PPIC - RFTC Overview

RFTC Overview

Are you concerned about the integrity of your water supply system? Would you like to know each pipe's actual condition? PPIC's Remote Field Transformer Coupling system is a proven, fast and reliable technique that offers water supply system managers the best possible information on the location, distribution and number of wire breaks anywhere along the length of their PCP. The RFTC System:

detects broken prestressing wires in PCP and NCP;

finds and quantifies the number of breaks anywhere along the length or around the circumference of PCP pipe;

detects wire breaks in pipes with or without shorting straps and in pipes with or without bonding straps.

An RFTC inspection gives you the information you need to make an informed decision as to whether you should replace, repair or monitor individual pipeline segments.

PPIC's Remote Field Transformer Coupling technology functions much in the same way as a radio transmitter and receiver. The "transmitter" produces an electromagnetic field. The prestressing wires in the pipe amplify the signal. If there are broken pre-stressing wires, the signal does not come through cleanly and our "receiver" picks up static, or noise.

PPIC's trained field crews record this noise as they travel through the pipeline. In the Analysis phase, PPIC's skilled analysts quantify this noise and estimate the number of wire breaks per pipe by applying knowledge accumulated from the following sources:

PPIC's in-house Research and Development;

Research and Development efforts at Queen's University, supervised by PPIC's Chairman - Professor David Atherton;

Client records;

Its database of over 10,000 calibration scans;

The feedback gathered from existing clients.

The application of this knowledge is critical to PPIC's ability to accurately interpret the "noise". As PPIC’s RFTC inspection system is sensitive to all the electromagnetic properties of PCP, it is capable of detecting not only wire breaks, but it can also detect holes or perforation of the steel cylinder if they are of a sufficient size. The system also detects the features of a pipeline including manholes, blow-offs, and joints.

The Benefits of RFTC

In addition to determining the location and number of wire breaks anywhere along the length of a pipe, a RFTC inspection enables our clients to construct an informed cost/benefit analysis. For a small percentage of the cost of the asset, water supply system operators can potentially avoid the enormous expense of complete pipeline replacement by simply identifying the specific pipes that have a risk of failure. Operators can also use the analysis provided by a PPIC inspection to:

optimize their operation and maintenance budgets by prioritizing pipeline maintenance expenditures;

accurately forecast their capital improvement budgets by developing proactive preventative replacement plans;

determine the present value of their infrastructure;

extend the safe and economic operation of their pipelines by developing informed risk management strategies.

Water supply system managers want to maintain reasonable costs, while ensuring and extending the safe economic life of the lines.PPIC's RFTC inspections give them the information they need to both assess the condition of their critical infrastructure, and develop a methodology that effectively manages the inherent risks.

Experience Counts

PPIC's commercial RFTC inspection service is based on over 15 years of intensive Research & Development. We are the acknowledged global leader in the evaluation of water pipelines. To date PPIC has:

inspected over 2,000 kilometres of PCCP;

examined over 300,000 individual pipes;

performed over 10,000 calibration scans on pipes ranging in diameter from 16" to 252";

saved several of our clients in excess of $20-$30 million each in unnecessary capital and maintenance costs.

Our clients believe that PPIC's RFTC technology provides them with the best possible evaluation of their water supply infrastructure. This confidence is demonstrated by:

the 7,500 pipes that PPIC's customers have repaired or replaced as a result of our inspections;

the multi-year contracts that PPIC has entered into with many of its clients;

the fact that several of its clients are using the results of an RFTC inspection as the cornerstone of their capital maintenance budgetary planning.

For more information call:
Hugh Leavens, Marketing, at 905-624-1040 x 307