10022588Quantifying In-Service Lifespan of Wastewater HardwareClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKnuron has developed a dual purpose distributed optical fibre sensing system to be installed into the sewers. This system not only provides water companies with essential information such as depth, flow, blockages, security events and infiltration, but provides infrastructure for communication fibres to support the roll out of 5G, fibre to the home and smart cities. By utilising sewer systems, full fibre roll-out can be achieved with minimal trenching of roadways and traffic management at a reduced cost by utilising the existing assets. Our system is designed to have a minimum 20 year in-sewer lifespan. During its installed life, it will be exposed to the varying conditions of the sewer, fluctuating thermal, salinity, and chemical levels, mechanical effects, and abrasion. Each of these conditions represent a unique challenge for product designers to overcome to ensure a long lifespan of equipment can be reached. Currently there are no off-the-self solutions to rapidly assess these varying parameters and their combined effects. Current testing methods are either not scalable and can only consider one of the parameters in isolation, which doesn't give realistic conditions; or take too long. We will solve this problem by developing a state-of-the-art test system, with the ability to vary parameters of the fluid stream such as temperature, flow velocity, angle of incident, and fluid composition. nuron and NPL will be able to produce a validated method to quantifiably assess the in-service life of in-sewer technology in an accelerated time frame. With a bespoke testing system, we will develop a standardised testing process for in-sewer technology. This will help all companies developing sewer-technology to be able to quantifiably assess the survivability of their products, aiding and supporting development of new technology. This has a three-fold impact: supporting new technology by providing a method to reliably validate new designs; reduce the need to over engineering in-sewer technology; and reduce the perceived survivability risk for new products, enabling faster adoption of new technologies. This will result in better, more environmentally friendly technologies being developed with improved life, less waste and utilising more sustainable materials. This will actively remove barriers to technology adoption and provide substantial benefit to the UK economy, job markets and supply chains.