As the Federal Government pushes to sell more Aussie products to the world, a condition assessment technology from the University of Adelaide is already leading the charge.
Since 2017, many Australian water authorities have been using a unique pipeline assessment tool, p-CAT, to detect leaks and deterioration in their networks, and tackle them before they become bursts.
This clever technology is a bit different from other forms of condition assessment; it’s completely non-invasive, can cover large distances in short periods of time as well as pinpoint damage within a 10m section – and it’s an entirely Aussie invention.
p-CAT was developed by a team of researchers at the University of Adelaide and commercialised by a local specialised water management company, Detection Services, who then puts a cut of every analysis fee back into the university to fund more research and development.
And now this technology is taking the world by storm.
Making waves
The core technology that p-CAT is based on has been studied at the University of Adelaide for almost three decades.
Dr Young-il Kim was a member of that original research group, who were the first to apply a new transient-based analysis technique to pipe wall condition assessment. He began working on the technology as part of his PhD and then continued this work even after he became a research fellow at the university.
After some time, Dr Kim began a push to turn this technology from a research project into a solution that can actually be used by the industry – and in 2013 he joined forces with Detection Services Director, Stephen Simmons, to commercialise p-CAT.
Dr Kim then moved over to Detection Services to perform condition assessments for clients with p-CAT as a viable commercial technology.
Detection Services Senior Analyst, Penny Wrightson, was one of the first employees to join the Condition Assessment Team after Dr Kim, and she said that p-CAT has come a long way since she started.
“They’re always looking at ways to improve it or simplify it, but the core basis of the technology has largely remained the same,” Ms Wrightson said.
“Where we’ve really come a long way is in providing what clients are really looking for – not just what the university thinks is interesting.”
p-CAT works by analysing hydraulic waves as they travel through the pipeline – which means that the asset doesn’t need to be taken offline while the assessment takes place.
A number of temporary sensors are installed in existing pipe fittings at a maximum of 1km intervals along the length of the pipeline; and one of these fittings is also used as a generator station, which creates a controllable mild pressure wave in the pipeline.
As the wave travels through the pipeline, some of its energy is partially reflected when it encounters change in the pipeline structure – such as corrosion or a section of the pipe where the wall thickness is reduced. Deterioration can also change the fundamental hydraulic characteristics of a pipe network, which is also able to be determined.
All this information is then picked up by the sensors and Detection Services analyses that data to create a highly accurate report about the condition of the pipeline.
“When we first started, the reports were providing information in a way that makes sense only if you are a hydraulic pipe engineer with a lot of background information,” Ms Wrightson said.
“But now we’ve changed the way we present the results so that we can give it to asset managers who might not [have much technical knowledge] about pipes or who come from a non-civil background, and they can actually use the information.”
Detection Services CEO, Chris Evans, explained that Detection Services has since expanded p-CAT into a system of solutions that leverage this core technology to address a range of different challenges, including valve integrity and air and gas pockets.
“[When we first came on board], it was quite a raw package, and we’ve taken the time to refine the solution so it can be used operationally and then take it to [utilities] and confirm that it’s the right tool for their operational needs,” he said.
A fair assessment
According to Mr Evans, p-CAT has been embraced in Australia by utilities and pipeline asset owners and is now used almost daily in operations across Victoria and Queensland.
“I think the benefit of developing it in Australia is the willingness and acceptance of the water industry to give it a fair go,” he said.
“It’s become the go-to tool now for critical large diameter pipeline condition assessment and rising sewer mains.”
With more than two million people and 62,000 businesses relying on its water and sewerage services, Yarra Valley Water is one of the largest water utilities in Australia. As the utility manages a network that spans across a vast 4000km2 area, Yarra Valley Water takes a proactive approach to asset management and employs a condition assessment program to help it understand the condition of its assets.
Yarra Valley Water Planning Engineer, Tristan Rennick, explained that the utility has been using p-CAT as part of this condition assessment program for four-to-five years.
“For the past two years [of that] we have had a longer-term contract in place to focus on our critical trunk mains, which has allowed us to be less reactive and more strategic in our maintenance and management of our network,” he said.
“p-CAT enables Yarra Valley Water to understand the condition of entire pipelines. Since we first took up this technology, we have approximately 160km of p-CAT completed or currently in progress.”
p-CAT is able to scan long distances in a very short amount of time, without taking the pipe offline. This speed, however, doesn’t compromise the quality of the assessment, and p-CAT can identify everything from the thickness of the pipe wall to blockages and illegal connections, as well as air and gas pockets.
These results are highly detailed, and Detection Services can get the resolution down to 5–10m sections, which means utilities like Yarra Valley Water can pinpoint specific areas for intervention rather than replace the entire length of the pipeline.
Mr Rennick said that the utility also employs SmartCAT as part of this condition assessment program – a magnetic flux leakage technology provided by Detection Services that is particularly helpful for pipelines that don’t meet the requirements for p-CAT.
The p-CAT suite, as it’s now referred to, is quite versatile, and Ms Wrightson said that it can be adapted to suit the individual system – with new variants of the technologies being added to bring more confidence to clients who are looking to survey more of their assets without spending large sums of money on refurbishment.
“We can work with water, bore water, sewer rising mains, sludge mains – but there is no pipe that is exactly the same as the last and every one of them has their own challenges,” she said.
“Some might not have enough fittings while others might not have enough pressure – they’ve all got their little quirks and the technology suite is really flexible.”
But to solve these problems, Ms Wrightson said she and the Detection Services team also need to be flexible.
“The way that we conduct our testing is we first determine as a team what we can safely do on [the pipeline] – and we talk to the client about what pressures and test conditions they are okay with,” she said.
As part of this tailored approach, Detection Services also offers a range of other condition assessment solutions to accommodate almost any pipeline.
What’s in the pipeline?
This Aussie innovation is now being used by water utilities, municipalities and government agencies around the world, and Mr Evans announced that Detection Services is now launching an international arm – with Dr Kim as the Project Director.
“PIA, which stands for Pipeline Inspection and Assessment, is the business we’ve created to meet the international market’s demand for condition assessment technology,” Mr Evans said.
“PIA has a bit of a unique business model, where we work with local distribution partners in these countries and enable them to offer the full p-CAT suite to their market.”
Previously, Detection Services would have to send teams overseas to perform condition assessments. But under PIA, these new partners are being trained to use full p-CAT suite.
“They act as the front end; they meet the clients, do the tests in the field and send the information back to us – then we then we do the analysis back in Adelaide and can provide support from behind the scenes [as needed],” Mr Evans said.
“The benefit here is that every time we [analyse] a kilometre of pipeline, the University of Adelaide gets a royalty to fund further research and develop more innovative solutions. And even without that investment back in the university, when we charge international clients for the analysis, the money comes back into PIA, and PIA pays its tax back into the Australian economy.”
With 21 international partners already on board, PIA officially launched on 28 April 2025 – but Mr Evans said that there’s even more exciting things in the pipeline.
“[Detection Services] is constantly looking for new innovation, in fact, we’re looking at some other interesting non-invasive solutions right now that are about to go to trial,” he said.
“We want to act as an advocate for the industry. We’re not just bringing in something that’s bright and shiny for the sake of it being new – we’re acting in the industry’s best interest, even before our own.
“But for me it’s [seeing a technology] from down‑under take on the world, we take great pride in that achievement.”
For more information, visit detectionservices.com.au
