Non Destructive Testing of plastic pipes to reduce failures in the water and gas networks

Impact has developed and identified an opportunity to further develop an ultrasound testing
method for PE plastic pipe joints. Electrofusion joints are commonly used to connect PE
pipes for water and gas delivery across the UK, but studies have found that 20% fail before
the end of their service lifetime. There is currently no cost effective method of testing these
joints and as a result testing is rarely carried out, and failures, which lead to safety concerns
and water leakages are common place.
In 2014, UK water authorities lost 3.3 billion litres of water daily to leakages in pipes, with
the majority due to faulty joints. Current testing methods are limited to destructive testing of
dummy joints, which test the welders ability, but this method is time consuming and costly as
the testing is required to be performed at external laboratories. As a result, most contractors
will ignore this testing.
Impact NDT will be developed in this project to be a compact, handheld device, which can be
operated by a minimally trained operator. The technology will be able to analyse and
interpret the results in real time and deliver a red, or green light to the operator and certify the
pipe joint meets the relevant standard. It will be a low cost solution, in line with the industry
wants, as confirmed during an InnovateUK proof of market. During this project, an MD of a
large UK water authority commented “Can I have one tomorrow?”.
Additionally, Impact have identified a large market within the USA, where PE pipes are
commonly used for gas transport. A 2014 fatal gas explosion in Harlem, NY, led to a NTSB
investigation, where a faulty pipe weld was found to be responsible. As a result, the NTSB
has issued a safety warning against electrofusion pipe welds, until a suitable quality solution
can be found. Therefore, there is a large possibility of having Impact NDT regulatory
approved and mandated within the USA for all PE pipe welds.