Make Better Pipeline Decisions With Better Condition Data
Aqua Analytics uses Acquaint’s Acquarius inline inspection technology to assess pressurised pipelines from the inside and build a clearer picture of their actual condition.
By combining multiple sensing technologies in a single inspection run, Acquarius can collect structural, geometric, acoustic and positional data across long sections of buried infrastructure.
This gives asset owners stronger evidence for repair, renewal and replacement decisions, with less reliance on age, assumptions or isolated inspection points.
What Can You Learn From a Single Inline Inspection?
Different pipe materials fail in different ways, so the value of an inspection depends on whether it can measure the deterioration mechanisms that matter for the asset.
Aquarius can be configured to collect multiple layers of condition data in a single run.
For metallic pipelines such as steel, ductile iron and cast iron, this can include:
- Remaining wall thickness
- Wall loss and corrosion
- Geometry and deformation
- Joint condition
- Active leaks
- Pipeline alignment and XYZ location
For asbestos cement pipelines, ultrasonic measurements can help assess calcium leaching and the remaining healthy material within the pipe wall.
For prestressed concrete pressure pipe, material-specific sensing can identify prestressing wire breaks alongside broader geometric, joint and positional measurements.
Depending on the pipeline, Acquarius can also identify:
- Joint gaps and angular displacement
- Ovality
- Deposits and sediment
- Gas pockets
- Changes in pipe material
- Fittings and repair sections
Turn Inspection Data Into Actionable Asset Intelligence
The value of inline pipeline inspection is not just the amount of data collected. It is the quality of the information available after the inspection and how confidently that information can support the next asset decision.
Following inspection and analysis, outputs can include:
- Identified anomalies and their location
- Measured wall or material condition
- Joint and geometry findings
- Leak locations
- Pipeline alignment and XYZ position
- Condition data mapped along the inspected asset
- Material and fitting changes
- GIS-compatible outputs where applicable
- Interpreted findings to support repair, monitoring and renewal planning
This information can help asset teams:
- Prioritise renewals by identifying the sections that need attention first
- Target repairs rather than treating an entire pipeline as being in the same condition
- Validate planned replacement before committing significant capital
- Defer unnecessary works where measured condition supports continued service
- Identify unexpected deterioration that may require earlier intervention
- Improve risk and remaining-life assessments with measured condition data
- Plan future monitoring around known defects and deterioration trends
- Improve asset records with more accurate pipeline alignment and condition information
For critical infrastructure, this can reduce the risk of replacing serviceable assets too early or leaving deteriorated sections in operation for too long.
Where Does Inline Pipeline Inspection Add the Most Value?
Inline inspection is particularly useful where broader condition data can materially improve a high-value or high-consequence asset decision.
Critical Trunk and Transmission Mains
Assess long sections of buried infrastructure where failure could disrupt supply, operations or surrounding assets.
Ageing Pipelines With Uncertain Condition
Build a clearer condition profile where age, material type or historical failures do not provide enough evidence to support a renewal decision.
Pipelines Being Considered for Major Renewal
Collect direct condition data before committing significant capital to rehabilitation or replacement.
Assets With Recurring Failures
Determine whether failures are isolated or form part of a broader deterioration pattern along the pipeline.
Long Pipelines With Limited Inspection Coverage
Assess condition across the inspected length where excavation or spot testing would only provide information at selected locations.
Assets With Incomplete or Unreliable Location Data
Improve understanding of the pipeline’s actual alignment and XYZ position to support future maintenance, excavation and renewal planning.
Why Use Inline Inspection Over Other Pipeline Assessment Methods?
Different inspection methods answer different questions.
CCTV provides useful visual information about the internal surface of a pipe. Acoustic technologies are highly effective for identifying active leaks. Excavation and external ultrasonic testing can provide detailed measurements at selected locations. Non-invasive methods can also provide valuable condition indicators without entering the pipeline.
Inline inspection becomes particularly useful when the objective is to collect multiple types of condition information across a much larger proportion of the asset.
For suitable pipelines, Acquarius can offer several advantages:
- Broader condition intelligence by assessing structural, geometric, acoustic and positional information in one inspection
- Greater coverage across long pipeline sections rather than selected points alone
- Material-specific measurements based on the pipe material and likely failure mechanism
- Accurate issue location by combining condition data with distance and XYZ positioning
- Reduced reliance on excavation across the length of the asset
- More useful outputs for asset planning by linking measured condition to specific pipeline locations
The key difference is not that one inspection method is always better than another.
It is whether the method can provide the information needed to answer the asset question.
Aqua Analytics can assess whether inline inspection should be used on its own or alongside other condition assessment technologies to provide a stronger overall result.
How Aqua Analytics Delivers an Inline Inspection
1. Assess the asset and inspection objectives
We review the pipeline, operating conditions and the questions the inspection needs to answer.
2. Plan and prepare the deployment
Launch and retrieval requirements, cleaning, dummy runs and any required network preparation are confirmed.
3. Complete the inline inspection
Acquarius travels through the pipeline while collecting condition, geometry, leak and positioning data relevant to the asset.
4. Analyse and interpret the results
Inspection data is processed to identify anomalies, deterioration and priority locations.
5. Turn the findings into the next asset decision
Results can then support repair, monitoring, rehabilitation, renewal and further investigation.
Aqua Analytics combines advanced inline inspection technology with broader experience across pipeline condition assessment, leak detection and water network management, helping clients turn raw inspection data into information their engineering and asset teams can use.
Need a Clearer Picture Before Making a Pipeline Decision?
If you are planning a major renewal, investigating recurring failures or trying to understand the true condition of a critical asset, Aqua Analytics can help you determine whether inline inspection will give you the answers you need.
Our team can review your pipeline, inspection objectives and operating conditions, then recommend the most suitable approach to assess its condition and support your next repair, renewal or replacement decision.
Inline Pipeline Inspection FAQs
What pipeline materials can be inspected?
Acquarius can be used across a range of materials including steel, ductile and cast iron, asbestos cement, concrete pressure pipe and GRP or composite pipelines. The measurements available depend on the pipe material and inspection configuration.
What can inline pipeline inspection detect?
Depending on the asset, inspection can provide information on wall thickness, corrosion, material degradation, joint condition, deformation, leaks, prestressing wire breaks, deposits, gas pockets and pipeline alignment.
Can Aqua Analytics inspect large diameter pipelines?
Yes. Aqua Analytics provides inline inspection for large pressurised water and wastewater pipelines using Acquaint’s Acquarius technology. The system is designed for pipelines from approximately DN200 upwards, with final suitability depending on factors such as pipe material, diameter, bends, valves, access and operating conditions.
How are large pressurised water pipelines inspected internally?
Large pressurised water pipelines can be inspected internally using a free-swimming inline inspection platform that travels through the pipe while collecting condition data. Depending on the asset, Acquarius can assess wall condition, corrosion, joints, deformation, leaks and pipeline alignment across long sections of buried infrastructure.
Can the pipeline remain operational during the inspection?
Acquarius is propelled through the pipeline by flow and can often inspect a pressurised pipeline while it remains operational. Preparation or temporary network changes may still be required depending on the asset.
Does the pipeline need to be cleaned before inspection?
Cleaning and a dummy PIG run may be required before deployment to confirm the pipeline is clear and suitable for the inspection platform to pass through safely.
How is inline inspection different from CCTV?
CCTV primarily provides visual information about the internal surface of the pipe. Inline inspection can use multiple sensors to measure characteristics such as wall condition, degradation, geometry and leaks that may not be visible on camera.
How is inline inspection different from spot testing?
Spot testing provides condition information at selected locations. Inline inspection can collect measurements across long sections of pipeline, helping identify deterioration that may occur between individual test points.
What information do we receive after the inspection?
Outputs can include identified anomalies, measured condition data, defect locations, joint and geometry findings, pipeline alignment, mapped condition data and GIS-compatible information where applicable.
How do I know whether inline inspection is the right method?
Suitability depends on the pipeline material, diameter, configuration, hydraulic conditions, access and the information required. Aqua Analytics can assess these factors and recommend whether inline inspection or another condition assessment method is better suited to the project.
