TRENCHLESS – PROJECTS | NO-DIG
CHALLENGES ABOUND, AND OPPORTUNITIES
A small selection of recent experience with trenchless projects in the US, ranging from asset
assessment technology developments with AI, discussed by Jacobs, to weighing the tunneling, then microtunneling, options below a live airport runway, as briefed by AECOM
Many challenges and technological developments are underway in the trenchless, no-dig and microtunneling space across the US, and farther. In this article, T&TNA has outline briefings from Jacobs and AECOM on key activities involving their respective participation. Jacobs briefs on comparative experience with
artificial intelligence (AI) and human monitoring of CCTV visual checks of utility pipe conditions. Two case studies are considered, below, from West Boise Sewer District and a large northeastern US water/wastewater utility, respectively AECOM briefs on the microtunneling works under
the runway of Harrisburg International Airport, in Pennsylvania, where it led the design team (see box panel). The tunneling works were recently successfully completed.
EFFECTIVE ASSET MANAGEMENT USING AI Nationwide, utilities are dealing with aging and deteriorating wastewater collection infrastructure and increased sewer flows due to urbanization and climate
change. Financial, resource, and regulatory constraints necessitate focused collection system management, with utilities turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to proactively assess their buried assets, prioritize operational and capital budgets, and efficiently manage collection systems. Utilities use closed-circuit television (CCTV) to capture
pipe condition details. Defects are recorded in real-time, visually observed, and coded by trained inspectors. This is a time-consuming, monotonous task, and results can be somewhat subjective. AI provides objective data, enabling utilities to make informed data-driven decisions. AI consistently scores the defects, codes defects faster, does not blink or fatigue, and automates the monotonous coding task, improving CCTV sewer inspection crew efficiency. Jacobs has built a cloud-based, AI defect coding
solution, DragonflySM in partnership with Hitachi using next-generation machine learning and computer vision that includes a pipe insights module powered by Jacobs’ Argon platform. Argon provides prescriptive asset management insights, including recommended
Above, figure 1: Pipe defect snapshots PHOTO CREDIT: JACOBS Spring 2024 | 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
