Nonlinear acoustics for detection and assessment of PVC water mains

Inspecting drinking water supply mains is critical to determine the remaining pipes’ lifespan and reduce costs while enabling a better water supply with high-quality drinking water and reducing downtime of the water supply. The lack of an inline inspection method for PVC pipes, which are commonly used in the Netherlands and are, on average, 50 years old, is a significant problem.

Technology

The proposed technique offers a promising solution for detecting and assessing ageing in PVC pipes. In this project, we aim to implement the technique in an inspection device, with the help of technology companies, to enable real-world scenario testing.

Challenge

The current acoustics-based sensor development lacks a complete understanding of the correlation between the acoustic response and the quality of PVC. Additionally, how to properly use this technique using phased array transducers, which make alignment easier than using separate probes, is a great step towards the method’s applicability, and together keeping track of damping and alignment is largely unknown. This is crucial to differentiate between signal deviations caused by a change in material parameters or another factor, such as a slight misalignment.

Solution

To gain a deeper understanding of the acoustic response of PVC, modelling combined with experimental work is envisioned.  Using (digital) signal processing is essential to filter signals and derive relevant parameters.