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Project # 74
Comparative Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Trenchless Cured-in-Place Pipe and Open-cut Pipeline Replacement Methods for Wastewater Applications: An AI Approach
| Team Lead: | Daniela Tapia |
| Other Team Members: | |
| Faculty Advisor(s): | Vinayak Kaushal |
| Department: | CE |
| Project Type: | REU |
| Title: | Comparative Life Cycle Cost Analysis of Trenchless Cured-in-Place Pipe and Open-cut Pipeline Replacement Methods for Wastewater Applications: An AI Approach |
| Abstract: | Like other assets, sanitary sewer pipelines are susceptible to structural failures, blockages, and overflows. The condition of U.S. wastewater infrastructure is graded D-, with an overall grade of C- for US infrastructure, which is concerning. Innovative trenchless technologies that are more cost-effective than the traditional open-cut systems have emerged. Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) is the most commonly used method among these new technologies. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) has not yet been performed to compare the traditional open-trenching system with no-dig techniques, like CIPP. LCCA measures the net present value of all relevant costs to install, operate, and maintain alternative drainage systems like engineering, construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement over a specified period. This paper presents a model for a comparative LCCA of open-cut pipeline (OCP) installation with CIPP, which will benefit engineers who want to evaluate the cost associated with sanitary sewer pipelines. For this research, LCCA equals the summation of construction, environmental, and social costs, which requires a clear understanding of all environmental and social impacts as well as cost factors associated with CIPP and OCP projects from inception to replacement/disposal. The intelligent prediction model is designed to compare the construction, environmental, and social cost of OCP and CIPP methods for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and ductile iron (DI) sewer pipes with diameters ranging from 8-14 in. Predictive results show that although PVC pipe has initial economic benefits due to lower material costs, DI pipe tends to be more cost-effective and also comparatively environmentally sustainable over its service life. |
| Poster: | View Poster #74 (PDF) |
| Judges Scoring: | Submit Evaluation (judges only) |