M.S. Ghidaoui received the BASc, MASc and Ph.D. all in Civil Engineering from University of Toronto, Canada, in 1989, 1991 and 1993, respectively. Since July 1993, he has been with the Department of Civil Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), where he currently holds the positions of Chair Professor position in Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as the Named Chinese Estates Professor of Engineering. Ghidaoui is the Vice-President for Asia and the Pacific, The International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR). He is a Distinguished Fellow of IAHR and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Engineers (HKIE). He is a member of the IAHR council. He served as the chair of IAHR’s Fluid Mechanics Committee from 2013 to 2018. He is the editor in chief of the Journal of Hydraulic Research and served as its associate editor for 15 years. He is also the associate editor of the Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE; and Journal of Hydro-environment Research, IAHR-APD. He is an editorial board member of the Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Letters (TAML), Chinese Academy of Sciences and The Chinese Academy of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and served as an advisory board of the Journal of Hydroinformatics for 12 years. He is a founding member of the IAHR Hong Kong Chapter and served as its chair. Ghidaoui’s awards include the Arthur Ippen Award, IAHR; the Albert Berry Memorial Award, American Water Works Association; Hilgard Award for best paper (runner-up), Journal of Hydraulic Engineering, ASCE; Outstanding Faculty Award at HKUST and also 2 teaching excellence awards; and silver medal at the recent International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland.

Time-Reversal of Waves for Intelligent Monitoring of Pressurized Mains

Abstract

Wave research provided humanity with technologies such as ultrasound and sonar that “see” remarkable details inside the human body, the ocean and the earth. The speaker will narrate how their pioneering research on time-reversal (TR) of waves is being used to develop long-range, non-destructive, non-intrusive, low-cost and reliable wave-based technology that allows engineers to “see” the pipes and other components of pressurized urban water systems (PUWS). Our TR of wave research has so far resulted in five patents. In collaboration with the water supplies department (WSD), Drainage services department (DSD), the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) and our university, we tested and implemented in 15 locations in Hong Kong. As a result, we successfully identified leaks, malfunctioning devices, air-trapping, excessive pump-vibration, unknown branches, and changes in to the system’s dynamics. The DSD-HKUST application of our TR-technology in pressurized sewerage lines in Hong Kong was awarded the Silver Medal at the 2023 International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva, Switzerland.