New automated sewer cleaning system

It costs more than EUR 6 billion annually to clean and maintain the 2.25 million kilometres of sewerage networks in the EU. But current cleaning systems are extremely inefficient as they require massive amounts of water.

Funded by the EU, the PIPEGUARD project has come up with a potential solution: a device to inspect, clean and map sewerage systems. The approach would result in a 35 % reduction in cleaning costs through targeted cleaning.

The prototype consists of a commercially available tractor-like platform, an ultrasound device for detecting dirt in the sewers, and video and still cameras. It is linked via a cable to a ground station where data processing and user interaction through a simple interface takes place.

In addition to locating dirt and damage in sewers, and cleaning the detected dirt, the overall system can provide a 3D map of the sewerage network in real time. This will allow users to identify areas where sedimentation is high. The device can fit into tunnels as small as 100 mm in diameter, and has a cleaning and inspection rate of 60 metres per minute.

With field testing of the prototype yielding highly positive results, further development couldsee it brought to market in the near future.