SusChEM GOALI: Transformative Approach to Sustain Potable Water Infrastructure: Fundamental Mechanisms of In-Situ Autogenous Repair

SusChEM 目标：维持饮用水基础设施的变革方法：原位自修复的基本机制

• 批准号: 1336616
• 负责人: Marc Edwards
• 金额: $ 53.04万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-10-01 至 2017-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1336616&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SusChEM; GOALI; Transformative; Approach; Sustain

CBET 1336616Marc EdwardsVirginia TechAs the nation's aging potable water pipeline systems fall deeper into disrepair, and costs of traditional pipe replacement increasingly dwarf societal abilities to pay for upgrades, innovative approaches to sustain pipeline assets are urgently needed. We have discovered that our existing pipe materials (i.e., iron, cement, and copper) have a remarkable ability for autogenous leak self-repair that has heretofore been unexploited, providing possible approaches to pipeline restoration at costs orders of magnitude lower than conventional alternatives. Our ultimate objective is to rationally engineer the chemistry of drinking water to seal existing leak-holes formed in existing materials via clogging with waterborne and/or water-formed particles. A laboratory phase of research establishes fundamental mechanisms of (1) leak clogging by model particulates commonly found in water distribution systems, (2) "smart" precipitation of crystalline CaCO3(s) in leak-holes, and (3) metallic corrosion as a pathway for repairing leaks. Parallel large-scale application of the approach to extend the lifetime of New York City's iconic Delaware Aqueduct will provide valuable data and insights to both leak clogging and "smart precipitation."This research is the first to demonstrate that existing leaks in aged pipelines do not inevitably grow to failure, but can actually provide a pathway to self-repair via water chemistry. Such low cost, environmentally friendly solutions to one of the most urgent infrastructure problems facing the developed world, has the potential to save tens of billions of dollars per year in reduced damages, water loss, and capital expenditures. Repair of leaks enhances water conservation/sustainability and protects public health by reducing the likelihood of contaminant influx into pipelines. After more than a century of research aimed at minimizing problems with corrosion, scaling and particle formation in potable water systems at every opportunity, the possibility that these processes can be beneficially exploited to repair existing pipelines would represent a true paradigm shift. The basic science and concepts also have direct linkages to economically sustaining other decaying infrastructure assets including sewage pipelines and concrete structures.

由于美国老化的饮用水管道系统年久失修，传统管道更换的成本日益超出社会支付升级的能力，因此迫切需要创新的方法来维持管道资产。我们发现，现有的管道材料（即铁、水泥和铜）具有显著的自泄漏自我修复能力，这是迄今为止尚未开发的，为管道修复提供了可能的方法，其成本比传统替代方案低几个数量级。我们的最终目标是合理地设计饮用水的化学成分，以密封现有材料中通过水性和/或水形成的颗粒堵塞而形成的泄漏孔。实验室阶段的研究建立了(1)配水系统中常见的模型颗粒堵塞泄漏的基本机制，(2)泄漏孔中结晶CaCO3的“智能”沉淀，以及(3)金属腐蚀作为修复泄漏的途径。该方法的平行大规模应用将延长纽约市标志性的特拉华渡槽的使用寿命，这将为堵漏和“智能降水”提供有价值的数据和见解。这项研究首次证明，老化管道中的现有泄漏并不会不可避免地发展到失效，而是实际上可以通过水化学提供一种自我修复的途径。这种低成本、环保的解决方案解决了发达国家面临的最紧迫的基础设施问题之一，有可能每年节省数百亿美元的损失、水损失和资本支出。修复泄漏可以加强水资源保护/可持续性，并通过减少污染物流入管道的可能性来保护公众健康。一个多世纪以来，人们一直致力于尽可能减少饮用水系统中的腐蚀、结垢和颗粒形成等问题，如今，利用这些技术来修复现有管道的可能性将代表着一种真正的范式转变。基础科学和概念也与经济地维持其他老化的基础设施资产（包括污水管道和混凝土结构）有直接联系。