A Richland County employee who collaborated on pioneering research will have his work recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers, which will publish a scientific paper of the findings in one of the nation's top journals in the field of engineering.
Mohammed H. Al-Tofan, a Pre-Construction Engineering Manager for the County’s Transportation Department, co-authored a scientific paper on detecting blockages in utility pipelines. The paper, completed before Al-Tofan joined Richland County in 2018, will be published March 2019 in the ASCE's Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. The paper is Al-Tofan’s first professional peer-reviewed journal article.
“This recognition is a very significant professional and personal achievement and we’re proud to have someone of his caliber on staff here,” said Interim County Administrator Ed Gomeau. “His contribution to the early and economical methods of flow interruption detection will, I am sure, have a great impact on this process.”
Al-Tofan is the first author of a team of five researchers on the paper, which focuses on the concept of using minor efforts to detect partial blockages in utility pipelines, thereby reducing costs associated with effectively managing water and sewer systems.
To view a free version of the abstract to the article, please visit https://ascelibrary.org and search for Al-Tofan. The title of the abstract is “Use of Lower Harmonics of Pressure Oscillations for Blockage Detection in Liquid Pipelines.”
According to the ASCE website, the organization exists to protect the public health, safety and welfare of communities around the world. The organization “represents more than 150,000 members of the civil engineering profession in 177 countries. Founded in 1852, ASCE is the nation’s oldest engineering society. ASCE stands at the forefront of a profession that plans, designs, constructs, and operates society’s economic and social engine – the built environment – while protecting and restoring the natural environment.”