S&P Realizes Workshop on Asset Management and Trenchless Technology Together with JSTT in Tokyo, Japan

These circumstances were the motivation for the Japan Society of Trenchless Technology (JSTT) to realize, in cooperation with Stein & Partner – a German engineering and consultant firm – , a two-day workshop to present and discuss new achievements in the fields of asset management, utility tunneling and capacity development. The workshop was chaired by Dr.-Ing. Robert Stein and Mrs. Kyoko Kondo from JSTT.

Assetmanagement and a new generation of life cycle asset management tools

The first day dealt with the topics of asset management. Dr.-Ing. Robert Stein, Executive Partner of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stein & Partner GmbH and General Manager of S & P Consult GmbH, introduced a new generation of life cycle asset manage-ment tools which allows the network operator to validate and to optimize its maintenance, operating and rehabilitation decisions under consideration of mid- and long-term development of the fabric deterioration of all network elements.

Topics of this section were finical key figures to access networks and to determine rehabilitation needs, strategic planning, evaluation of the level of risk, the level of risk over time, the tolerability of the risks and determination of treatment of the risks and the development of optimized investment and rehabilitation strategies and their impact on fees and tariffs.

E-learning in pipeline management

The first day was concluded with an introduction of a capacity development concept which focuses on the provision of adaptive web-based learning resources for work-based learning in the water industry. A sustainable way to secure the extensive investments in infrastructure projects has to consider training and education measures as an integral part both in the run-up to starting a professional career and on the job.

Because of the high degree of specialized, practical engineering knowledge, the educational opportunities required for this purpose are currently not available. This applies in particular to the availability of digital, multimedia-based and interactive learning material. Dr.-Ing. Robert Stein presented a web-based knowledge network called UNITRACC which bridges the gap between practice and theory and integrates all parties involved in the life cycle of water supply and sewage disposal infrastructures in one qualification process.

The concept is not competing with already existing educational alternatives, but it is rather a sensible supplement to them. That is because it enables life long learning and career development through a combination of self-directed online learning, work process-integrated qualification and classical classroom learning, thus interlinking learning processes and work processes.

Pipe jacking projects in increasing depths and lengths

The second day started with the topic of utility tunnels - especially with the design and quality aspects of curved and long-distance pipe jacking projects. Pipe jacking becomes the prevailing construction method on a global level for drains and sewers in metropolises. This growth in popularityis accompanied by the need for ever-more demanding projects. To put it simply, pipe jacking projects take on increasing depths and lengths.

Examples are, inter alia, projects which are also called “Deep Tunnel Sewerage System“ or the “Deep Gravity Tunnel“ in Singapore (PUP) and Germany (Emscher Genossenschaft), where huge sewage collectors (DN/ID 1400 to 2800) are installed entirely trenchlessly over distances of 50 km and more. In addition, there is a demand for the installation of curves, S-curves and several space curves within a section to optimize line alignment and improve economic competitiveness.

However welcome this development is, it is alarming to see how little the valid standards of different countries used for structural calculation and design meet the complexity of these civil engineering structures. Despite the enormous investment costs, the instruments for quality assurance that are now widely available are only rarely used to a sufficient extent. Dr.-Ing. Robert Stein presented the consequences of ignoring new design and quality monitoring approaches and introduced best practice examples of using pipe jacking technologies to a maximum extend.

The workshop was closed with a presentation of new rehabilitation technologies in Germany including CCTV inspection equipment up to manhole renovation systems like cured-in-place liner such as “Vertiliner”.

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