Performance of Prestressed Concrete Cylinder Pipe in North Africa: Case Study of the Water Transmission Systems in the Tafilalet Region of Morocco
Publication: Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 12, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper describes the most important results of investigations conducted to determine the causes of the degradation of underground prestressed concrete cylinder pipes (PCCPs) used for the drinking water supply in the Tafilalet region of Morocco. Diagnostic, laboratory, and in situ studies were conducted to locate and visually inspect the damaged areas as well as characterize the damaged PCCP, soil, and groundwater. The results obtained show that chloride-induced corrosion of the prestressing wires is the main cause of the deterioration of the PCCP pipes. The high concentration of chloride ions in the mortar coatings’ capillary system is found to originate from the soil and groundwater surrounding the damaged pipes. This is because the soil and groundwater in the damaged areas were found to be highly corrosive. The presence of high amounts of sulfate ions in the mortar coatings, soil, and groundwater further accelerated the corrosion process. The rapid corrosion attack on the PCCPs is also partly attributed to the cyclical wetting and drying exposure conditions in the region, which tends to increase the chloride and sulfate concentrations in the capillary system of the PCCP mortar coating and thus initiate corrosion on the prestressing wires. Improper design and manufacturing defects (such as irregular mortar coating thickness, inconsistent prestressed wire spacing, and low quality of mortar coating) also significantly affected the durability of the PCCPs. Operational factors, however, had a minimal impact on the performance of the PCCP pipes. Based on the results obtained, the durability exposure class for the Tafilalet region was identified as XA3 (i.e., highly aggressive chemical environment) according to international standards. In such circumstances, it is essential to use sulfate-resisting cement. However, the mortar coatings evaluated were neither sulfate resistant nor chloride resistant; therefore, the study concludes that the PCCPs installed were not adequately designed for the exposure conditions in the Tafilalet region.
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Data Availability Statement
The data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article. Additional data are available on request from the corresponding author.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) Committee of Morocco for their financial support. The authors also greatly appreciate the support received through the collaborative work undertaken with field managers and other representatives.
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Published In
Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice
Volume 12 • Issue 2 • May 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 26, 2020
Accepted: Aug 26, 2020
Published online: Feb 23, 2021
Published in print: May 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Jul 23, 2021
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