Application of radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors for smart- monitoring applications in sewer systems
type: CreativeWork
description: Foul sewer and storm drainage systems are buried assets that play important roles in the prevention of diseases and the reduction of health risks for our societies. Sewer blockages and inflow/infiltration (I/I) issues in sewer systems are some of the challenges faced by water authorities. Due to their hidden nature, these assets cannot be frequently assessed and maintained in optimal conditions. The lack of maintenance can cause overflows that result in the release of pathogens into the environment. For cities, monitoring sewer-associated issues on a large-scale can be expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive with low-throughput methods, such as smoke testing, dye testing, closed-circuit television camera (CCTV), and other acoustic technologies. Alternatively, smart-sensor systems can provide high-throughput, cost-effective, automatic-data-driven features, and robust solutions for monitoring sewer networks. This thesis aims to design, develop, and evaluate novel passive ultra-high frequency radio identification (UHF-RFID)-based sensors for real-time monitoring applications in sewers. Example applications are detecting sewer blockages, I/I flow variations, pinpointing illicit connections, measuring surface velocities, and monitoring water depth in utility holes. First, in Chapter 3, comprehensive development and evaluation of UHF-RFID-based sensors tags were conducted with an ultimate of reliable sewer applications. Initially, three circular or linear polarization antennae with a respective gain of 8 dBiC, 9 dBiC, or 12.5 dBi were used to examine reading ranges and detect limits of 12 types of pre-selected UHF-RFID tags. A significant decrease in the maximum reading distances was observed when the tags were placed in a vertical orientation relative to the center of the antenna as compared with the horizontal orientation. Overall, the 9 dBiC antenna had the best performance in terms of accuracy and stability in the near-field and far-field measurements compared …
abstract: Foul sewer and storm drainage systems are buried assets that play important roles in the prevention of diseases and the reduction of health risks for our societies. Sewer blockages and inflow/infiltration (I/I) issues in sewer systems are some of the challenges faced by water authorities. Due to their hidden nature, these assets cannot be frequently assessed and maintained in optimal conditions. The lack of maintenance can cause overflows that result in the release of pathogens into the environment. For cities, monitoring sewer-associated issues on a large-scale can be expensive, time-consuming, and labor-intensive with low-throughput methods, such as smoke testing, dye testing, closed-circuit television camera (CCTV), and other acoustic technologies. Alternatively, smart-sensor systems can provide high-throughput, cost-effective, automatic-data-driven features, and robust solutions for monitoring sewer networks. This thesis aims to design, develop, and evaluate novel passive ultra-high frequency radio identification (UHF-RFID)-based sensors for real-time monitoring applications in sewers. Example applications are detecting sewer blockages, I/I flow variations, pinpointing illicit connections, measuring surface velocities, and monitoring water depth in utility holes. First, in Chapter 3, comprehensive development and evaluation of UHF-RFID-based sensors tags were conducted with an ultimate of reliable sewer applications. Initially, three circular or linear polarization antennae with a respective gain of 8 dBiC, 9 dBiC, or 12.5 dBi were used to examine reading ranges and detect limits of 12 types of pre-selected UHF-RFID tags. A significant decrease in the maximum reading distances was observed when the tags were placed in a vertical orientation relative to the center of the antenna as compared with the horizontal orientation. Overall, the 9 dBiC antenna had the best performance in terms of accuracy and stability in the near-field and far-field measurements compared …
author: Tatiparthi, Sundra Ramireddy
license: https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:06:48Z
provider: University of Auckland
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: ResearchSpace@Auckland

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: https://hdl.handle.net/2292/61603