1.6a From hidden waste water network to full access for smart decisions I

Challenge

Water utilities in general lack in asset management which leads to inefficiency. Sewer maintenance is crucial for sustainable asset management, which requires good knowledge of status and a method for decision support. With digitalisation, the opportunities for better knowledge of pipe status are growing.

Expected results

The aim of the project is to find the most valuable data to assess the status of the entire wastewater system to get the best possible knowledge for assessing the entire network, so that the planned maintenance of the network can be executed more strategically and tactical. Research gaps are large, and little has been published on resilient sewer maintenance. However, the project will include the results from Future City Flow, a Vinnova funded project where weather-forecasting services to support decisions to implement proactive measures from city officers, wastewater engineers and local politicians together with control strategies in the wastewater networks. In addition, the results from a parallel Vinnova-funded project, Floodview, to visualize the flooding situation in a city, managed by Lund Technical University, will be fed into this project.

Three major parts

The project includes the following major parts: First; improvement of the analysis of the inspection techniques, including new innovative measurements e.g. smart cameras and sensors. Methods for condition assessments, maintenance and rehabilitation of water pipes will be identified in the project. Existing methods for condition assessments used in Sweden or abroad will be integrated and needs for new methods will be described, of which at least three also will be tested in the project. Second; developing a common evaluation method independent of the inspection method that is able to integrate into the GIS-systems already used for pipe network management. Third; to develop a new Sustainable Level of Additional Water (SELAW) during different circumstances by socioeconomic and sustainability indicators, and, moreover, find the best approach to reduce the additional water to the sustainable level. The project will find the technical and operational parameters that are critical to assess the maintenance needs of the wastewater network support at an integrated decision support method for water, sewage and stormwater. The project will also develop a model for SELAW, tested in at least one small and one large utility.

Increasing competence

The results will lead to higher efficiency, by the strategic and tactic models, competence increase, and the transfer of results and knowledge to other utilities. This transfer will be facilitated via the competence coordinator, improved database programmes when the results are open to implementation, and to SMEs for e.g. visualisation of the SELAW. This will lead to less untreated sewerage discharge, improved treatment results at the WWTP, lower probability of flooding and more efficient management.