Trenchless Australasia

December 2009

From the Chairman’s Desk

The 8th National ASTT Conference and Exhibition held at Melbourne Park, Melbourne from 20–22 September 2009 was a fantastic event and a great showcase for the trenchless industry.

The biggest ASTT national conference ever – Trenchless Australasia 2009 – provided a world-class forum for the trenchless industry to learn about the latest developments, see equipment on show and meet new people. Managing Editor Kate Pemberton reports.

Secretary’s Corner

New members On behalf of the ASTT, I extend a warm welcome to the following new members.

ADG Global goes universal

Australian mining supplies organisation, ADG Global Supply, recently signed an exclusive agreement with Robbins HDD LLC, enabling the distribution of Universal horizontal directional drilling (HDD) rigs and related trenchless drilling equipment in Australasia. Trenchless Australasia spoke with Paul Johnson from ADG Global Supply about this exciting partnership.

The key to the conference

The keynote addresses at the 8th National ASTT Conference and Exhibition were from ISTT Chairman Dr Dec Downey, ISTT Vice Chair Dr Samuel Ariaratnam, Director of the Water Reclamation Department PUB Singapore Tan Thai Pin, Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs John Roskam, and Executive Director of the Water Services Association of Australia Ross Young.

Person of the Year - Alan Sutton

ASTT Trenchless Person of the Year Alan Sutton has spent three decades in the industry, working at the forefront of developments in relining technology. Kate Pemberton spoke with Alan about the history, product development and future of relining in Australasia.

The greatest show in earth

Trenchless Live 2010 will be an experience like no other – a chance to see, hear and touch Trenchless Technology in action.

The underground comes alive in Rotorua

The underground became the ‘above ground’ in Rotorua, New Zealand, for a No-Dig live demonstration organised by the ASTT at the annual New Zealand Water & Wastes Association conference.

Council Profile: Dubbo City Council

Covering an area of 3,425 square kilometres, Dubbo City Council is active in inspecting, rehabilitating and extending its underground infrastructure. Trenchless Australasia spoke with Infrastructure Engineer Water and Sewerage Roger Reynolds about the benefits of using Trenchless Technology in order to leave the city undisturbed.

The business of infrastructure – building a nation

According to Executive Director of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) John Roskam, the trenchless industry must communicate to the government the essential role of Trenchless Technology in maintaining and building underground infrastructure, linking the industry with productivity, population and participation.

Rating Australia’s sustainability

The Australian Green Infrastructure Council (AGIC) will provide a robust framework to assess and rate sustainability performance for infrastructure projects.

ASTT aims high

A principal objective of the ASTT is to promote the science and practice of Trenchless Technology. To achieve this goal the ASTT has commissioned a set of industry specific guidelines, standards and specifications in three of the most commonly applied trenchless methods, HDD, pipe bursting, and microtunnelling and pipe jacking.

Ay Karumba!

Mandy Wong

Severe flooding during Tropical Cyclone Charlotte in February 2009 saw the Far North Queensland township of Karumba left without a potable water supply after part of the 44 kilometre Karumba Water Supply Pipeline was washed away. Carpentaria Shire Council contracted JR & LM Tracksons Directional Drilling to complete urgent repairs to the pipeline under the Norman River, using Vermeer's D330 x 500 HDD rig, in just seven weeks.

UEA gravitates to success

Hunter Water Corporation awarded a contract to UEA in early 2009 to design and construct approximately 510 metres of gravity sewer mains using horizontal directional drilling to install the pipe. The pipeline was installed at a maximum depth of 26 metres below the crest of the hills located in the Glenrock State Recreation Area in Kahibah, 7 kilometres southwest of Newcastle in New South Wales.

Water Infrastructure Group to fix BOOS and NSOOS

Water Infrastructure Group has been awarded contracts from Sydney Water to undertake $A9 million rehabilitation projects for the Bondi Ocean Outfall Sewer and the Northern Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer Gore Creek and Burns Bay aqueducts.

Trenchless Technology goes to the movies

A relining project at Fox Studios in Sydney has taken centre stage. Fox Studios is built on the original heritage site of the Royal Agricultural Society’s Sydney Showground, home to The Sydney Royal Easter Show for more than 100 years.

Setting the standard in New Zealand

Steve Apeldoorn from ProjectMax believes that the trenchless industry in New Zealand is poised for considerable expansion, however the development of standards and guidelines for the industry is an important component of ongoing success and growth.

New national certificate for horizontal directional drilling

InfraTrain New Zealand has launched an extensively revised qualification for horizontal directional drilling (HDD), which has been developed in partnership with the trenchless industry.

Navigating the Northern Sewerage Project

The Northern Sewerage Project will increase the capacity of the sewerage system for Melbourne’s northern suburbs. The NSP Project Director Rob Muley spoke to Trenchless Australasia, providing a project update and status report on the three tunnel boring machines – Gemma, Victoria and Julia – named by a local primary school.

CMS shaft construction

Norman Joyal, Associate, Jacobs Associates

The trenchless industry is technologically advanced and consistently innovative. Cutter soil mixing technology is one such example that has been developed to construct shafts for microtunnelling projects. Norman Joyal told delegates at Trenchless Australasia 2009 about one of the first projects in the United States using this technology to build microtunnelling shafts.

Cured-in-place pipe: past, present and future

Kaleel Rahaim, Interplastic Corporation

Eric Wood developed a process that changed the world of infrastructure renovation: a process that has changed in its thirty odd years of use; and it will continue to evolve.

CIPP liners show flexibility in deteriorated stormwater pipes

Insituform’s cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining systems are continuing to develop an excellent reputation in the rehabilitation of severely deteriorated stormwater pipes.

Industry set to prosper from broadband roll out

Paul Hebberd, TerraMacs Limited

While times have been challenging, the trenchless industry in New Zealand and Australia is set to prosper, with the governments in both countries committed to large scale broadband upgrade projects over the coming decade.

How will the NBN affect the industry?

The ASTT is advocating on behalf of industry to educate Government and public policy makers about the benefits of using Trenchless Technology, such as HDD, for the installation of Australia’s proposed National Broadband Network.

Cleaning pipes with pigs

Lyndsie Mewett

Pigs are integral for the maintenance of pipeline infrastructure. Broadly, there are two different types of pigs – cleaning pigs and intelligent pigs (or in-line inspection tools). Here, Trenchless Australasia, looks at the basics of cleaning pigs. This article looks at cleaning pigs for the petrochemicals industry, and provides a water pipeline case study opposite.

SECA set to open new facility

Sewer Equipment Company (Australia) – SECA – is expanding its business and services in CCTV and pipe maintenance – and is relocating before Christmas.

Preserving water in Australia

Regular high pressure jetting of sewer mains is an essential and accepted part of routine pipe maintenance. The process clears pipelines of roots, debris, obstructions and cleans the inside of the pipe. As a result, the hydraulic capacity of the pipe is typically restored and the potential for surcharges and overflows is reduced.

Teaming up for solids handling

Water is becoming increasingly scarce and projects require tighter economic controls, companies in the drilling game need affordable ways to process their mud solids. National 'down the hole' distribution company DTH Products has partnered with Tibban, makers of the MudPuppy line of solids control units, and industry leader Baroid to bring together an end-to-end solution that saves drillers time and money.

Subsurface utility engineering: a proven solution

Nicholas M Zembillas, Senior Vice President/Principal, Cardno TBE

A lack of reliable information for the location of underground utilities can result in costly conflicts, damages, delays, utility service disruptions, redesigns, claims injuries and even lost lives during construction activities. While the location of subsurface utilities might be found on plans and records, experience has often shown that the utility locations are not exactly as recorded or the records do not fully account for the buried utility systems.

How to choose a water recycling drain cleaner

Kurt Jaks, Flexible Pipe Cleaning Tools

Recyclers commenced operations in the late 1970s. Since then water restrictions and the need to conserve this valuable resource has caused the industry to take a closer look at water recycling drain cleaners.