Thames Water uses Lanes Group invented SewerBatt technology for sewer inspections in UK

Lanes Group and Thames Water have implemented the SewerBatt acoustic inspection, which uses sound technology for assessment of sewer conditions in Thames Water network.

UK water utility, Thames Water has turned this pipe inspection technology operational across its network in May after conducting an intensive development and trials programme for around 18 months.

Lanes Group is claimed to be ‘the first wastewater network contractor in the UK to commercially deploy’ the technology.

The technology has already brought down the requirement for CCTV drainage surveys in the sewage pipes by 33% for Thames Water, which has set a target to reduce overall CCTV costs in a year by £1.2m.

Lanes Utilities managing director Conrad Ashby said: "SewerBatt has significant benefits in terms of improving the overall operational efficiency and sustainability of our underground investigations.

"It allows us to identify blockage and pollution issues in drainage assets much more quickly than with traditional methods.

"It provides a more cost-effective solution to proactive management of the sewer system, through what is a quick and easy asset condition assessment technique.

"Faster, more energy-efficient, and more effective responses to key environmental issues make this a powerful new tool for improving the sustainability of drainage services and systems.

"SewerBatt also has potential applications in other areas of the water industry, along with other business sectors, where it could be used to quickly identify asset repair and maintenance issues."

The mobile system involves the use of a sound transmitter and receiver, attached to a carbon fibre pole, which is inserted into sewer pipes via drainage manholes for inspection.

It sends multi-frequency sound waves along sewer lines, which when interacts with chambers, lateral connections, cracks, deformities or blockages, creates distinct echoes.

The echoes are then sent back to the device to be displayed on a digital graph through the system’s software.

Trials for the system, which when compared with a simultaneous CCTV drainage survey, found it to be 97% accurate.

Lanes Group’s SewerBatt project manager Dean Hansford said: "The device can be used to inspect pipes with diameters from 100mm to 600mm, and up to 230m in length. We are expecting each operator to survey up to a kilometre of sewer pipe a day.

"There are also a lot of powerful ways we can combine SewerBatt data with other mapping data to help us monitor and analyse the condition of the sewer system."

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Image: SewerBatt has sound transmitter and receiver attached to a carbon fibre pole which is lowered into manholes for inspection. Photo: courtesy of Lanes Group Plc.