![Risk-Based Asset Management Approach Prevents PCCP Failures And Saves Utility Over CA$1 Million - IoT ONE Case Study Risk-Based Asset Management Approach Prevents PCCP Failures And Saves Utility Over CA$1 Million - IoT ONE Case Study](/files/casestudy/6308487133530.png)
Technology Category
- Drones - Drone Payloads & Accessories
- Sensors - Utility Meters
Applicable Industries
- Electrical Grids
- Oil & Gas
Applicable Functions
- Maintenance
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Leakage & Flood Monitoring
- Water Utility Management
Services
- System Integration
- Testing & Certification
The Customer
The Lake Huron and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems
About The Customer
The customer in this case study is the Lake Huron and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems located in southwestern Ontario. They draw water from Lake Huron to the north and Lake Erie to the south, providing water for approximately 500,000 residents across 15 municipalities, including the City of London. The Lake Huron Primary Transmission Main, a 60-kilometer pipeline that transports up to 340 million liters per day, is a critical part of their infrastructure. Over the past 55 years, the main has experienced four catastrophic failures, leading the utility to adopt a proactive asset management plan that incorporates condition assessment and continuous monitoring data.
The Challenge
The Lake Huron and Elgin Area Primary Water Supply Systems in southwestern Ontario, which provide water for approximately 500,000 residents across 15 municipalities, faced a significant challenge with their Lake Huron Primary Transmission Main. This 60-kilometer pipeline, constructed in 1965, experienced four catastrophic failures over the past 55 years, disrupting the supply of drinking water to a significant portion of southwestern Ontario and causing serious flooding. The failures also affected approximately 70 hectares of prime agricultural lands due to soil erosion and deposition. The utility decided to take a proactive approach to managing risks associated with the pipeline, starting with assessments to better understand the main’s baseline condition and then monitoring the pipeline continuously.
The Solution
In 2012, the utility partnered with Pure Technologies to conduct an acoustic leak detection inspection with the SmartBall® platform and an electromagnetic inspection with the PipeDiver® platform. These tools can inspect in-service pipelines and cover long distances in a single deployment. The inspections revealed that only a small fraction (0.5 percent) of the nearly 10,000 pipes showed signs of deterioration. Using this data, Pure Technologies evaluated the risk of failure for each distressed pipe and helped inform decisions about the point at which a distressed pipe should be replaced. The utility then proactively replaced six pipe sections. In 2015, Pure Technologies installed the SoundPrint® AFO platform into the transmission main to continuously monitor the pipeline. This technology detects and locates wire breaks in near real time, providing an advanced warning system to avert potential failures.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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