Practical application of acoustic propagation velocity measurement (APVM) for condition assessment of drinking water mains

“The drinking water networks in the Netherlands are, with an estimated average age of 45 years, relatively young. However, as the networks age over the coming decades, water companies will face increasing demands for investment in pipeline replacement. To know which mains should be replaced when, information is required about the residual life of these mains. To know this, the current condition has to be assessed. Several methods are available for condition assessment and recently the Acoustic Propagation Velocity Measurement (APVM) method was introduced in the Netherlands. R. Beuken, K. Laven, P. Horst, R. Diemel and G. Mesman describe the theory behind the APVM method, field tests conducted in the Netherlands, and the results of a validation exercise on an asbestos cement main. The field tests showed that the method is applicable to drinking water networks in the Netherlands. The validation exercise found that the APVM method provides results similar to other assessment methods requiring insertion of systems into the main or samples to be removed from
the main. It was also found that a prerequisite for trustworthy results is the availability of reliable data on the properties of the mains, in particular the initial wall thickness and the Young’s modulus of the pipe material.”

(Citaat: Beuken, R.H.S., Mesman, G.A.M., et al. – Practical application of acoustic propagation velocity measurement (APVM) for condition assessment of drinking water mains – WAMI 11(2015)4, p. 3-7)