Performance Assessment of Sewer Networks under Different Blockage Situations Using Internet-of-Things-Based Technologies

Abstract

This study aims to model the performance of sewage networks under diverse blockage situations in terms of overflow occurrence using internet-of-things-based technologies in Hong Kong. To this end, a multi-stage methodological approach is employed, starting from collecting required data using smart sensors, utilizing novel data mining techniques, and using a case study simulation. From the results obtained, the following conclusions are drawn: (1) several sites under investigation are imbued with partial blockages, (2) the overall performance of the sewer network has a nonlinear relationship with the blockages in terms of the remaining time to overflow, (3) in cases of complete blockages, the sewer only takes few minutes to reach the manhole cover level that causes the system to experience overflow, and (4) cleaning work significantly improve the performance of the sewage network by 86%. The outcomes of this study provide a solid foundation for the concerned environmental engineers and decision-makers towards reducing the magnitude of sewer overflow and improving different aspects of our environment.