ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR NON REVENUE WATER

 Asset management is the most important factor to reduce the non revenue water.One of the factor in asset management is pipe replacement.In Malaysia especially when pipe bursting  so many times at one place or so many times in one km,the pipe replacement were taken place.In Petaling Jaya,the pipe replacement works were carried out .

For information,about 43,000 km pipe in Malaysia are older and made from AC pipe and from the 1900 years ,that mean the age of the pipe is nearly 120 years old.But in one research in Thailand that not all the old AC pipe cannot use,only the smaller diameter have to replaced.From the older pipe or pipe bursting,the forensic research for asset management is very important to predict another burst or to predict the cost for pipe replacement.

But the older pipe like AC pipe need to replacement because the asbestos is the toxic material but when the right time to replace.Only 30 % of the older pipe in Malaysia were replacement until now and the process is continuously .According to the cost for pipe laying,changing to Ductile Iron will cost up to 1 million for 1 kilometre.So expensive.The cost are included survey work,digging,levelling and compaction,back fill with sand material or equivalent and resurfaced the existing road.Because that area of replacement work at the middle of town,the pipe replacement work are done on the night until morning to avoid nuisance to the traffic and people and that why the cost too expensive.

Why Ductile Iron pipe?.There are so many type of pipe in the market but in Malaysia if the diameter of pipe is more that 250 mm,the steel pipe or DI are used.All the water player in Malaysia set the same regulation about this,What is the advantage of the DI pipe?

Below are some of the advantage when using a Ductile iron as a water pipe

1. Invented in 1943 and widely used in 1955
2. Have a 60,000 psi tensile strength,45,000 psi yield strength and 10% minimum elongation
3. High resistant to handling and shipping and can withstand for traffic and etc
4. High resistant to corrosion in most soils,for aggressive environment,a PE layer will encase to pipe wall
5. Has tremendous burst strength and suitable for pressure application and protection against pressure surge
6. Can sustain increased pressure loading over a years

That are the advantage of the DI pipe but there are a disadvantage also like the other type of pipe but the advantage are bigger.

The PVC-O pipe now are compete with the DI pipe because more easy to handle,install and more lighter.The strength and durable are almost same withe the DI pipe  but the proposal to pipe replacement maybe on the way.One factory was built only to supply the PVC-O at the state of Pahang recently and maybe by the coming years ,PVC-O will widely used for pipe replacement.

HDPE pipe also known as the sustainability pipe for the future but nowdays only use for below 250 mm diameter and for internal piping system.

All the material for piping have and advantage and disadvantage so selection for that must do carefuly for long lasting used.Thank you