Optical Technology for Pipeline Condition Assessment

This paper discusses how optical imaging technology has transferred from the oil and gas industry to the sewer pipe inspection industry to become known as the Sewer Scanner and Evaluation Technology (SSET). The first generation of the innovation system was developed in 1996, and the system was expanded and advanced to the second-generation system in 1998. Approximately 38,400 meters of sewer lines was scanned with the developed system as part of the evaluation program in 1997 and 1998. The system was first utilized in a pilot commercial contract in 1999. Lessons learned from experience and the future direction for optical scanning technology for sewer pipe internal inspection will be discussed.