Dr Will Shepherd (he/him)
PhD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Research Staff
w.shepherd@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 5732
+44 114 222 5732
Room D106, Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Full contact details
Dr Will Shepherd
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room D106
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room D106
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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Will became a Post-Doctoral Research Associate with the Pennine Water Group in 2003 following completion of his PhD entitled `Solute Mixing in CSO Structures´.
Will’s research interests predominantly surround urban drainage and areas of expertise include:
- Monitoring and modelling of hydraulics and water quality in urban drainage systems.
- Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in urban drainage.
- Modelling of surface water flooding.
- Laboratory and field testing of urban drainage and water distribution infrastructure.
- Application of rainfall radar to urban drainage.
- Solute tracing and analysis for determination of travel time and dispersion parameters.
- Application of GIS for visualisation and assessment of overland flow paths and flooding.
- Asset performance modelling.
- Research interests
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Current research
Pipebots, or Pervasive Sensing for Buried Pipes, is an EPSRC Programme Grant. Pipebots is developing robotic sensing technologies to map and assess the condition and performance of the buried pipes that form both drinking water distribution systems and urban drainage networks.
Will is working on Theme 8 which will: work with the water industry to ensure the robotic technologies meet industry needs; test the developed robots in large scale laboratory and controlled field environments; and develop methodologies to transform the new data into actionable knowledge.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Cloud-based artificial Iintelligence analytics to assess combined sewer overflow performance. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 149(10).
- Future inspection and deterioration prediction capabilities for buried distributed water infrastructure. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 13(3). View this article in WRRO
- Spatial and temporal considerations of implementing local renewable energy sources and decentralised heat recovery for domestic heat. Journal of Cleaner Production, 358.
- The potential for heat recovery and thermal energy storage in the UK using buried infrastructure. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Smart Infrastructure and Construction.
- Thermal energy transfer around buried pipe infrastructure. Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, 29.
- Autonomous robotics for water and sewer networks. HydroLink, 2021(2), 55-62. View this article in WRRO
- Optimisation of a fuzzy logic-based local real-time control system for mitigation of sewer flooding using genetic algorithms. Journal of Hydroinformatics, 22(2), 281-295. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental quantification of intrusion volumes due to transients in drinking water distribution systems. Journal of Pipeline Systems Engineering and Practice, 10(1). View this article in WRRO
- Spatial and temporal variability of bacterial communities within a combined sewer system.. MicrobiologyOpen, 5(4), 616-625. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental quantification of contaminant ingress into a buried leaking pipe during transient events. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- Predicting combined sewer overflows chamber depth using artificial neural networks with rainfall radar data.. Water Sci Technol, 69(6), 1326-1333.
- Comparison between Infoworks hydraulic results and a physical model of an urban drainage system. Proceedings of 9th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling.
- Influence of rainfall estimation error and spatial variability on sewer flow prediction at a small urban scale. Advances in Water Resources, 45, 65-75.
- Modelling sewer failure by evolutionary computing. P I CIVIL ENG-WAT M, 159(2), 111-118.
- COST-S: A new methodology and tools for sewerage asset management based on whole life costs. Water Asset Management International, 1(4), 20-24.
- Changes in water quality parameters due to in-sewer processes.. Water Sci Technol, 47(7-8), 343-350.
- Solute retention and mixing characteristics in CSO structures. Urban Drainage Modeling, 123-133.
- Evaluating the performance of water distribution network deterioration using customer-oriented performance indices. Water Supply.
Chapters
- Investigate the condition of an asset, Asset Management of Urban Drainage Systems (pp. 93-130). IWA Publishing
- Urban drainage analysis and modelling, ICE Handbook of Urban Drainage Practice (pp. 277-308). Emerald Publishing Limited
Conference proceedings papers
- Advancing water distribution network calibration:A framework for comparing static and mobile sensing approaches. 3rd International Joint Conference on Water Distribution Systems Analysis & Computing and Control for the Water Industry (WDSA/CCWI)
- Optimizing mobile sensor movement and trajectory to improve water distribution network calibration. HIC 2024: 15th International Conference on Hydroinformatics: From Nature to Digital Water: Challenges and Opportunities (pp 149-150). Beijing, China, 27 May 2024 - 27 May 2024. View this article in WRRO
- Moving sensor deployment for network-wide pipe roughness calibration. 11th IWA Symposium on Modelling and Integrated Assessment, 24 September 2023 - 27 September 2023.
- A Vision for Pervasive Autonomous Inspection of Buried Pipe Infrastructure. 38th International Conference on Trenchless Technologies, No-Dig 2022, 3 October 2022 - 5 October 2022.
- CENTAUR: Smart Utilisation of Wastewater storage capacity to prevent flooding. Proceedings of CIWEM Urban Drainage Group Autumn Conference & Exhibition 2017. Blackpool, UK, 8 November 2017 - 10 November 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Real time flow control to utilise existing in-sewer storage. Proceeding of 14th IWA / IAHR International Conference on Urban Drainage (ICUD2017). Prague, CZ, 10 September 2017 - 15 September 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Developing and testing a Fuzzy Logic algorithm to alleviate the risk of flooding by controlling a flow control device in a laboratory setting. Proceedings of 14th IWA / IAHR International Conference on Urban Drainage (ICUD2017). Prague, CZ, 10 September 2017 - 15 September 2017. View this article in WRRO
- CCWI2017: F88 'Optimising a Fuzzy Logic Real-Time Control System for Sewer Flooding Reduction using a Genetic Algorithm'. Proceedings of 15th International Computing & Control for the Water Industry Conference (CCWI 2017). Sheffield, UK, 5 September 2017 - 7 September 2017.
- Optimising a Fuzzy logic real-time control system for sewer flooding reduction using a genetic algorithm. CCWI 2017 - 15th International Conference on Computing and Control for the Water Industry
- CENTAUR: Real time flow control system for flood risk reduction. CIWEM Urban Drainage Group Autumn Conference & Exhibition 2016. Blackpool, UK, 9 November 2016 - 11 November 2016. View this article in WRRO
- Modelling Faecal Indicator Organisms (FIOs) for Prediction and Improvement of Bathing Water Quality. Proceedings of CIWEM Urban Drainage Group Autumn Conference & Exhibition 2015. Chester, UK, 4 November 2015 - 6 November 2015. View this article in WRRO
- Integrated Modelling of Faecal Indicator Organisms (FIOs) for Prediction of Bathing Water Quality. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling. Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, 20 September 2015 - 23 September 2015. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of pipe diameter on hydrogen sulfide build-up in rising mains – model study. Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling. Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec, Canada, 20 September 2015 - 23 September 2015. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental quantification of intrusion due to transients in distribution systems. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 89 (pp 1306-1313). Bari, Italy, 14 July 2014 - 14 July 2014. View this article in WRRO
- Application Of Artificial Neural Networks To Assess CSO Performance. 13th International Conference on Urban Drainage. Sarawak, Malaysia, 7 September 2014 - 12 September 2014.
- Do faecal indicator organisms exhibit a first foul flush in combined sewers?. 7th Int. Conf. on Sewer Processes and Networks. Sheffield, UK, 28 August 2013 - 30 August 2013.
- Experimental proof of contaminant ingress into a leaking pipe during a transient event. Procedia Engineering(70) (pp 668-677). Perugia, Italy, 2 September 2013 - 4 September 2013.
- Consideration of the development of a new urban rainfall runoff model. Proceedings of 34th Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium. Sydney, Australia, 19 November 2012 - 21 November 2012.
- Assessment of Road Gullies. Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Hydroinformatics, Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg, Germany, 14 July 2012 - 18 July 2012.
- Understanding Urban Surface Water Pathways. Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Hydroinformatics, Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg, Germany
- The Impact of Urban and Near Urban Green Space Runoff on Urban Surface Water Flooding. Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Hydroinformatics, Hamburg, Germany, Vol. 752. Hamburg, Germany
- Quantifying the effect of buildings and surface roughness on 2D flood modelling .. Proceedings of 12th International Conference on Urban Drainage. Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Comparison of rainfall radar and rain gauge data and application to sewer hydraulic modelling. Integrating Water Systems (pp 763-766). Sheffield, UK, 1 September 2009 - 3 September 2009.
- A case study of long term sewer hydraulic monitoring. Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Sewer Processes and Networks. Surfer’s Paradise, Australia
- A combined 1D/2D approach to flood modelling within the City of Bradford. Proceedings of International Conference on Urban Flood Management. Paris, France
- Rainfall radar – accuracy and use for hydraulic modelling. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling. Tokyo, Japan
- Application of Artificial Neural Networks ( ANNs ) for the prediction of CSO discharges. Proceedings of 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage. Edinburgh, Scotland
- Quantifying the performance of storm tanks. Proceedings of 11th International Conference on Urban Drainage. Edinburgh, Scotland
- Quantifying the Performance of Storm Tanks at Wastewater Treatment Works. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2007
- Quantifying the performance of storm tanks at Wastewater Treatment Works. Restoring Our Natural Habitat - Proceedings of the 2007 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
- Modular sewer quality simulation. Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Urban Drainage (CD) (pp 21-26)
- Performance evaluations of storm tanks. Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Urban Drainage (CD) (pp 21-26)
- Investigation of blockage relationships and the cost implications for sewerage network management. Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Urban Drainage (CD) (pp 21-26)
- Whole life costing of sewer systems. Proceedings of WaPUG Autumn Meeting 2004 (pp 1-6)
- A whole life costing methodology for urban drainage management. Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Urban Drainage Modelling. Dresden, Germany
- Solute retention in storage tanks. Global Solutions for Urban Drainage (pp 1-11)
- Soluble pollutant retention in a CSO structure. Proceedings of WaPUG Autumn Meeting 2000. Blackpool, England
- Predicting CSO chamber depth using Artificial Neural Networks with rainfall radar data. SPN7 7th International Conference on Sewer Processes & Networks (IWA). Sheffield, 28 August 2013 - 30 August 2013.
Reports
- Bradford Beck Flood Modelling. Developing an InfoWorks CS Model
- Mapping flood risk in Ilkley
- Cloud-based artificial Iintelligence analytics to assess combined sewer overflow performance. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 149(10).
- Research group
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Water - SuDS (Sustainable drainage systems) & Urban Drainage
- Previous research
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PLEXUS was an EPSRC project that aimed to jump start the collaboration between the facilities funded by the laboratories strand of the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure in Cities (UKCRIC).The project was organised into four research challenges; the work at Sheffield is focussed on Research Challenge 2 – Harvesting Energy from Buried Infrastructure. Will is undertaking experiments at the National Distributed Water Infrastructure Facility at ICAIR to better understand heat transfer between buried pipes and the surrounding ground.
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CENTAUR - Cost Effective Neural Technique for Alleviation of Urban flood Risk was a European Union Horizon 2020 (H2020) research and innovation project.
- This project developed an innovative, cost effective, local autonomous sewer flow control system, to reduce urban flood risk. Will managed the project on a day to day basis and played an active role in developing and testing the Fuzzy Logic algorithms used to control flow. CENTAUR won ‘Most Innovative New Technology of the Year’ at the 2018 Water Industry Awards.
- QUICS - Quantifying Uncertainty in Integrated Catchment Studies was an EU funded FP7 Initial Training Network co-ordinated at Sheffield and project managed by Will. The project involved 9 key partners across the EU where 12 PhD fellows and 4 Post-Docs investigated the uncertainty of integrated catchment model water quality predictions and provided guidance and tools for practitioners to take this into account when using these models.
- Cloud to Coast was a NERC funded project seeking to develop a new integrated model to predict the exposure to and the health impact assessment of pathogen risks, as indexed by Faecal Indicator Organisms (FIOs), in near-shore coastal waters. Will was responsible for investigating and modelling FIO inputs from the urban drainage network.
- CSO Analytics was funded by a UK Water Company and applied Artificial Intelligence techniques to better understand the performance of combined sewer overflows in near real time and thus minimise unconsented discharges to water courses.
- EU INTERREG IVB – FloodResilienCity. Involvement included the development of methodologies to apply 1D-2D hydraulic models for the prediction of urban flood extents in two catchments, supervising a PDRA to run hydraulic models and process results, and liaison with Environment Agency to enable acceptance of enhanced flood outlines.
- EU INTERREG IVB – SKINT. Use of LiDAR data and mapping within ArcMap to determine catchment areas draining to road gullies, researching road gully design, field study to assess gully performance and management options.
- Contaminant Ingress in Distribution Systems. Laboratory and modelling study investigating the potential for ingress of pollutants into water distribution systems. Will carried out laboratory testing and analysed the resulting data, showing the effects of leak size on the dissipation of transients, assessing the significance of the media surrounding the pipe and helping to prove that ingress of contaminants is possible.
- Yorkshire Water Strategic Catchments. Long term monitoring of two sewerage catchments to assess the extent of monitoring required to gain improvements in system performance.
- Performance of Storm Tanks and Potential for Improvements in Overall Storm Management. Phases 1 and 2 – included literature review, review of current practice, alternative technologies, field and laboratory tracer testing and quality sampling, development of modelling tool to predict pollutant retention performance. Funded by UKWIR.
- Cost-S – Whole Life Costing of Sewerage Systems. Project involved development of tools to assess current and future performance of sewerage systems within a cost accounting framework. Personal involvement included development of asset performance models for the prediction of blockage and collapse events. Funded by EPSRC and UK water companies.
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