A new technology has been introduced by ‘us’ - Utility Services to provide a structural relining service to the Australian and New Zealand, Water, Sewer and Gas markets.

Where this product differs from other relining options is that Compact Pipe is a true pipe in its own right. That is, it does not rely on the host pipe to hold the pressure. The pipe is made out of polyethylene material (PE) with SDR 17 or 26 rating to cater for sewer, water and gas networks. The standard length per drum depends on the diameter (100 – 500 mm) being inserted, ranging from 100 to 600 m in length.

The original pipe merely provides a conduit for the Compact Pipe and therefore it is ideal for rehabilitating water mains and sewer rising mains that have deteriorated badly.

In September 2005 the first installation was carried out at Lang Lang, in Victoria completing 320 metres in two and a half days without the need to dig up any roads. ‘us’ Utility Services went under one main road and one side road as well as 14 driveways, without any of them being disturbed, meaning significant cost savings as well as customer satisfaction.

The job was not without its challenges, but it was the company’s first installation and numerous people were being trained. Further trials on both water pipelines and sewer rising mains were performed throughout the year with very encouraging results.

The system is now successfully used to line selected sewers and pressure pipelines in a fraction of time in comparison to conventional methods.

Compact Pipe

Compact Pipe® is a pipeline rehabilitation technique developed by Wavin, the leading plastics pipes company in Europe, with headquarters in the Netherlands. The systems belong to the technique family close-fit lining. It is applied via approved, skilled licensed contractors, such as ‘us’ – Utility Services in Australia. Compact Pipe is a close-fit lining technique for various damaged utilities, ranging from sewers to gas to water and industrial lines.

Principles

The pipe itself is a continuous string of polyethylene pipe, folded into a ‘c’ shape along its length. This compact shape is created during manufacturing, when the pipe, while it is still hot, is folded. It is supplied from the manufacturing plant wound on a drum. Through its folded shape, the pipe has become substantially smaller in cross sectional area, allowing it to be easily inserted into the existing pipeline.

On site the pipe is taken directly from the drum, which for that purpose usually is held by a dispensing unit on a trailer. The winch cable can be connected to the pulling head fixed to the pipe. The pipe’s axial flexibility allows direct insertion via small sized access points, such as manholes in the case of sewers, thus avoiding any excavation work and becoming a true no-dig method.

Once pulled in, the ends are sealed and a purposely built installation unit is activated to supply steam and compressed air. Steam is fed into the pipe to trigger off the memory of the plastic, making the pipe revert to its original ‘o’ shape. Subsequently, pressurised air is led in, to make the pipe close fitting with the inside bore of the existing pipeline.

The result is a new structurally self-supporting pipeline inside the old deteriorated one.

Product range

Compact Pipe is made from regular polyethylene, PE80 or PE100, and is available in diameters ranging from 100 to 500 mm. Per diameter different wall thicknesses/SDR classes are available to fulfil the various requirements in terms of coverage, groundwater table and internal pressure. The pipe is designed to be an independent liner capable to bear all loads itself and where it is applied as a pressure pipe liner, is classified as Class A. Compact Pipe is coiled on drums. The pipe length per drum depends on the nominal diameter.

Application

The system has been available since 1993 and is currently applied throughout Europe. In the last couple of years it was rolled out further and is now applied in the Middle East and Far East as well. A network of more than 25 licensed installation companies, specifically trained in the application of the system, is able to handle the system in practice.

Conclusion

Rehabilitation of pressure pipe lines by means of renovation/lining can now be considered as a real alternative to open cut replacement. This system provides the same quality as a new installation. Lining with close-fit pipes combines ease of installation with optimal performance afterwards.

Compact Pipe, close-fit lining systems developed by Wavin, are very much suited to deal with a wide variety of problems encountered with existing pipelines that are difficult to reach or suffer from external influences such as groundwater ingress.