Novel Infrastructure Hospital Concept for Pipeline Research and Development in China

China is unique in that it does not adopt a traditional engineering consultancy model employed in most countries where private design firms are employed to design and develop solutions to infrastructure needs. Instead, design is conducted through government-operated “Design Institutes” located in each of the 34 Provinces and Autonomous Regions. Graduating engineers are employed by these Institutes and work in various areas, including water and wastewater pipelines. To further improve and support the Design Institutes, the Infrastructure Hospital concept was first initiated in 2015 where a centralized research facility for infrastructure R&D was envisioned in Henan Province. The concept is to “diagnose” and recommend solutions for owners looking at addressing their infrastructure renewal, rehabilitation, and new construction needs. The plan involved establishing smaller “Clinics” in various cities throughout China. To date, more than 76 smaller Clinics have been established across the country. Each Clinic can assist with basic inquiries regarding solutions for infrastructure projects from local governments. More difficult projects are elevated to the Infrastructure Hospital for further evaluation, which may involve lab or field testing prior to implementation. Additionally, should a new product be introduced, then it could be tested and evaluated at the Infrastructure Hospital and given a government certificate of approval for application in China. The Infrastructure Hospital is an integrated facility that was completed in 2022 and includes indoor and outdoor laboratory facilities to conduct research and testing on all aspects of infrastructure. For pipeline-related research, there is currently a 10 km test loop set up for testing water pipelines, an underground facility to evaluate various tunnel lining approaches, a sewer pipe network to evaluate various rehabilitation material options, and two tunnel boring machines for researching more efficient installation practices. The Infrastructure Hospital is being used by academic researchers from various universities in China conducting pipeline and other infrastructure research. It is anticipated that international researchers and companies will make use of the Infrastructure Hospital as an incubator for new and innovative technology solutions. This paper presents the historical background and discusses several research projects conducted at the facility that have positively impacted the municipal pipeline industry.