Report by Steve Davey, President, ES&E
Canada's trenchless technology industry was well represented at No Dig '99 in Orlando, with representatives from the University of Waterloo and the University of Western Ontario both accepting 1998 Paper of the Year Awards.
During the opening session, delegates were told that trenchless technology is not a new concept. Brunel's shield tunneling machine in the mid 1800s and pipe jacking in the late 1800s were cited as early examples of TT application.
NASST chair, Trent Ralston lamented that surveys show that TT is not universally held in high regard. He believes that bad experiences with some trenchless remediation projects may have soured the perception of some potential customers. Mr. Ralston called for better training of crews and further education of contractors, designers and owners. As well, he stressed the need to increase efforts at public education.
Underground pipe maintenance is a huge expense, according to Bob Woodhouse, of CH2M Hill, with a 250 ft. length costing on average $50,000.00 over 50 years. Sunil Sinha, of the University of Waterloo, estimated that the total cost to simply upgrade Canada's sewers is a staggering $45 billion.
Pipelines have a fairly defined lifespan, delegates were told. At 25 years, spot repairs will be required. (According to one speaker, surveys show that after only 30 years, a mere 15% of pipes remain intact). At 50 years, relining is needed. At 125 years, the pipeline will need to be replaced. The average age of America's pipe infrastructure is 42 years.
As well as case history reviews, technical sessions introduced delegates to such high tech applications as digitally enhanced imaging.
For example, until now, reports on internal pipe conditions have relied on operators often spending months reviewing video footage. Quite often, poor lighting or obstructions made it hard to determine whether the operator was seeing actual cracks or other damage. In short, by relying on only visual interpretation, too many false alarms are raised. To speed up and make the process more effective, researchers are developing software which will digitally analyze the video images taken and show only real cracks and other damage.
No Dig 2000 will be held April 9 - 12, in Anaheim, California. Call (703) 351-5252 for details.