Asset management of drinking water networks

Develop network characterization and decision-making aid tools for pipe renewal or renovation, evaluate maintenance techniques

 

Management of drinking water networks

Network intervention - Alfortville (FRANCE)

The correct management of drinking water networks is a response to health, environmental and social requirements. Crucial for local authorities, it represents a technical challenge for the operators. Guaranteeing water quality, ensuring supply continuity, reducing water loss, preserving the urban environment while reducing costs: this is what is required of the operators in order to improve the quality of the service provided to the users.

The ageing and technical complexity of the networks (material diversity, underground pipes impossible to access etc.) require the development of tools designed to improve knowledge of the pipes, assess their residual lifespan and define the best possible renovation or renewal solutions. Maintenance techniques must also be assessed to select those most efficient.

The work carried out by the research team aims at improving our knowledge of the behavior of drinking water networks within their environment (soil and water).

Our research focuses on 3 aspects:

  • laboratory analysis methods to characterize the conditions of a pipe, all types of material combined;
  • field diagnosis tools;
  • digital modeling to assess the residual lifespan of a network.

2007 RESULTS INCLUDE:

  • the characterization of HDPE and PVC pipe performance;
  • the development of 2 methods to measure the residual thickness of metal pipes;
  • the structural modeling of the condition of a network.