Development of long-term localised corrosion of cast iron pipes in backfill soils based on time of wetness

Abstract

Parameters characterising the properties of soils used as backfill in immediate contact with cast iron pipes exhumed from a variety of soils after up to 129 years exposure are used together with average annual precipitation to estimate the average time of wetness. This is shown to correlate closely with pipe wall corrosion penetration. The possibility of microbiologically influenced corrosion is dismissed owing to lack of critical nutrients. The presence of chlorides in some soils most likely arises from pipe wall corrosion penetration and subsequent leakage of chlorinated drinking water. The predictions from the derived model are compared with an independent set of 16 pipe-wall corrosion penetration observations for pipes with up to 98 years exposures and found to agree well. The potential influences of soil temperature, physical damage and poor quality backfill are discussed.

Review on condition monitoring techniques for water pipelines

“…Soil samples are collected from locations closer to the pipe for in-situ testing or lab characterisation. There are a number of parameters in soil characterisation as shown in Table 1 that can be considered for the assessment of the buried pipe [7,120,121]. Soil characterisation of the surrounding soil of buried pipeline allows the maintenance professionals to take protective measures to prevent or stop any loss of containment [122].…”

Efficient Evaluation of Remaining Wall Thickness in Corroded Water Pipes Using Pulsed Eddy Current Data

“…Studies have shown that about 70 percent of the total global water pipes are buried underground, and most of these pipes have been in service for more than a century [1]- [3]. Due to their critically ageing conditions, these water pipes' failures have been frequently occurring, which cause severe implications for not only sustainability and efficacy of water services but also the living conditions of civilians in surrounding areas including property damages, traffic accidents and obstruction and water supply disruption [4].…”