Condition monitoring is critical to the effective management of pipeline assets, especially for pressurized systems where the impact of failure can be high and the deterioration processes and failure modes are complex. Condition monitoring of buried assets can, however, be an expensive process, and the maturity, effectiveness and transparency of approaches vary considerably across the water industry in Australia. As a consequence, the benefit of investment in condition monitoring is not always fully realised, and the right information is not always collected or results used effectively in decision support. With these concerns in mind, this paper reviews issues relating to condition monitoring of larger diameter pressure pipes undertaken within a risk-based asset management framework, drawing on the initial findings of a case-study based research project being undertaken in collaboration with the Water Services Association of Australia. The focus of this research is the use of condition monitoring for decision support. As such, the paper illustrates factors considered in the selection of tools, the design of a condition assessment/monitoring program and the use of results in decision making for the pilot case study undertaken in the initial stages of the research project.
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