Lehigh University

A team of eight motivated students from the Civil and Mechanical Engineering Departments at Lehigh University spent 10 weeks of their summer investigating a methodology for the detection of blockages in large pipeline networks, under the guidance of Dr. Bocchini (CEE) and Dr. Nied (MEM).

Pipeline networks are a critical component of our infrastructure systems and our economy. For instance, they are used to transport water to every household in developed countries, to transport oil and gas from wells to refineries, to circulate cooling fluids in mechanical equipment and factories. Over time, the accumulation of sediments and deposits can lead to the partial or total blockage of a pipeline, with consequent damage and reduction or interruption of the service. In some cases, blockages can have truly substantial socio-economic consequences (e.g., the temporary closure of a pipeline for oil or gas yields tremendous economic losses). Unfortunately, when dealing with very large pipeline networks, it may be difficult to identify the location of a blockage and plan the needed interventions without inspecting all the pipes, which sometimes span multiple continents.

A team led by Dr. Bocchini has developed a methodology to identify the most likely location of blockages in large pipeline networks, which went through extensive numerical validation. Over the summer, the Mountaintop Team was tasked to design, build, and use a scaled-down, instrumented pipeline network to simulate the formation of blockages, validate and calibrate the numerical procedure that has been already developed.

The team successfully accomplished the task and came to some interesting conclusions on the accuracy and limits of applicability of the methodology. Most importantly, this has been an opportunity for the students to think about the fundamental concepts and experience the application of the scientific method: from a social need, to an idea, to a developed methodology, and appropriate numerical and empirical testing.