The History of PPIC
Infrastructure Saving Solutions
Aging pipeline infrastructure and the costs to replace that infrastructure are a huge challenge for the water industry. With populations increasing and available resources decreasing, the water pipelines need to be in good condition to make sure no water is lost and that it is available where it is needed.
However, maintaining water and wastewater infrastructure is not that easy. With not enough funds to fully replace pipelines, the next best step is to evaluate the state of the infrastructure and repair problems to bring a pipeline’s condition back to an acceptable level — and that’s where water pipeline inspection comes into play.
Early Beginnings
The Pressure Pipe Inspection Company was established by Dr. Brian Mergelas in 1997 after he received his Ph.D. in physics at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. During his time at the university, he studied under Professor David Atherton, who would help steer Mergelas toward his future career.
In the late 1980s, Atherton had been approached by the water sector to examine some challenges with large diameter pre-stressed pipe rupturing, along with corrosion on the pre-stressing wires. Atherton was asked to act as an international expert in pipeline inspection technology to determine if something could be done to inspect the distressed water pipe. From there, Atherton began research and developed a new technology called Remote Field Transformer Coupling (RFTC). RFTC offered water supply system managers information on the location, distribution and number of wire breaks in their pipeline infrastructure.
While Mergelas was working on his degree, he studied technologies pertaining to the oil and gas sector and performed pipeline inspection work for oil and gas transmission pipelines. However, Mergelas eventually shifted his interests to water pipeline inspection after he became intrigued by the opportunities the industry and Atherton's RFTC technology presented. With RFTC as a base, Mergelas began PPIC in 1997 as a means to help utilities assess the condition of their infrastructure in hopes to preserve pipelines, save money and retain valuable water resources.
Location Expansion
With its original headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, today PPIC has offices in Phoenix, Dallas and Mexico City. Offering its clients condition assessment of large diameter water and wastewater pipeline infrastructures — saving its clients money and protecting their vital water resources. The majority of PPIC's work is done in the United States and Mexico, with a number of significant projects overseas. Mergelas notes that most of the company’s business comes from areas with large populations that require the transportation of hefty volumes of water. Other areas include cities that are far from water sources and need large transition pipelines, especially in southwestern states such as Texas and California.
Technology Acquisitions
Since 1997, PPIC has brought onboard additional technologies and solutions to aid its clients in assessing their water pipeline infrastructure. In 2001, PPIC purchased Pipeline Technologies, a Phoenix-based company, in order to add acoustic monitoring to its list of services. This technology, called Acoustic Emission Testing (AET), is used to detect areas of active deterioration within Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe (PCCP).
Then in 2002, PPIC included a Geographic Information System (GIS) Asset Management platform to help its clients manage the information the pipeline inspection provides them. For example, GIS provides clients with an accurate map of its pipeline and asset management data about the pipeline, including risk analysis, cost analysis, work order management, report production and database querying.
In 2004, PPIC brought over a technology from the UK, the Sahara Leak Detection System, that was developed by the Water Research Center (WRc).This new addition provided a platform to assess all types of pressure pipe.
Along with those core services, PPIC also brings other technologies such as pressure transient monitoring, structural analysis and repair strategies to its clients to help them manage their water infrastructure.
Infrastructure Solutions from Combined Technologies
“Our main business is to offer solutions to clients so they can understand what to do to manage their transmission system,” says Mergelas. “We have some technologies that we use as a core for that, but it’s how we combine those technologies that’s unique. Depending on the client’s particular needs and project, we perform the inspection and then tie everything together with the asset management. We have a suite of technologies, alliances and partnerships that allow us to address the assessment of pipeline infrastructure.”
With the water industry discovering that there are not enough funds to properly replace its entire infrastructure, utilities are today relying on the pipeline inspection industry to uncover the condition of pipelines. Since these pipelines will be used for years and years to come, utilities and water personnel need to use technologies to assess the condition of their infrastructure and perform repairs to keep pipelines working effectively.
“Aging infrastructure is a global problem; it’s not just a local problem,” says Mergelas. “It’s not just something one city, one state or even one country is trying to deal with, so we believe that by bringing high-valued solutions to our clients, helping them save water and money by providing this information, that our solution becomes a global solution.”
The Road Ahead
As PPIC continues to grow and assist clients in assessing their infrastructure, the company is constantly looking at new technologies to add to its suite of solutions, as well as discovering ways to improve its existing platforms. With a specific focus on networking and R&D, PPIC works toward extending its list of offerings and benefits to its clients.
Learn more about the history of PPIC through innovation