Calgary Water Crisis

Published on 12 May 2025 at 14:36

Calgary Water Crisis

👋 Here is a little bit about this project that I carried out with my sister Xueqi:

We were pretty interested in the water crisis that happened in Calgary in the summer of 2024. Inspired by how the city got together, we wanted to find solutions to help make sure city emergencies like the one we just experinced don't happen again. 

We tried looking beyond the traditional methods of pipeline management, creating our projects using implementable technologies and methodologies, with the aim to revolutionize how to detect, maintain, and repair pipelines.

What sparked our research

We were so shocked when we first saw this news article in June, 2024:

Curious about what sparked our interest? Take a look at this Medium article written by Xueqi.

Our innovations

We have thoroughly documented two innovative ideas that we believe can help solve and prevent the water crisis from happening again. It would be great if we could have clean water forever!

Each solution presented is backed by research and engineering expertise, making them ready for immediate implementation.

We hope that our solutions can inspire industries to implement creative solutions for future issues!

InnoRepair Bot

Introducing the InnoRepair Bot. This robot conducts internal, on-line steel repair through using advanced laser cladding technology. It maintains pipeline integrity without interrupting the fluid flow and potentially disrupting external, environmental conditions. The InnoRepair Bot is key to solving pipeline leakage issues in a fluid-continuous and eco-friendly manner.

Our InnoRepair Bot is inspired by the design of the FSW Bot, a robotic device that recently came into existence in 2019  —  click on the link down below for more information about the FSW Bot:

The Problem.

There are currently no internal on-line repair methods in the industry. By “internal on-line detection methods”, we’re referring to steel thinning or cracking detection systems that are conducted within the pipeline (not externally) when fluid is still flowing through the pipeline.

Why are there no internal on-line repair methods out there? Many pipeline repairing methods leave harmful debris behind that must be discarded. If the repairs were to be conducted internally and on-line, the debris could potentially contaminate the fluid running through. When internal on-line repair methods are applied to water pipelines, this arouses the danger of contaminating our drinking water supply.

However, avoiding internal on-line repair methods means that pipelines must be shut down and completely isolated to conduct repairs. Fluids within the pipeline must be redirected, leading to system disruptions and costly downtime. This is both a strenuous and inefficient process, especially for large-scale pipeline systems transporting critical fluid resources, such as water, oil, or gas. Shutting down pipelines impact communities and industries relying on continuous supply.

The industry’s current reliance on external and post-shutdown repairs is unsustainable for the future of the pipeline industry. As pipelines age and demand increases, the need for innovative, debris-free, internal on-line detection and repair solutions becomes urgent.

 

Our Solution

Introducing the InnoRepair Bot. This robot conducts internal, on-line steel repair through using advanced laser cladding technology. It maintains pipeline integrity without interrupting the fluid flow and potentially disrupting external, environmental conditions. The InnoRepair Bot is key to solving pipeline leakage issues in a fluid-continuous and eco-friendly manner.

Our InnoRepair Bot is inspired by the design of the FSW Bot, a robotic device that recently came into existence in 2019  —  click on the link down below for more information about the FSW Bot:

💡NOTE: We are sending the InnoRepair Bot into the pipeline AFTER it has been cleaned. Our robot only conducts internal, on-line repair methods and not corrosion or surface cleaning actions. The InnoRepair Bot enters the pipeline with the pre-existing knowledge of where the cracked areas are.

There are many features to the InnoRepair Bot. Down below, we briefly summarize each:

Advanced Laser Cladding Technology

Laser cladding technologies repair cracks within pipelines by using a high-energy laser beam to melt an aluminium filler material, which is then directed and deposited onto the damaged area.

The InnoRepair Bot integrates a laser cladding arm that shoots melted aluminium filler particles onto the surface of the pipeline, effectively healing up internal cracks.

Hydro-Electric Turbine

We have integrated a hydro-electric turbine at the front of the InnoRepair bot that harvests the kinetic energy of the fluid. The turbine converts this to energy for the InnoRepair Bot to use.

Flexible and rigid arms

Our robot is driven forward by pressure of fluid. When it reaches the area with steel cracking ,  it extends its long, rigid arms to the circumference of the pipeline and fixes itself in place to conduct the repair. It maneuvers itself to the area needing repair through extending and shrinking its arms. For instance, if the repair is on the left, the left arms shrink and the right arms extend, shifting the robot to the left side to conduct steel repair.

Dome-shaped suction cover

We have integrated a dome-shaped suction lid to protect and cover over the area that will undergo the process of laser cladding. Utilizing the process of suction, we ensure that harmful debris generated from the laser cladding repair process will be localized and safely collected before the InnoRepair Bot relocates itself to different areas within the pipeline.

Inspection Camera

A small inspection camera has been attached to the laser cladding arm to visually confirm a crack within the pipeline. The camera then captures the “before” and “after” of the crack (the un-repaired and then repaired images).

Water Cooling system

The heat generated by the laser cladding process causes a high thermal gradient within the concrete, introducing the potential of concrete fracturing. To combat this issue, we introduce a water cooling system, where we circulate water around the cladding area to absorb and dissipate the heat generated by the laser.

Here is a Youtube video of the 3D InnoRepair Bot designed on CAD:

InnoRepair Bot Stand Alone Deck

Graphene Concrete (Concretene) PCCP Pipelines

We propose using concretene (graphene concrete) over the original concrete that composes pipelines. By incorporating graphene into concrete, we create a stronger, more durable material that is less prone to cracking. This makes it an excellent material choice for pipelines and other infrastructure projects where longevity and reliability are critical.

The Problem.

The root cause of water pipeline failures stems from the cracking of external concrete. When this outer layer of concrete cracks, it allows water to seep through, initiating the corrosion of the prestressing steel wires wrapped around the inner steel pipeline. These wires are critical, as they maintain the pressure balance within the pipeline. As the steel wires corrode and eventually break, and the pressure exerted by the fluid inside the pipeline overwhelms the weakened structure. This catastrophic chain reaction of uncontrollable events leads to the serious pipeline leaks.

During a conversation with Jeff Bishop, the Quality Assurance Manager at Suncor Energy Services Inc., he emphasized that the most significant challenge facing the pipeline industry today is external concrete cracking. This issue is pervasive, affecting both water and energy pipeline systems, with cracking setting off a chain of events that ultimately leads to pipeline failure.

Current Solutions

Rebar Pipelines

Currently, one of the mains solutions employed by the pipeline industry to reduce the likelihood of concrete cracking is the use of rebars (reinforcement bars) inserted into the concrete, much like how nails are hammered into a piece of material. There are many types of rebars that the industry uses.

Fiberglass rebars

Fiberglass rebars are highly resistant to corrosion, providing greater longevity compared to traditional steel reinforcements.

Epoxy-coated rebars

Epoxy-coated rebars (steel rebars coated with epoxy) prevent the corrosion of the rebars. The epoxy coating acts as a barrier that prevents soil moisture from reaching the inner steel infrastruction and causing corrosion.

Galvanized rebars

Galvanized rebars (steel rebars coated with zinc through a galvanizing process) protect the rebars from rusting. Similar to the epoxy-coated rebars, the zinc coating acts as a barrier that hinders soil moisture from corroding the inner steel contents.

The idea behind using rebars is to strengthen the structural integrity of the concrete, ensuring it remains durable in harsh environmental conditions, which would otherwise lead to cracking over time.

However, this approach has its own limitations. While rebars improve the concrete’s tensile strength and resistance to corrosion, they do not address the ROOT cause of cracking, such as environmental stresses like temperature fluctuations, ground movement, or the natural degradation of both concrete and steel.

Cathodic Protection

Cathodic protection is an electrochemical technique that is used to prevent metal surfaces from corroding by converting them into the cathode of an electrochemical cell. We’ll summarize the two main types of cathode protection:

Sacrificial Anode Cathode Protection

This first method involves attaching a “sacrificial anode” (a highly reactive metal) to the pipeline. The sacrificial anode “sacrifices” itself, as it corrodes rather than the steel pipeline.

Impressed Current Cathodic Protection

This method utilizes an external power source to integrate a protective current within the pipeline. Anodes are placed underground and connect to the pipeline to complete the protective current.

However, this method also has its limitations. The initial setup and maintenance of cathodic protection is often costly. The “sacrificial anode cathode protection” method is unsustainable, as it only replaces the metal that corrodes—yet the corrosion continues The maintenance task load is also heavy.

Concretene Stand Alone Deck

Enhancing Lithium Sulfur Graphene Batteries with Polymer Composite Layers

Nth Order Thinking

1st Order
  • Increases structural integrity of PCCP pipelines (durability and strength)
  • Reduces the potential of micro-cracking, mitigating the potential of steel metal corrosion and hence, leading to fewer water outbursts and failures
  • Strengthens resistence to environmental factors (i.e. dcreases water permeability of the external concrete case of PCCP pipelines)
  • Reduced weight of PCCP pipelines, decreasing cost of transportation and installation

2nd Order
  • Reduces costs associated with maintaince (repairing or replacing wearied PCCP pipelines). Overall costs for municipalities and utility companies decrease, allowing funds to be reallocated to other infrastructure projects
  • Encourage further research and development of graphene in the construction industry.
  • Lead to reduced risk of accidents, leaks, and environmental contamination, improving public trust in infrastructure.

3rd Order
  • Stimulate growth in upscaled flash graphene production.
  • Reduction of carbon footprint in public infrastructure and construction projects

4th Order
  • Establishment of new global standards for pipeline construction and maintenance.
  • Shift in engineering curricula, as if may centralize focus on innovative materials and their applications, preparing future engineers for a changing industry.

Reflection

 I had a very memorable conversation with her and one of her graduate students, Mr. Ali Teymouri. As civil engineer researchers, they are both highly knowledgeable in the material science of concrete

We jumped straight into the idea of creating concretene (flash graphene with concrete) PCCP pipelines. While they did see the potential in this idea, they posed two major concerns:

The cost of graphene is quite expensive. Ali has worked with graphene before, and he explained that the graphene he bought overseas was not cheap. What ideas often fail to account for when being implemented is the cost. However, they have never heard of flash joule heating before—-it’s a nascent technique of producing flash graphene—so perhaps creating flash graphene could reduce these costs.

 

We jumped straight into the idea of creating concretene (flash graphene with concrete) PCCP pipelines. While they did see the potential in this idea, they posed two major concerns:

Mixing the flash graphene into the concrete is not as easy as it seems. A uniform flash graphene-concrete requires huge agitation systems. In Ms. Khoshnazar’s research lab, they can create uniform mixtures through the mechanism of ultrasonic mixing—as high-frequency sound waves can create intense shear forces that break down particles and promote dispersion. Creating non-uniform concrete mixtures with flash-graphene will result in points of structural weakness within the concrete. These varying strengths would most likely result in potential structural failures. While thoroughly mixing the two substances together is key, this equipment is expensive and difficult to make ubiquitous.

Meet our team

Xueqi Yang

Email: xueqi.y16@gmail.com

Discord: xueqi0916

X: @XueqiYang51572

Instagram: xqy0916

LinkedIn: Xueqi Yang

Bingxuan Yang

Email: bingxuan.y@gmail.com

Discord: _bingxuan

X: @Bxy_0916

Instagram: bxy_0916

LinkedIn: Bingxuan Yang

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