Continuous non-invasive assessment of the physical condition of water distribution systems. Water distribution systems represent the single most important part of a society's infrastructure yet there are no comprehensive methods for detecting or assessing their physical condition. A suite of techniques (including those adapted from radar and sonar) for pro-active condition assessment will be developed in this research. The objective is to add significant intelligent and sophisticated numerical m ....Continuous non-invasive assessment of the physical condition of water distribution systems. Water distribution systems represent the single most important part of a society's infrastructure yet there are no comprehensive methods for detecting or assessing their physical condition. A suite of techniques (including those adapted from radar and sonar) for pro-active condition assessment will be developed in this research. The objective is to add significant intelligent and sophisticated numerical modelling capability to enable the non-invasive analysis of the transient pressure data, and to enable real-world application. This research will enable the continuous assessment of the physical condition of the entire water distribution system from an operations room resulting in significant savings.Read moreRead less
A Stochastic Spatial Rainfall Model for Engineering Risk Assessment. Current Australian hydrologic design practice is moving towards use of continuous simulation to more accurately evaluate the performance of the water-related infrastructure for managing floods and droughts. A major impediment is the inability to simulate the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall. This project aims to develop a stochastic rainfall model that will simulate long records of representative six-minute duration ....A Stochastic Spatial Rainfall Model for Engineering Risk Assessment. Current Australian hydrologic design practice is moving towards use of continuous simulation to more accurately evaluate the performance of the water-related infrastructure for managing floods and droughts. A major impediment is the inability to simulate the temporal and spatial variability of rainfall. This project aims to develop a stochastic rainfall model that will simulate long records of representative six-minute duration rainfall throughout the target region. The proposal introduces a three-level hierarchical model of space-time rainfall building on experience of a point rainfall model developed in previous ARC research. Practical issues dealing with data quality and validation will also be addressed.Read moreRead less
A stochastic space-time model of rainfall fields in large heterogeneous regions. The extreme temporal and spatial variability of Australia's rainfall affects the quantity and quality of its water resources, the productivity of its agricultural systems, and its aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Given the impact of extreme events such as droughts and floods and given the massive investment in water-related infrastructure, evaluation of such risks is an issue of national economic, social and envi ....A stochastic space-time model of rainfall fields in large heterogeneous regions. The extreme temporal and spatial variability of Australia's rainfall affects the quantity and quality of its water resources, the productivity of its agricultural systems, and its aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Given the impact of extreme events such as droughts and floods and given the massive investment in water-related infrastructure, evaluation of such risks is an issue of national economic, social and environmental significance. Stochastic space-time rainfall models enable rainfall and climatic variability to be quantified, simulated over arbitrarily long periods, and risks assessed. This research will provide software and the development of rainfall modelling frameworks for large river basins such as the Murray-Darling.Read moreRead less
Sediment capture and deposition processes in coastal lagoons. Intermittently closed and open lagoons and lakes are an increasing problem for coastal managers around Australia: they can limit fish migration, and lead to degraded water quality and an increased risk of flooding. The Murray mouth, for example, closed in 1981 and still exists in a congested state. Closure would have disastrous consequences for the area in general and the Coorong in particular, with significant damage to Australia's e ....Sediment capture and deposition processes in coastal lagoons. Intermittently closed and open lagoons and lakes are an increasing problem for coastal managers around Australia: they can limit fish migration, and lead to degraded water quality and an increased risk of flooding. The Murray mouth, for example, closed in 1981 and still exists in a congested state. Closure would have disastrous consequences for the area in general and the Coorong in particular, with significant damage to Australia's environmental reputation. An optimised dredging operation at the mouth (currently costing $4.6 m annually), together with better management of river discharges, will have the potential to improve conditions in the area. Read moreRead less
Understanding the fluid mechanics of unsteady friction. Unsteady fluids flows are common in the fields of technology, engineering and physiology. This project brings together a multi-disciplinary team to consider the issue of unsteady friction. The research will focus on understanding the behaviour of water in pipes when subject to very fast transient events (such as those which cause the common problem of water hammer in the home). The project will produce new results that will be used by water ....Understanding the fluid mechanics of unsteady friction. Unsteady fluids flows are common in the fields of technology, engineering and physiology. This project brings together a multi-disciplinary team to consider the issue of unsteady friction. The research will focus on understanding the behaviour of water in pipes when subject to very fast transient events (such as those which cause the common problem of water hammer in the home). The project will produce new results that will be used by water engineers to design improved techniques for the rapid non-invasive identification of leaks in underground pipelines. As such our research has the potential to contribute huge savings to Australia's increasingly valuable water resources. Read moreRead less
Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient co ....Dynamic Release Mechanisms for Phosphorus in Shallow Ponds and Lakes. Phosphorus release from submerged sediments is controlled by the physical and chemical environment. The mechanisms are well understood where thermal stratification is persistent but the behaviour during transient episodes has not been properly addressed. The aim is to study a dynamic chemical and hydraulic environment and develop a model of phosphorus release under these conditions. Algal blooms, which rely on high nutrient concentrations, pose a significant threat to waterways yet a process-based description of phosphorus release is not yet possible. The outcome will be a verified model of phosphorus release mechanisms suitable for a range of water bodies.Read moreRead less
Laboratory and Field Testing of a Leak Detection Technique Using Fluid Transients. A major problem in fluid pipelines and pipe networks is undetected leakage. This research collaboration will develop new approaches that will enable systematic leak detection using advanced numerical modelling and inverse techniques with the ultimate goal of implementing these leak detection methods in practice. In addition to the numerical model development, an extensive series of laboratory experiments will be u ....Laboratory and Field Testing of a Leak Detection Technique Using Fluid Transients. A major problem in fluid pipelines and pipe networks is undetected leakage. This research collaboration will develop new approaches that will enable systematic leak detection using advanced numerical modelling and inverse techniques with the ultimate goal of implementing these leak detection methods in practice. In addition to the numerical model development, an extensive series of laboratory experiments will be undertaken by researchers from both universities using the laboratory facilities in Adelaide to verify and extend the new approaches. The researchers will conduct similar experiments under field conditions on much larger pipe systems in Toronto and generally in Canada.Read moreRead less
Frequency Domain Micro-Reflection Processing for Pipe Condition Assessment. Over the coming years many millions of dollars will be spent on upgrading deteriorated pipeline infrastructure that is part of water distribution systems all over Australia. Determining the condition of buried pipes is very difficult and expensive. This research will solve that problem. We will develop powerful numerical methods for non-invasive pipe condition assessment. Small controlled transients will be input by a ....Frequency Domain Micro-Reflection Processing for Pipe Condition Assessment. Over the coming years many millions of dollars will be spent on upgrading deteriorated pipeline infrastructure that is part of water distribution systems all over Australia. Determining the condition of buried pipes is very difficult and expensive. This research will solve that problem. We will develop powerful numerical methods for non-invasive pipe condition assessment. Small controlled transients will be input by a specially designed signal generation device that can determine the condition of the inside of the pipe. These new techniques will be cost-effective, accurate and able to cover very long distances of pipe. Water authorities will then be able to quickly decide which sections of pipe require further investigation.Read moreRead less
Micro-reflections for pipe condition assessment in water networks. Maintaining highly reliable water supply pipeline infrastructure for cities, towns and in rural Australia is extremely important. Our research will develop new non-invasive condition assessment techniques. Transient events will be used to create pressure waves that travel up and down a pipe. Sophisticated analysis of the micro-reflections in the measured pressure traces will be the heart of the new techniques. Water utility manag ....Micro-reflections for pipe condition assessment in water networks. Maintaining highly reliable water supply pipeline infrastructure for cities, towns and in rural Australia is extremely important. Our research will develop new non-invasive condition assessment techniques. Transient events will be used to create pressure waves that travel up and down a pipe. Sophisticated analysis of the micro-reflections in the measured pressure traces will be the heart of the new techniques. Water utility managers will be able to make a detailed assessment of the interior pipe wall to determine if significant corrosion or deterioration of the cement mortar lining has occurred. Rehabilitation strategies can then be determined. These new techniques will replace camera inspections that are extremely invasive and expensive.Read moreRead less
A new approach to systematic blockage detection and mapping in water distribution systems. Techniques to non-destructively probe and map features are common in medicine (MRI, Ultrasound, X-rays) and in other areas such as geophysics. No analogous techniques exist for water distribution systems that are an integral part of society's infrastructure. The location and mapping of blockages using pressure pulses is the focus of this research and our industry partner wants to be the first to develop ....A new approach to systematic blockage detection and mapping in water distribution systems. Techniques to non-destructively probe and map features are common in medicine (MRI, Ultrasound, X-rays) and in other areas such as geophysics. No analogous techniques exist for water distribution systems that are an integral part of society's infrastructure. The location and mapping of blockages using pressure pulses is the focus of this research and our industry partner wants to be the first to develop this technology. Experimental verification of the technique will be carried out in laboratory and field tests. The new methodology will have a significant economic impact with major savings of operation and maintenance costs for water networks worldwide.Read moreRead less