Acoustic Cross Bore Detection in Underground Pipe Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Trenchless excavation technologies, such as horizontal direction drilling, often result in unintended intersections (cross bores) between underground utilities like gas and sewer pipes, leading to safety hazards and structural damage due to the inability to accurately locate and document legacy utility lines during new installations.
Innovation Solution
Acoustic detection systems that transmit and receive signals between pipe systems to determine the presence and location of cross bores by analyzing signal amplitude and propagation, using acoustic generators and receivers placed within access features of sewer and gas systems, allowing for quicker and more reliable verification of pipe intersections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If trenchless excavation technologies are used to install new utilities, then installation efficiency is improved and surface disruption is reduced, but the ability to accurately locate and detect existing underground utilities is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary acoustic detection before utility installation to map existing underground utilities. By transmitting acoustic signals through the ground and analyzing received signals, the system identifies the location, depth, and orientation of existing pipes and cables, allowing installers to plan routes that avoid cross-bores before drilling begins
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical detection methods (such as physical probing or camera inspection) with acoustic signal transmission and reception. Acoustic waves are transmitted into the ground and detected by sensors, providing non-invasive detection of underground utilities without requiring physical contact or excavation
2Measurement precision
If camera inspections are used to detect cross bores, then detection accuracy is improved, but detection time and cost are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces time-consuming camera inspections with rapid acoustic signal analysis. By transmitting acoustic signals through pipe walls and analyzing the transmitted signals, the system can detect cross-bores and utility intersections in minutes rather than the hours required for camera-based methods
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates an acoustic signature or profile of the underground utility network by analyzing how acoustic waves propagate through pipes and surrounding materials. This acoustic mapping provides a simplified representation of utility locations and conditions without requiring physical visual inspection
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides a faster, less expensive, and more reliable way to detect cross bores, reducing the risk of gas explosions and sewer damage by accurately identifying pipe intersections without the need for invasive camera inspections, thereby enhancing safety and reducing repair costs.
Implementation Method 1
transmitting an acoustic signal through a first pipe system while listening for the acoustic signal in a second pipe system
Implementation Method 2
listening for the acoustic signal with one or more acoustic receivers to determine the location of the underground pipe
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly and method for detecting cross bores and the location of underground pipe system assets includes an acoustic generator placed within an interior of the sewer system and an acoustic receiver placed within proximity of the lateral(s) of the pipe system. The acoustic generator generates an acoustic signal to transmit through the interior of a sewer pipe of the sewer system. A controller detects, in response to the acoustic receiver hearing the acoustic signal, a location of the underground pipe.