Manhole accidents continue to occur every year. Last August, a brother and sister died after falling into an open manhole during heavy rain in the middle of Gangnam, and several workers died or suffocated in manholes. According to statistics, there have been 193 suffocation accidents in manholes over the past 10 years, of which 312 were casualties and 166 died. Manholes, where water pipes, sewer pipes, and underground wires run, are difficult to see from the outside, and disasters are constantly occurring due to harmful gases, lid dislodgement, and backflow caused by microorganisms and wastewater. One company has solved this problem by providing remote monitoring solutions for underground gas pipelines, water circulation, and leachate management using a manhole remote monitoring system. The company is Q Tech Korea.

Integrated technology for integrated package

Making impossible solutions possible

Q Tech Korea specializes in new technology integrated sensor and wireless communication systems and is pioneering a sustainable market in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution. CEO Taewoong Ahn said “The IoT market is a battle of marketing and ideas. We are implementing ‘system integration technology’ that selects the world’s best technologies for user needs and realizes optimal functions. We are securing competitiveness through product stability and reliability, compatibility, and a safe supply chain with the world’s best technologies.” The company’s focus is on “areas that were once thought impossible,” and the first of these is a manhole remote monitoring system. According to Statistics Korea, there are a total of 3.452 million manholes installed in Korea, of which 2,419,303 are classified stormwater and sanitary sewer manholes (71%) and 985,960 are combined manholes (29%). However, manhole management entities are very diverse, including local governments, KEPCO, and facility management corporations, making it difficult to systematically manage them. The solution released by Q Tech Korea has received a lot of attention from industry stakeholders as it is optimized for overall remote management of manholes such as manhole opening and closing, leakage, and harmful gas detection. 

Easily monitoring inside manholes with IoT technology that can transmit over 800 meters

Monitoring all manhole openings and closings in real-time and react immediately.

The company incorporates the best technologies to meet the needs of its users, while reliably delivering on the essentials of product safety, reliability, and compatibility. The company has also succeeded in implementing event point capture with ultra-precise synchronization, along with the ability to deploy remote systems in confined spaces, which was previously thought to be impossible. The convergence of these technologies is the Manhole Remote Monitoring System. A key feature of the system is that it can transmit wirelessly up to a distance of more than 800 meters inside a sealed manhole. In addition, the air strip technique, which maximizes the effect of cross-polarization, enhances the transmission and reception strength of radio waves by 300%. Industry experts say that systematic management was not possible in the past because wireless communication was not possible due to the conditions of the manhole space, but Q Tech Korea has made it possible for more systematic management by enabling wireless communication. By applying IoT technology to install inside the manhole, there is no need to modify the manhole cover and no need to connect the antenna to the outside, making it easy to monitor the inside. This is not only for managing the closure and opening of manholes on a daily basis, but also for preventing safety accidents caused by manhole covers opening during sudden heavy rainfall.

Checking on hazardous gas, water level, temperature and humidity to alarm workers

Designed for complete remote monitoring with self-powered, individual manhole management

As colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating gases, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are the most hazardous gases that workers in manholes need to be aware of. Occupational safety and health standards require that workers on underground lines wear self-contained breathing apparatus and use gas detectors. However, due to time and space constraints, it is not practical to fully follow these guidelines. Many workers suffocate in manholes every year, and there is no clear solution to this problem. However, Q Tech Korea’s solution can check not only harmful gases in the manhole, but also water level, temperature, and humidity information, which can prevent safety accidents caused by suffocation and harmful gas poisoning in the manhole, and also implements dustproof/waterproof and ventilation functions for gas detection. Another advantage is that the battery lasts for more than five years, so there’s no need for an external power source. Because it’s powered by batteries, it won’t be interrupted by external power grid failures. By applying LoRaWan, which is capable of low-power, long-distance communication, the usability is further enhanced, and since it utilizes local networks and its own network, it is unlikely to leak information or be manipulated separately due to external cracking, and there is no communication cost. It has dedicated brackets, a dedicated user-friendly platform, and each manhole has an ID so you can keep track of its history. Q Tech Korea is negotiating a project to build an AI-based smart manhole remote control system at Incheon International Airport, and has applied the solution to various sites such as the air force airfield and navy, and the Ulsan Industrial Complex, and currently is negotiating installation at more sites.

Applicable to ammunition depots/abandoned mine leachate/water cycle management/underground gas pipelines, oil pipelines, water pipelines, etc.

Continuing to grow with solutions applicable for all fields

By applying synchronization technology, Q Tech Korea can be fully prepared for leaks in gas pipes such as hydrogen pipelines. By perfectly synchronizing and stereoscopically viewing gas leakage without microscopic errors, it is possible to pinpoint the location of the leakage event. The “Ammunition Depot Remote Monitoring System” supplied by the company to the military is installed inside the ammunition depot and can receive real-time remote wireless transmissions to check the situation inside the depot. It has fire detection sensors to immediately monitor any fires that may occur in the ammunition room, as well as temperature and humidity sensors to check for intruders and door openings and closings. The company also has a remote monitoring system for abandoned mine leachate, which can receive leachate information in real time, and a remote monitoring system for peripheral subsidence/cracks, which can receive dangerous signals such as subsidence and cracks by fusing with various sensors installed around construction sites. Its water cycle management remote monitoring system was recently applied to the ‘Water Cycle Management Creation Project’ in Andong City, Gyeongbuk Province. The company also has developed a product that detects leaks in underground gas pipes, oil pipelines, water pipes, and captures leakage points. They are currently in the process of launching it. CEO Ahn said “We will continue to develop solutions for all areas that we can manage. We provide remote monitoring systems with the best technology to contribute to the convenience of users and the safety of the public.”