Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | EP/S016813/1 | |
| Title | Pervasive Sensing for Buried Pipes | |
| Status | Started | |
| Energy Categories | Not Energy Related 75%; Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas) 25%; |
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| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) 25%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Civil Engineering) 25%; ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 50%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Professor KV Horoshenkov Sch of Engineering Design and Technology University of Bradford |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 March 2019 | |
| End Date | 28 February 2025 | |
| Duration | 72 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £7,290,965 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Mechanical engineering | |
| Region | Yorkshire & Humberside | |
| Programme | NC : Engineering | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Professor KV Horoshenkov , Sch of Engineering Design and Technology, University of Bradford |
| Other Investigator | Dr AJ Croxford , Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol Dr B Drinkwater , Mechanical Engineering, University of Bristol Dr J Aitken , Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield Professor LS Mihaylova , Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield Dr SR Anderson , Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, University of Sheffield Dr J Boxall , Civil and Structural Engineering, University of Sheffield Professor R Richardson , Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds Professor N Cohen , Sch of Computing, University of Leeds Professor I Robertson , Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds Dr N Metje , Civil Engineering, University of Birmingham Professor CDF Rogers , Infra. Engineering & Management, University of Birmingham Professor S Tait , Sch of Engineering Design and Technology, University of Bradford |
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| Industrial Collaborator | Project Contact , RedZone Robotics, USA Project Contact , Oxford Electromagnetic Solutions Limited Project Contact , Acoustic Sensing Technology Ltd Project Contact , Rioned, The Netherlands Project Contact , United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), USA Project Contact , Aliaxis Group S.A. / N.V Project Contact , UTSI Electronics Ltd Project Contact , Melwell Technology & Innovation Consulting, France Project Contact , Guidance Automation Ltd Project Contact , UKSTT (United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology) Project Contact , École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne, France Project Contact , Balfour Beatty Plc Project Contact , Thames Water Utilities Plc Project Contact , Scoutek Ltd Project Contact , Anglian Water Project Contact , Severn Trent Water Project Contact , Scottish Water Project Contact , Nuron Ltd Project Contact , Stantec Project Contact , RSK Environmental Ltd Project Contact , Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Project Contact , Synthotech Limited Project Contact , National Infrastructure Commission Project Contact , Network Rail Ltd Project Contact , UK Water Industry Research Ltd (UKWIR) Project Contact , aql Project Contact , Phoenix Inspection Systems Ltd Project Contact , University of Waterloo (Canada) |
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| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | ||
| Abstract | In Europe, the total value of sewer assets amounts to 2 trillion Euros. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that water collection systems in the USA have a total replacement value between $1 and $2 trillion. Similar figures can be assigned to other types of buried pipe assets which supply clean water and gas. In China alone 40,000 km of new sewer pipes are laid every year. However, little is known about the condition of these pipes despite the pressure on water and gas supply utility companies to ensure that they operate continuously, safely and efficiently. In order to do this properly, the utility operator must identify the initial signs of failure and then respond to the onset of failure rapidly enough to avoid loss of potable water supply, wastewater flooding or gas escape. This is attempted through targeted inspection which is typically carried out through man-entry or with CCTV approaches, although more sophisticated (e.g. tethered) devices have been developed and are used selectively. Nevertheless, and in spite of the fact that the UK is a world leader in this research area, these approaches are slow and labour intensive, analysis is subjective, and their deployment disrupts traffic. Moreover, because these inspections are necessarily infrequent and only cover a small proportion of the pipe network, serious degradation is often missed and pipe failures occur unexpectedly, requiring emergency repairs that greatly disrupt life of the road and adjacent buried utility infrastructure.This Programme Grant proposes a radical change in terms of buried pipe sensing in order to address the issues of pipe inspection and rehabilitation. It builds upon recent advances in sensors, nano- and micro-electronics research, communication and robotic autonomous systems and aims to develop a completely new pervasive robotics sensing technology platform which is autonomous and covers the entire pipe network. These robots will be able to travel, cooperate and interrogate the pipes from the inside, detect the onset of any defects continuously, navigate to and zoom on sub-millimetre scale defects to examine them in detail, communicate and guide any maintenance equipment to repair the infrastructure at an early sign of deterioration. By being tiny, they do not present a danger of being stuck, blocking the pipe if damaged or run out of power. By being abundant, they introduce a high level of redundancy in the inspection system, so that routine inspection can continue after a loss of a proportion of the sensors in the swarm. By making use of the propagation of sonic waves and other types of sensing these robots can monitor any changes in the condition of the pipe walls, joints, valves and lateral connections; they can detect the early development and growth of sub-millimetre scale operational or structural faults and pipe corrosion. An important benefit of this sensing philosophy is that it mimics nature, i.e. the individual sensors are small, cheap andunsophisticated, but a swarm of them is highly capable and precise. This innovation will be the first of its kind to deploy swarms of miniaturised robots in buried pipes together with other emerging in-pipe sensor, navigation and communication solutions with long-term autonomy. Linked to the related previous work, iBUILD (EP/K012398), ICIF (EP/K012347) and ATU's Decision Support System (EP/K021699), this Programme Grant will create the technology that has flexibility to adapt to different systems of governance globally. This work will be done in collaboration with a number of industry partners who will help to develop a new set of requirements for the new pervasive robotic sensing platform to work in clean water, wastewater and gas pipes. They will support the formation and operation of the new research Centre of Autonomous Sensing for Buried Infrastructure in the UK and ensure that the results of this research have strong practical outcomes | |
| Data | No related datasets |
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| Projects | No related projects |
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| Publications | No related publications |
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| Added to Database | 15/08/19 | |
