissioned can be the most economical option.
Here’s five ways SoundPrint AFO can deliver significant value for pipelines without a history of problems or a lower consequence of failure.
1. Minimize guesswork when it comes to pipeline maintenance.
Continuous monitoring delivers a more granular, up-to-date view of pipeline integrity than inspections. SoundPrint AFO can detect even a single wire break, and trend charts display wire breaks on individual pipe sticks over time. Utilities can operate the pipeline with confidence up to a defined intervention limit – the point at which they’ve determined rehabilitation is necessary. This provides a tool for advanced planning of pipeline maintenance activities.
Knowing the condition of the pipe and where damage is located helps utilities optimize repairs to minimize the duration and extent of the intervention. Utilities can plan maintenance on their schedule — during low demand and in coordination with other municipal projects — and better communicate and mitigate impacts to customers. Monitoring data also helps utilities plan ahead for the type of repair or replacement method and ensure the right materials and contractors are available.
2. Save money and effort on pipeline management over the long term.
Continuous monitoring can be a more affordable and less disruptive alternative to recurring inspections. This is especially true where pipelines are frequently shut down and dewatered for reinspection and for long-term management of pipelines with low distress.
Utilities typically perform a baseline inspection to understand the existing level of deterioration in the pipeline. After this initial assessment, SoundPrint AFO eliminates the need for reinspection in most cases. Additionally, once the monitoring platform is installed inside the pipeline, you don’t need to alter operations to know the real-time condition of your pipeline. Data is transmitted remotely from the system to your computer or mobile device.
Continuous monitoring can also reduce asset lifecycle costs by defensibly extending your pipeline’s service life. Only about 4% of inspected prestressed concrete pipes show indicators of distress. Yet, replacing a large-diameter pipeline can easily cost millions of dollars per mile. The most economical approach is to repair the small percentage of problematic pipes and leave good pipe in the ground for as long as possible.
Before installing SoundPrint AFO, the San Diego County Water Authority was inspecting their pipelines every three to five years. Using continuous monitoring, the Water Authority reduced costs due to fewer shutdowns and longer reinspection intervals.
Learn more in this case study.
3. Optimize capital planning with more accurate forecasting.
AWWA’s latest Utility Asset Management survey shows an increasing number of utilities are measuring risk to inform pipeline planning decisions. Likelihood of failure is a key component of risk, and for transmission mains, it is best determined with quantitative condition data.
Monitoring data can help utilities determine both current and future likelihood of failure with much greater confidence. PCCP does not deteriorate uniformly over time. Continuous monitoring captures the pipeline’s actual deterioration rate with high-resolution data. The deterioration rate can be used to more accurately predict when a pipe will fail. Knowing which assets will require attention and when helps utilities plan and budget for long-term pipeline management needs.
Monitoring data helps Lake Huron and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems identify urgent repair needs and plan future maintenance and capital projects for a regionally important pipeline.
Learn more in this case study.
4. Take a comprehensive approach to managing PCCP.
Wire breaks are the most reliable indicator of deterioration in PCCP. However, PCCP failures can result from other defects. A 2008 investigation by the Water Research Foundation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that of nearly 600 PCCP failures, leaks were the primary mode of failure in 95 cases. PCCP leaks can result from pipe settlement, corrosion, shearing of the steel cylinder, third-party damage, and loss of joint integrity.
This year, Xylem will introduce continuous leak detection into the SoundPrint AFO platform. This new capability will leverage the same proven acoustic fiber optic technology with a groundbreaking data processing method. This innovation will give pipeline owners access to more comprehensive integrity data than ever before.
5. Prevent failures on your PCCP pipelines.
Of course, preventing failures is still a critical objective for ensuring reliable service. Continuous monitoring is one of the most effective tools for avoiding failures and costly emergency repairs. Condition data shows us that PCCP deterioration is often random and localized. Even a newer pipeline or one without a history of failure can experience deterioration from third-party damage or improper installation. SoundPrint AFO helps identify these bad actors. Consider it a form of insurance against unexpected events and future uncertainty.
Leading utilities employ a zero-failure-tolerance strategy for their most critical assets, and SoundPrint AFO provides the foundation for pipeline owners to pursue this goal with confidence. Not only is SoundPrint AFO the gold standard for monitoring critical, high-risk pipelines, but it can also be a valuable tool for utilities that want to manage any PCCP pipeline more proactively. Our goal at Xylem is to make pipeline management easier and more affordable for utilities. SoundPrint AFO has historically required a large upfront investment, however, long-term monitoring agreements are also available to provide short-term flexibility and economic benefits.
