Rachel Cunningham, Networks R&D Manager at Thames Water, the lead water company and then partner in the Pipebots for rising mains – Phase 1 and Phase 2, which received nearly £2 million funding from the Ofwat Innovation Fund, outlines how the project aims to test the use of robots in rising mains in order to identify, predict and address pipe deterioration, so that pipes don’t burst and let harmful pollutants escape.
Rachel discusses with Phil Alsop, Water Magazine’s Editor, what the project is looking to solve, its progress to date, and some important lessons learnt.
Phase One explored how pipebots could travel through pipes. This research was to identify sections that need replacing to target repairs and help reduce the environmental risk from bursts. Some robots exist for this kind of work in the petrochemicals industry. However, these are built to work with different materials and thicknesses of pipe. These were reviewed to establish if they could be adapted for the water sector.
Work was done in partnership with the University of Sheffield and Synthotech.
Funding for Phase Two was announced by Ofwat in May 2024. The next step for the investigation is to build upon the lessons learned during Phase One by revisiting and refining the design of the pipebot and its sensors. Pipebot testing will be done with increasingly harsh environments and more complex configurations of pipe. This includes different materials and navigating tighter corners.
Phase Two Work is taking place in partnership with the University of Sheffield, Synthotech, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water and Wessex Water, and is expected to be completed in July 2026.
More information on Thames Water’s ‘Pipebots for rising mains’ project can be found here.
