Acoustic Inspection of Pipelines

Sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) are most often caused by the long-term buildup of roots, fats, oils or grease within a pipe. An acoustic inspection is a cost-effective way to detect blockages before an overflow occurs.

What is an Acoustic Inspection?

The operator places a transmitter in a manhole that transmits a series of tones through the air gap within the pipe. A receiver is placed in an adjacent manhole and it listens for degradation in tones compared to a clean pipe. Sophisticated signal processing algorithms analyze the data in less than three minutes and rate the severity of the blockage on a scale from 0 to 10. Data that is collected is run through a quality control process that eliminates redundant and/or inaccurate testing.

Key Benefits of Acoustic Inspection

  • Provides blockage assessment onsite in less than three minutes
  • No confined-space entry or physical contact with the flow is required
  • Cost-effective
  • Integrates with GIS to develop TV work orders
  • Eliminates unnecessary televising and cleaning
  • Works in a wide variety of pipe geometries, diameters, and materials
  • Approximately 2 miles of pipe can be inspected per day