Developing an Environmentally Sustainable Pipeline Infrastructure System

摘要

The United States has a multi-trillion dollar investment in civil infrastructure systems. The nation’srninfrastructure is critical to sustained economic development and an improved quality of life. Whilernthe quality and performance of infrastructure are vital to the nation’s economic and social wellrnbeing, by most accounts this investments has not been prudently managed for sustainability. Newrnknowledge is needed to provide the intellectual support for infrastructure decisions necessary tornsustain economic growth, environmental quality, and improved societal health. Developing anrnintelligent renewal system can provide fast and reliable decision-making tools that are needed tornhandle the large volume of deteriorating buried pipeline infrastructure system, particularly waterrnand wastewater pipelines, that pose serious threats to environment if they fail.rnThe past under-investment in pipeline infrastructure system makes it essential that availablernfunds be spent in a cost-effective and timely way. The thrust should be on the preservation of therncondition and value of assets. A primary concern with pipeline infrastructure renewal is whetherrnthe risk of damage to environmental systems will be increased or decreased. Further, the recentrnshifting of some infrastructure systems from public regulation to a market based economy isrnincreasing this concern among some groups. The need for state-of-the-art technical guidelines forrnuse in the development of comprehensive buried pipeline maintenance and rehabilitationrnprograms became evident.rnThe focus of this paper is to develop state-of-the-art concepts and technology for buried pipelinernsystem data acquisition, data interpretation and utilization of the data for an intelligent renewal ofrnburied infrastructure. Such a system could automate in real time much of the pipeline datarnacquisition, interpretation, and evaluation process, and capture the experience and judgment ofrnexpert utility engineers in performing condition assessment and identification of appropriaternrehabilitation and maintenance strategies. The proposed intelligent buried pipeline managementrnsystem will assist utility managers in improved performance modeling, and will be a step towardsrnpreventive rather than reactive repair and rehabilitation.