Underground Infrastructure - May 2023 - 26

Conference Review
Engineering and Construction, talked about the Houston
region's steady growth post-COVID-19 pandemic. Freeway
traffic is nearing pre-pandemic levels and transit ridership is
rising steadily each month. Travel patterns are changing with
work-from-home being an option, but traffic fatalities are still
on the rise. The challenge is what actions the region should
take to address transportation alternatives and safety, which
are critical to the quality of life.
Moncef Souissi, senior geotechnical engineer from
Cantsink, in Liburn, Ga., talked about helical piles design theory
and applications.
Used in construction applications for over a century, helical
piles have gained popularity in the last 30 to 40 years to the
extent they are more frequently recommended by design professional
engineers, compared to many other deep foundation
types. In 2009, the International Building Code (IBC) revision
added helical piles: the main components of a helical pile, pile
installation process, various applications, mechanical and soil
pile capacities, and the methods used to determine them.
The presentation also included the design of helical piles
using theoretical methods that are based on traditional soil
mechanics and the well-known capacity-torque correlation,
which is probably the most significant attribute of helical piles.
Water, wastewater issues
The third session, on " Water and Wastewater Issues, " was
moderated by Mackrena Ramos from Lockwood, Andrews
and Newnam, Houston, Texas.
Jeff Haby, vice president of production
and treatment at San Antonio Water System
(SAWS), talked about the steps SAWS
has taken toward water resiliency,
especially recycling, aquifer storage and
recovery, and brackish desalination.
Jeff Haby, vice president of production and treatment at
San Antonio Water System (SAWS), talked about the steps
SAWS has taken toward water resiliency, especially recycling,
aquifer storage and recovery, and brackish desalination.
Prompted by Winter Storm Uri, in 2021, another approach
is providing backup power generation at critical water pump
stations to ensure service in case of a loss of power.
James A. Golab, manager of the Innovative Water
Technologies (IWT) Department) of the Texas Water
Development Board (TWDB), discussed the mission of
TWDB as leading the state's efforts to ensure a secure water
future for its citizens. To accomplish this goal, TWDB provides
water planning, data collection, financial assistance and
technical assistance services across the state.
Created in 2002, IWT is focused on alternative water
supplies including aquifer storage and recovery, aquifer recharge,
desalination and water reuse. Its primary goals are to
participate in research and demonstration projects, develop
publications and other educational material, and disseminate
information to the public through various outreach
activities. IWT publishes a biennial report on desalination
in Texas for the state legislature and the ninth report in this
series was released in 2022.
Jan B. Conant, coatings specialist at Warren Environmental,
addressed high-build epoxy coatings for protecting and
rehabilitating critical infrastructure assets. This included
details about their attributes and physical properties, uses,
compatible substrates, application methods and available
application network. Also, several case studies related to
pipelines, manholes and wastewater treatment facilities
were discussed.
Formulated to provide structural renewal for deteriorated
structures, the product exhibits tremendous adhesion to various
substrates, such as concrete, brick and steel. Additional
features include structural enhancement, proven resistance to
H2S corrosion found in aggressive sewer environments and
treatment chemicals like chlorine and ozone, and zero volatile
organic compounds (VOCs).
Smart foam cement
The last technical presentation, by C. Vipulanandan, was entitled
" Smart Foam Cement Quality Control and Behavior
Characterized Using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and
Vipulanandan Models. "
Dr. Vipu with graduate students.
26 MAY 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
There is increasing interest in using light-weight cement
slurries with foam additions in multiple applications including
onshore and offshore deep wells installed in varying and
challenging geological formations with low strength rocks.
Recently highly sensing smart foam cement has been developed
to real-time monitor the changes in the material.
Also, foam cement has reduced thermal conductivity making
it a better insulator. It is also important to model the behavior
of the smart foam cement for real-time monitoring with the
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Underground Infrastructure - May 2023

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