The water utility relined 1.8 km of water mains in June at Redbank Plains in Ipswich, Queensland in what it says is the longest and largest stretch of pipe rehabilitated using this method in Australia.
The Primus Liner® – a composite liner strengthened with Kevlar to retain the internal pressure of the main – was pulled into place and inflated inside a 600 mm diameter main.
Ventia is also undertaking 370 m of cured-in-place pipe relining works for the utility using AquaPipe in Brighton and Wynnum in Brisbane, which will be the first section of lined reticulation water main put fully into service nationally.
[Video: https://twitter.com/i/status/1019048940426035201]
Queensland Urban Utilities Water Network Program Director Gavin Flood said he believed relining technology was the way of the future.
“Relining has been used in the sewerage industry for years, but it’s only been in the past 12 months that Australian water utilities have begun implementing this technology for potable water pipes.
“Relining is quicker and can be more cost effective than traditional alternatives and importantly, it minimises disruption to the community and the environment.
“Depending on the technology, it’s possible to reline up to 650 m of pipe per day compared with 40 m using excavation.
“Plus, we’ve found it has potential savings of up to 40 per cent in capital costs.”
Mr Flood said Primus Line technology is relatively new in Australia and has only been used by a few utilities.
“Trainers from Germany spent time in Australia teaching our capital works crews to install Primus Line, so we now have the capability to deliver this technology in-house,” he said.
“At Redbank Plains, our crews fed the liner into the pipe in around 600 m lengths and we were able to install a total of 1.8 km of pipe in just over a week.
“Instead of our crew spending six months digging up the existing main and replacing it with a new one, we will have completed this project in a matter of weeks.”
“The particularly exciting part about these types of technologies is the speed at which the pipe can be put back in to service,” said Mr Flood.
Mr Flood also referenced Queensland Urban Utilities’ involvement in an industry Cooperative Research Centre focused on improving lining knowledge and enabling clients to make informed decisions on the renewals options of their assets.
“Australian utilities and businesses are coming to the table to share their experiences and work with the Water Services Association of Australia and other research bodies to build up industry knowledge and standards,” he said.
“Advances in trenchless technology keep coming and there’s more tools becoming available, so we’ll be able to do more work in a trenchless manner going forward.”
The September edition of Trenchless Australasia magazine will feature an in-depth article on this project. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
For more information visit the Queensland Urban Utilities website.
If you have a project you would like featured in Trenchless Australasia contact Assistant Editor Chloe Jenkins at cjenkins@gs-press.com.au