title: Fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing in combined sewer systems.
abstract: This paper introduces the application of fibre-optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) in combined sewer systems. The DTS-technique uses a fibre-optic cable that is inserted into a combined sewer system in combination with a laser instrument that performs measurements and logs the data. The DTS-technique allows monitoring in-sewer temperatures with dense spatial and temporal resolutions. The installation of a fibre-optic cable in a combined sewer system has proven feasible. The use of a single instrument in an easy accessible and safe location that can simultaneously monitor up to several hundreds of monitoring locations makes the DTS set-up easy in use and nearly free of maintenance. Temperature data from a one-week monitoring campaign in an 1,850 m combined sewer system shows the level of detail with which in-sewer processes that affect wastewater temperatures can be studied. Individual discharges from house-connections can be tracked in time and space. With a dedicated cable configuration the confluence of wastewater flows can be observed with a potential to derive the relative contributions of contributary flows to a total flow. Also, the inflow and in-sewer propagation of stormwater can be monitored.
authors.affiliation: Department of Watermanagement, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5048, 2600, GA, Delft, The Netherlands. r.p.s.schilperoort@tudelft.nl
authors.forename: R P S
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Schilperoort
authors.forename: F H L R
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Clemens
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D007834:Lasers; D055100:Optical Fibers; D011891:Rain; D012498:Sanitary Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012722:Sewage; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage