Protective Coatings on Welded Steel Storage Tanks: Is It Time to Repair or Replace?

Protective Coatings on Welded Steel Storage Tanks: Is It Time to Repair or Replace?

The decision to repair or replace a protective coating on welded steel storage tanks depends on several factors, including the condition of the existing coating, the extent of damage or deterioration, the remaining service life of the storage tank, budget considerations, and environmental considerations.

Generally, a high-quality protective coating on a well-maintained welded steel storage tank can sometimes have a lifespan of 20 to 40 years or even longer. However, premature coating failure can occur due to various factors, and ongoing inspections and maintenance are crucial to ensuring the longevity of the coating.

How does an owner know when to repair or replace protective coatings?

Unsung Heroes: Understanding the Crucial Role of Construction Engineering and Inspection

Unsung Heroes: Understanding the Crucial Role of Construction Engineering and Inspection

In the world of public works construction, where intricate bridges, robust roadways, and large-scale water/wastewater infrastructure shape our landscape, a group of professionals work diligently behind the scenes – Construction Engineering and Inspection (CEI) experts. Often, unsung heroes, these professionals play a pivotal role in ensuring that quality construction projects are delivered safely and in compliance with industry standards.

In our most recent blog post, we share the importance of CEI in the public works construction industry. From overseeing the intricacies of materials and testing to coordinating with various stakeholders, CEI professionals are the guardians of construction excellence. Join us as we delve into their responsibilities, the challenges they face, and their impact on the success of construction projects.

Factors Impacting the Cost of Pipeline Condition Assessment

Factors Impacting the Cost of Pipeline Condition Assessment

Water and wastewater utilities face the challenge of maintaining infrastructure that has served for decades. Buried pipeline infrastructure poses accessibility challenges from physical limitations and operational constraints. Consequently, utilities must strategize effectively to plan for potential rehabilitation or replacement initiatives. The optimal approach involves conducting a comprehensive field-based condition assessment, ensuring the availability of up-to-date and precise data for informed decision-making. However, the logistics of gathering condition data can be challenging, impacting the pipeline condition assessment cost.

Cell-to-Cell Surveys for Identifying Active Corrosion on Mortar-Coated Steel Pipes

Cell-to-Cell Surveys for Identifying Active Corrosion on Mortar-Coated Steel Pipes

Corrosion in infrastructure systems, such as steel pipes, significantly threatens their structural integrity and longevity. Detecting and monitoring corrosion promptly is crucial to ensure the safe operation of these infrastructure assets. In the case of mortar-coated steel pipes, corrosion can occur underneath the protective mortar layer, making it challenging to identify without invasive investigative techniques. Cell-to-cell surveys assess the likelihood of active corrosion on mortar-coated pipe materials due to the loss of intimate contact between the steel cylinder and the mortar coating.

Mitigating Wastewater Odors: What are my Options?

Mitigating Wastewater Odors: What are my Options?

Wastewater odor issues are typically the result of hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg odor), H2S, produced within the wastewater during conveyance or treatment. H2S  can wreak havoc in wastewater treatment systems as it leads to infrastructure corrosion, worker safety issues, and public odor complaints. To address these issues in public wastewater systems, owners and operators need to identify the source of the H2S and other odorous compounds and implement appropriate odor control measures. A comprehensive odor control strategy begins with an odor investigation to characterize the odor and identify the source. Once the odor sources are identified and clear treatment objectives are established, odor control strategies can be designed and implemented.

GACP vs. ICCP - Which Cathodic Protection System is Right for my Project?

GACP vs. ICCP - Which Cathodic Protection System is Right for my Project?

Corrosion is a primary concern for pipelines as it can cause significant damage to the pipeline structure and potentially lead to leaks, which can be costly to repair and environmentally harmful. Cathodic protection (CP) systems help minimize the risk of pipeline leaks and damage by providing protection from potential corrosion issues. Often, the first decision the design engineer, owner, and operator of a pipeline needs to make after determining whether the soil is corrosive is whether to use a Galvanic Anode Cathodic Protection (GACP) or an Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) system.

How do you know which cathodic protection system is suitable for your project?

Metallic Corrosion: Methods for Assessing Structure Condition

Metallic Corrosion: Methods for Assessing Structure Condition

Metallic surfaces and structures commonly found in the water and wastewater industry include pipelines, gates, treatment plant basins, reinforcing steel embedded in concrete structures, access lids, and steel tanks. Metallic assets are critical components of water and wastewater systems; however, these assets are susceptible to corrosion which can be detrimental to system operations.

Engineers employ various methods to prevent electrochemical reactions from causing corrosion damage to metallic surfaces. Regular intervals of condition assessment are critical to evaluating metallic structure assets to identify and counteract corrosion before it becomes a costly and devastating problem.

Protecting Infrastructure – What’s the Difference Between Coatings and Linings?

Protecting Infrastructure – What’s the Difference Between Coatings and Linings?

Protective coatings and linings are regularly discussed in the corrosion, water, and wastewater industries. Often, coatings and linings offer the first line of defense against a corrosive environment's harmful effects on infrastructure. The term coatings is generally used for protective materials on a valve, pipe, tank, or sheet pile exterior. The term lining is usually used to describe the protective materials on the interior surfaces of a valve, pipe, tank, or concrete structure.

Condition Assessment Methods for Reinforced Concrete Structures at Wastewater Treatment Plants

Condition Assessment Methods for Reinforced Concrete Structures at Wastewater Treatment Plants

As wastewater treatment facilities age, it is critical that the concrete structures are assessed at regular intervals to identify and locate areas of degradation early, while a repair is still a cost-effective solution. To many in the wastewater industry, Condition Assessment is defined as the engineering analysis of structures and facilities to determine the remaining service life. Condition Assessment includes the use of appropriate and established tools and techniques to measure the current condition of a structure or facility against industry standards. For V&A’s engineers, Condition Assessment is performed by collecting quantitative data in the field to complement visual investigations.

What's That Smell? Investigating Wastewater Odors

What's That Smell? Investigating Wastewater Odors

A comprehensive odor control strategy begins with an odor investigation to characterize the odor and identify the source. This article provides a high-level overview of a typical odor investigation approach.

Investigating offensive wastewater odors ensures that you are being a good neighbor, providing a safe work environment, and protecting critical infrastructure from corrosion caused by hydrogen sulfide. The sooner odor issues are addressed, the more cost-effective and impactful the solutions can be.

Mechanisms of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Structures at Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP)

Mechanisms of Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Structures at Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP)

Reinforced concrete is one of the most common construction materials, especially in the wastewater industry. Concrete, in its most basic form, is a mixture of water, aggregates, cement and reinforcing steel. Concrete is strong in compression and very weak in tension which is the reason reinforcing steel is added to form a composite structure.

While concrete used in wastewater applications can be quite resilient, proper design and corrosion protection are necessary to ensure the structure lasts through its intended service life.

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Measuring Coffee and Corrosion: What is the “best” cup of coffee, and what is “bad” corrosion?

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Measuring Coffee and Corrosion: What is the “best” cup of coffee, and what is “bad” corrosion?

How do you know if something is good or bad? Without defined criteria, the best and worst of anything is subjective. V&A’s proprietary indexes were designed to help those of us encountering corrosion quickly and easily assess the severity of corrosion and how to respond to it.

Sewer system defects and smoke testing for defect detection

Sewer system defects and smoke testing for defect detection

Stormwater can enter sewer systems through a variety of inflow and infiltration (I/I) sources. Flow monitoring, system defect detection, and repair provide cost savings. Sources of inflow and infiltration can be difficult to locate. Smoke testing is a fairly simple and handy tool for quickly identifying system defects.

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C Factor Testing

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C Factor Testing

Why am I seeing an increase in my energy use at wastewater pump stations? Pump stations are often designed using a Hazen Williams C Factor of 120 for new force mains. Over time debris and a slime layer builds up on the interior surfaces of wastewater force mains resulting in a reduction of the C Factor. As the C factor decreases the power required to pump the wastewater increases.

The First Line of Defense: Coatings and Linings

The First Line of Defense: Coatings and Linings

One of the largest challenges the nation faces is deteriorating infrastructure. Not only is this a result of old age and natural wear and tear, but also from harsh environments that some of our infrastructure have to exist in. The deteriorating effects of these environments can be delayed and protected against simply by applying a coating or lining system. We will briefly discuss some common harsh environments that water and wastewater infrastructure must be able to survive in and that coatings and lining systems offer the first line of defense in extending and preserving their service life.

Southern California Steel Water Storage Tanks Condition Assessment

Southern California Steel Water Storage Tanks Condition Assessment

Our work takes us into spaces that are critical to our infrastructure. In this blog, V&A shares a view inside and outside of several steel potable water storage tanks located in Southern California. Take a tour with us and see inside and outside these massive steel structures. It is a view unlike any other.

Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Sewer Flow Monitoring

Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Sewer Flow Monitoring

Avert costly Collection System Repairs via hydraulic modeling. Public works departments and agencies have options when it comes to sewer flow monitoring, we outline methods to pinpoint problems while being cost-effective in their approach.

Collection Systems – Are you maximizing the return on your digital investments?

Collection Systems – Are you maximizing the return on your digital investments?

Collection systems have invested millions of dollars over the past decade to digitize geographic assets, work order processes, and condition assessment analyses. You have invested in GIS, CMMS and CCTV – what’s the starting point for maximizing the return on those investments? While machine learning and Artificial Intelligence get the hype and headlines, as much as 80% of any data science opportunity falls within the scope of the “data wrangling.”

What do Monty Hall, Brad Pitt, and sewer pipes have in common?

What do Monty Hall, Brad Pitt, and sewer pipes have in common?

The game show "Let's Make a Deal" debuted in 1963 and was hosted for 30 years by Monty Hall. The game show was known for the crazy costumes the contestants wore and is famous in the statistics world for the "Big Deal" segment. In the Big Deal segment of the show, contestants are shown 3 numbered doors and are told about the fabulous/expensive prize behind 1 of the three doors. One of the other doors has an ok prize, and the third door typically would have a lousy prize, like a goat (the farm animal kind, not the Tom Brady kind).