More and more water utilities are taking advantage of the Primus Line system for its rehabilitation projects for pressure pipes. Hunter Water has even included the German technology in its portfolio as a standard renovation technology.
Rädlinger first developed the Primus Line system in Germany 25 years ago, with the company making its first contacts with Australian asset owners in 2013.
Since its first installation in Australia, Primus Line has become the preferred solution for pipe rehabilitations in sensitive and difficult-to-access areas. Primus Line is a specialist technology for the trenchless rehabilitation of pressure pipes, appealing predominantly to water utilities as a preferred method due to its ability to navigate bends.
Primus Line’s director for Australia and New Zealand Heiko Manzke says the company also does not require access to the entire asset. “Primus Line is characterised by the combination of flexibility and high material strength,” he says.
“This makes it possible to drive through bends of up to 45 degrees and at the same time realise installation lengths of over 1000 m in one section. All that is needed are small excavation pits or access shafts. The use of machinery and the intervention in the environment are minimal.”
The Primus Line system was recently used to rehabilitate a water main for a local utility in New South Wales. Hunter Water provides drinking water, wastewater, recycled water and some stormwater services to a population of almost 600,000 between homes and businesses across the Lower Hunter region.
Cooperation between Primus Line and the state-owned corporation began with some initial site visits, followed by information sessions to improve understanding of the technology.
The first action was an emergency project for a sewage pressure line. The Primus Line technology demonstrated to Hunter Water its versatility. On the utility’s next venture, Hunter Water took a new approach that previously hadn’t been seen in the Australian piping market: a multi-liner solution.
Justin Watts, Hunter Water group manager for asset solutions, says there were a number of challenges surrounding the repair of the DN 900 MSCL watermain, which crossed beneath a highway off ramp.
“This main was a critical water supply to Newcastle and Lake Macquarie regions. Due to the timing of failure, a large number of visitors were expected to the region for the Newcastle 500 Supercars race, and, with increasing temperatures, a quick, nondestructive restoration was sought,” he says. “The Primus Liner’s ability to be installed through bends prompted Hunter Water to look at solutions using this product. With a maximum product diameter of DN500, an engineering solution was required to ensure capacity was retained.”
To ensure best possible use, the utility service supplier chose the Primus Line 3-in-1 solution, executed by the proven Primus Lines partner Interflow. Installing three Primus Liners DN 450 PN 16 with an inner diameter of 396 mm would provide Hunter Water with a working capacity of nearly 60 per cent.
The section of the pipeline requiring rehabilitation was around 140 m. Moreover, the friction coefficient of the Primus Liner has a K-factor of 0.028 lower than the friction coefficient of the existing main. The results of Hunter Water’s calculations finally showed that a reduction in diameter would be acceptable.
“With this project, we were able to convince the market that we can also offer engineering solutions,” says Manzke. “In addition, it clearly demonstrates Hunter Water’s innovative spirit and openness to new technologies. Both will enable Hunter Water to continue to operate its approximately 10,000 km of water and wastewater pipelines safely and reliably in the future.”
Since Hunter Water successfully deployed Primus Line for both sewer rising and water mains, the technology has become part of the standard suite of products for pressure pipe rehabilitation. Today, a number of water and sewer pressure pipeline projects have been completed using the technology.
Hunter Water has installed Primus Line in a range of situations, including watermain rehabilitation options. It has proved successful in rehabilitating watermains in poor conditions and difficult-to-access areas.
For more information visit the Primus Line website.