RSM offers a product range and services to support the needs of the developing market for sewer renovation through cured-in-place pipeline (CIPP) systems.
From a humble idea to the preferred solution for pipeline renewal in sensitive and difficult areas
Like the ASTT, Primus Line is also celebrating an important anniversary this year. Development work on the company’s trenchless technology began 25 years ago, followed five years later by the brand launch and company foundation.
Today, the German company has five international locations, and its products are used all over the world to rehabilitate critical pipeline infrastructure safely, in the long term and with minimal disruption.
Potential in Australia
Primus Line made its first contact with local asset owners in 2013. In 2016 the Australian Government National Water Commission released its certification framework for operators within drinking water treatment systems. That’s when the company founded its Australian branch.
Since then, Primus Line has become the preferred solution for pipe rehabilitation in sensitive and difficult-to-access areas. Since then, major projects have included Australia’s first 3-in-1 solution, which Primus Line completed for Hunter Water.
This project involved three Primus Liners DN 450 installed in a DN 900 pipe to maintain optimum water supply for Newcastle. Traditional dig-and-replace methods would have caused road closures for several weeks causing disruption to the environment and the community; but the 3-in-1 solution allowed liners to be placed in the host pipe and pulled through using a winch, and brought into shape one-by-one with compressed air.
Another project included rehabilitating over 100 m of vertical pipeline in Sydney’s underground. A DN 150 pump pipeline transporting sewage from a tunnel up to surface level was leaking at several points and in desperate need of rehabilitation.
The pipeline ran through a narrow vertical shaft, and replacing the pipeline would have been very difficult and complicated, if not impossible. Sydney Water decided to reline the existing main with a Primus Line system.
Director for Australia and New Zealand Heiko Manzke says the market still poses great potential for Primus Line. “More and more asset owners, such as Sydney Water, Urban Utilities or Unity Water are adopting our technology, not only for water pipes, but also for sewer rising mains. The percentage of wastewater projects in particular has grown significantly over the last three years,” he says.
Increased interest in sewer raising mains
In 2019, Primus Line was awarded the ASTT Rehab Project of the Year for its work rehabilitating a 50 m section of a sewer rising main under Biggera Creek in Queensland.
Four vertical bends, each with an angle of 12 degrees, were situated in the pipeline’s route. Specialist trenchless contractor Interflow proposed the client install the Primus Line system to mitigate any issues with operating pressure.
Primus Line’s aramid reinforced liner can absorb the operating pressure independently of the host pipe. It a flexible relining solution capable of accommodating bends of up to 45 degrees. The liner is also not glued to the host pipe, and can therefore be installed even if the host pipe is filled with water.
Insertion length and low machine output
Primus Line appeals to the Australian market due to its possible pull-in length over 1000 m, as well as the low use of machinery and transport effort required for installation.
Rehabilitation measures of pipelines through private residential areas can therefore be undertaken with minimal impact to the environment and the community.
This is also advantageous in less developed and remote regions of Australia with areas of cultural heritage sensitivity. For example, in Cape Lambert in Western Australia, Primus Line rehabilitated more than 1.5 km of drinking water pipeline for Rio Tinto at a site of cultural heritage significance.
Overland piping
Primus Line overland piping is a safe and reliable temporary above-ground bypass solution, for the transport of hazardous liquids where temporary lines are requested.
Temporary installations cause high ongoing expenses for the repeated mounting and dismantling of steel or HDPE pipes or for the trucking of the hazardous liquids from place to place. Primus Line offers an environmentally friendly solution for quick installation and reuse, even in difficult terrain.
“For the future, we see a huge potential in the mining and hydraulic fracturing market,” says Manzke.
For more information visit the Primus Line website.
Advancing the trenchless industry through transformation and education
Picote is an innovator and manufacturer of unique solutions for the trenchless rehabilitation of small diameter pipes, DN32 to DN300. International product sales were launched in 2012, with Picote receiving the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) Product of the Year award with the Smart Cutter™ later that year.
Picote presented its in-house lining method and a Finnish market paper in 2013 at the No-Dig Show in Sydney. From the outset, the company identified Australasia as an attractive potential market for the products. Picote partnered with local equipment suppliers and relationships developed quickly with Australian contractors who provided useful feedback for adapting the range for the market.
Since then, Picote’s portfolio of products and solutions has multiplied. Picote’s milling machines power all tools for reinstatements, high-speed pipe cleaning, descaling, root clearing, collapsed liner removal, concrete removal and the Picote Brush Coating™ System. Picote also offers a range of high quality cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining equipment for efficient installations.
Here are some of the latest innovations from Picote that will be hitting Australian shores soon, available from Picote resellers.
Battery Power
The Picote Mini Cleaner and Mini Miller are now available as cordless, battery-powered models, making quick work of cleaning, descaling and root removal.
The Battery Mini Cleaner operates inside DN32 to DN70 pipes and the Battery Mini Miller inside DN50 to DN100 pipes, both with capabilities to reinstate connections in DN50 and DN70 pipes.
The upgraded Battery Mini Miller and Battery Mini Cleaner models are designed for use in the same way as the plug-in models. The difference is that the clutch, motor and power supply have been designed to provide the best cordless experience and much more power.
The battery can provide three hours of continuous work and can be upgraded to the high-output version, which extends for four hours. It has also been designed so that a user can charge the battery while the product is still in use.
Not only is it convenient, but it is also easier to transport and operate too, regardless of power outlet locations or availability. Featuring stepless speed control, both models run at 800-2200rpm and can navigate multiple or tight 90-degree bends. The Battery Mini Cleaner can even pass through DN50 P-Traps. The dedicated brushless motor on both models is a powerful new addition, making work even more efficient.
Both the Battery Mini Cleaner and Battery Mini Miller are equipped with useful safety features: protective outer shaft casing (so that the cable is safe to hold), shielded operator presence foot control, electric safety clutch and emergency stop.
The Battery Mini Cleaner comes with a cleaning package for DN32 to DN40 pipes depending on your requirements. Both Millers can be upgraded to +C versions with integrated colour camera to track progress while you work.
Advances in CIPP equipment
The new Hybrid Midi Roller is designed for wetting out CIPP liners from DN50-200. This lightweight and compact unit can be powered by the integrated battery or plugged in and charged during use. It can be mounted on a separate work surface or combined with the Midi Roller Wet Out Station.
The Midi Roller is a hybrid unit, with variable speed and bi-directional controls. The built-in high-performance battery has around 10 hours of working time, which allows the operator to work anywhere without access to electricity.
The belt features a silicone surface and rubberised upper wheel. It is also lightweight, compact and easy to transport, weighing in at 18 kg. The Wet Out Station is an innovative and practical addition to the Midi Roller, with no additional power source needed.
Two machines in one
The new Picote Midi Cleaner bridges the gap between the Mini Miller and the Super Midi, with one machine offering DN50 to DN150 cleaning and descaling capabilities. This machine is also suitable for reinstatements in DN50 to DN100 pipes, and for brush coating from DN50 to DN200.
Offering the strength of a larger 10 mm shaft with the flexibility of a thinner outer casing, the Midi Cleaner has a reach of 23 m, which can be extended by 10m with a shaft extension. It is designed to navigate multiple 90-degree bends, even inside DN50 pipes.
With a wide range of training and technical support available, Picote launched the Picote Institute in 2018 to provide access for customers to a huge wealth of resources, including free online courses. Subscribe for free by visiting www.picoteinstitute.com.
For more information visit the Picote Solutions website.
This article appeared in the ASTT 30th Anniversary Edition.
Innovation in the blood
The Pezzimenti name has been synonymous with innovations in trenchless technology for more than 55 years. Aurelio Pezzimenti designed, built and commissioned the very first microtunnelling system in Australia in his father’s garage in Melbourne in 1986.
Interflow and Primus Line sign exclusivity agreement in Australasia
Interflow, renowned for its forward-thinking approach to innovation, is Australia and New Zealand’s leading provider of trenchless pipeline solutions and is already home to several patented products and technologies aimed at renewing pipeline infrastructure within the four waters: water, wastewater, stormwater and culverts.
The addition of Primus Line®, a world-class solution for relining pressure water and wastewater pipelines, to its growing portfolio of exclusive services, cements Interflow’s position as a one-stop-shop for its customers’ pipeline infrastructure needs.
The Primus Line® system consists of a flexible Kevlar-reinforced liner and specially developed end fittings.
World-class technology, stellar service
Interflow Managing Director Elect Daniel Weaver is confident the partnership will benefit both organisations’ customers and communities.
“Interflow and Raedlinger Primus Line are both family-owned companies that share similar core values,” he says.
“These synergies, combined with our drive to solve customers’ problems by using innovative and cutting-edge technologies, will enable us to continue to deliver reliable outcomes for our customers and the communities we serve.”
Elaborating on the significance of the partnership, Raedlinger Primus Line Managing Director Peter Lischewski says it was a fantastic opportunity for both companies to demonstrate their commitment to innovation and producing high-quality outcomes.
“By signing this exclusivity with Interflow, we are ensuring that our product will be expertly installed with extreme care, consistency and attention to detail, each and every time,” he says.
“We have a strong relationship with Interflow and look forward to working together to provide our customers with world-class solutions.”
Interflow and Primus Line have worked together for a number of years, delivering headline rehabilitations, including the 3-in-1 Triple Primus Line project featured in the March 2020 edition of Trenchless Australasia.
As part of the agreement Interflow will open a Primus Line warehouse to store limited stocks of common materials for immediate supply, which will be particularly useful for smaller emergency projects and gives customers convenient access to the product locally.
For more information visit www.interflow.com.au
Australia’s leading HDD specialist
Horizontal directional drilling has been in the blood of Maxibor’s founder and owner Rodney O’Meley, spanning over four decades. From first sight of an unusual looking machine in a Forresters Beach paddock in 1996, O’Meley became enthralled by the capabilities of trenchless technology.
25 years tunnelling Auckland City
March Cato is an award-winning Auckland-based civil engineering construction company.
Kwik-ZIP’s thermoplastic spacers and centralisers
By 2000, the pair had finalised the design for the 380 Series water well centraliser and commenced offering the product to others within the water well industry. Historically, all alternative solutions available consisted of wood or metal and had many disadvantages during application. Kwik-ZIP products are manufactured from high-grade thermoplastics, which meet industry standards.
Established in 2001, the company has since engaged in the design and manufacture of non-metallic centralisers and spacer systems for a wide range of industries including the trenchless, pipeline, resources and civil construction industries.
Headquartered in Bunbury, Western Australia, Kwik-ZIP now markets its products both domestically and internationally, owning the patents and intellectual property. Co-founder Jason Linaker is still the company’s managing director today.
Kwik-ZIP centraliser and spacer systems have been developed to solve supporting, grading and centralisation challenges in the trenchless, HDD, pipeline, vertical production drilling and ground engineering industries.
Using thermoplastic has a number of significant advantages such as corrosion protection, low co-efficient of friction, flexibility in sizing and reduced insertion forces.
Fabricated metallic spacers are subject to corrosion and can cause damage to the pipeline. Kwik-ZIP spacers and centralisers have no metal parts, which assists in overcoming some of the corrosion issues associated with traditional products.
Products are made from Kwik-ZIP’s engineered thermoplastic blend that has a low co-efficient of friction, which allows for quick and easy insertion inside the carrier pipe.
Kwik-ZIP spacers and centralisers are a segmented design, meaning that the same spacers and centralisers can be used for varying pipe diameters by the addition of more segments, adding an supplementary layer of flexibility.
Finally, the reduced insertion forces allow for greater run lengths as well as the use of lower insertion forced during installation in trenchless projects. The use of lower insertion forces in particular allows contractors to reduce the size of machine required to complete an installation, saving money, energy and space at the job site.
While the company’s initial focus resided in solving production casing centralisation challenges in vertical drilling applications, the Kwik-ZIP range has grown into a multi-industry series of innovative models that handle bar and pipe diameters from 18 mm to 1600 mm and above.
Manufactured from Kwik-ZIP’s engineered thermoplastic blend, all products are specified, used and recommended by pipeline and civil contractors, water and gas utilities, drilling companies and engineering firms across the world. Kwik-ZIP products are suitable for use on steel, DICL, MSCL, GRE, PVC, HDPE and other pipe material and are a completely non-metallic solution.
General manager Paul Jeffreys says Kwik-ZIP centralisers and spacers are available in six specific product series: HDXT, HDX, HD, GT, 380, and 155 all with varying models within each series. These are widely used in the water-well, trenchless, pipeline, mining, oil and gas, civil engineering and construction sectors.
“Each is more applicable to specific business sector, ensuring solutions can be found by end users,” says Jeffreys.
The products are certified against Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) product specifications and certified by the Australian Water Quality Centre (AWQC) for use in contact with drinking water. They are also approved for use within many utilities’ infrastructure including Melbourne Retail Water Association, South East Queensland’s Infrastructure and Materials (IPAM) list, Sydney Water and the WA Water Corporation.
Kwik-ZIP is also a member of the Australian Water Association, Water Industries Operators of Australia, American Water Works Association, US National Ground Water Association and the ASTT.
The company maintains a focus on price effectiveness, simplicity and rapid on-site assembly, to ensure that their systems deliver significant cost, time and operational advantages to their customers.
Ensuring the product is simple to install and cost-effective is a key cornerstone to the company’s offering. Kwik-ZIP also now has five strategically-located international warehouse facilities, which ensure short lead times for delivery and lower freight costs for consumers.
“We are regularly told that as well as a technically superior product, our short lead times are another one of the key reasons customers support our business,” says Jeffreys.
Jeffreys says significant time and effort has been invested in the development of the current range of products. This ethos informs the base of future development, backed by a range of Australian and international patents.
The business has a proven track record serving a wide range of markets in diverse geographical locations including United States of America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and Europe. Kwik-ZIP’s expertise, customer service, cost-effectiveness, innovative range of products and applicability across multiple industries continues to satisfy customers the world over.
For more information visit the Kwik-ZIP website.
This article appeared in the ASTT 30th Anniversary Edition.
A global robotic solutions favourite
KRE Engineering Services has been manufacturing robotic equipment for over 30 years. Keith Edmunds started the company in 1990, incorporating the business soon after in 1991.
At that time, Edmunds was struck by the lack of reliable equipment overseas. The industry was still in its infancy when he decided he would manufacture his own equipment to cater for the evolving Australian trenchless scene.
KRE produces reliable robotic equipment combined with clear imaging to perform vital robotic repairs in pipelines. Rehabilitation and lateral reinstatement through robotic equipment eliminates the need to dig up surfaces, making KRE’s inventions critical to trenchless solutions.
Through research, product development, and close working relationships with contractors and partners, KRE has been able to evolve and adapt its service offerings to meet the advancing needs of the market.
KRE’s range is used in a variety of trenchless applications. Services include but are not limited to: CCTV inspection and high-pressure cleaning for pipes, robotic repair and reinstatement of laterals, and internal pipeline repair.
Edmunds and his team have rubbed shoulders with many of Australia’s trenchless industry leaders over the decades, like Interflow’s Geoff Weaver and Abergeldie’s Matthew Boyle, to name a few. KRE products have been and still are regularly used by industry giants Interflow, Abergeldie Watertech (formerly Kembla Watertech), Insituform as well as PMA (Formerly IC Pipes) and M. Tucker & Sons.
The world caught wind of KRE’s innovations, and now the Australian-made products have been picked up by overseas suppliers in Germany and North America. In 2020, CUES began manufacturing and selling KRE’s self-driving robotic equipment to enhance its skid mounted robotics that KRE designed some 28 years ago.
CUES is the world’s leading manufacturer of water, wastewater and stormwater inspection equipment. This is a testament to the design and development of KRE’s products for the global market.
KRE was also the first company in Australia to exhibit and supply WinCan – a specialist sewer inspection and asset management software solution that has now become an industry staple.
Edmunds enjoys problem-solving and creating new solutions for every client’s projects. The company’s goal is to deliver cost effective and practical solutions that are intuitive to use.
Edmunds and the team design equipment so it can be easily repaired out in the field. All equipment is modular and interchangeable, to save the contractor downtime on projects.
“We pride ourselves on working closely with our customers and their operators, enabling us to develop and produce products to suit market requirements,” Edmunds says.
Over the years, KRE has assisted in a number of major projects. In 1993, KRE worked with Curtin University, Perth, with a robotic solution to hold explosive charges and measuring equipment for seismic surveys.
In 1998, the company helped on a Marconi, EPROS combined project, KRE supplying the robotics for laying fibreoptic cables in sewers, taking the fibre from the main to the consumer. That same year, KRE also supplied the majority of robotic equipment on the Singapore deep sewer project.
In 2016, the company aided Imatech with a 500 m camera and laser measurement system, for pipes from 75 mm to 225 mm for the purpose of analysing ceramic wear coatings and determining the lifespan of their specific pipes.
Currently, KRE is investing in research and development for its core product range – its robotic lateral cutters – which range from 150 mm to 1200 mm. The team is designing and trialling new technology in robotic machines for potable water pipes ranging from 75 mm to 225 mm.
KRE’s work doesn’t stop there: the company is also developing a new micro-cutter to cater for the domestic plumbing market. The company is excited to be working with new and upcoming contractors and partners, expanding its customer base and creating new opportunities to create solutions for now and into future for our unique and ever evolving trenchless industry here in Australasia.
For more information visit the KRE website.
Insituform Pacific: The international standard for rehabilitating and strengthening piping systems
Killard Infrastructure is a multi-functional civil construction company that has gained an outstanding reputation in the water utility industry. With over twenty years’ experience working with sewer, water and storm water pipelines, Killard has delivered a vast range of successful projects on time and within budget to many satisfied clients throughout New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Established in 1999 by Jerry Daly, Killard Infrastructure has offered pipe renewal services by conventional trenching since its inception. In January 2020, Killard acquired all shares in Insituform Pacific from Aegion – a worldwide multinational company specialising in the protection and rehabilitation of infrastructure utilising trenchless technology.
The Insituform name is synonymous with trenchless rehabilitation, known for its cured-in place pipe (CIPP) and other technologies globally. Since its establishment in 1971, Insituform has been providing cost-effective solutions to remediate operational, health, regulatory and environmental problems resulting from aging and defective pipeline infrastructure.
For 50 years Insituform has been instrumental in the creation of products, standards and processes that define the trenchless industry today. With an installed base of over 40,000 kilometres of CIPP worldwide, Insituform continues to offer cost-effective rehabilitation, engineering, and design for a wide range of industries and clients around Australia.
The industry has responded well to Aegion’s patented technology. “We are not reinventing the wheel: we have tried and tested products that are well developed and widely used,” says Jerry Daly, Managing Director for Killard Group. “We have access to all Aegion products and the newest technologies that are used worldwide.”
Killard is the exclusive distributor for Aegion products, so as newer technologies are created in the United States and England, Insituform’s inventory of renewal options for stormwater, sewer and water infrastructure is continually expanding.
Together, Killard Infrastructure and Insituform can provide a full service, one-stop-shop offering end-to-end assistance. The combined entities offers a holistic solution for clients covering civil and non-destructive asset replacement.
With over 200 personnel delivering work across Australia, and offices in Queensland, Victoria and four in New South Wales, size ensures a responsive and cost-efficient solution available in all regions of Australia.
Working on live infrastructure, Insituform is no stranger to a good challenge. One of the greatest difficulties of late has been in relation to logistics and material shortages during the pandemic.
“Transportation of material has been impacted; however, we are taking an active role to ensure we maintain high levels of performance,” says Simon Davis, General Manager Killard Infrastructure and Insituform. “To date, it hasn’t affected our clients – our work is getting done with minimal impacts and disruption.”
Killard Infrastructure and Insituform share an ambition to ensure all utility owners have cost-effective solutions for renewing ageing infrastructure.
For more information visit the Killard Infrastructure website.
This article appeared in the ASTT 30th Anniversary Edition.
Celebrating 85 years of innovation with Interflow
Interflow is Australia and New Zealand’s leading provider of trenchless pipeline infrastructure solutions. Throughout its vibrant history, the organisation has pioneered technologies and renewal methods that have received national and international recognition for their industry-leading status.
Innovation lies at the core of Interflow’s service offering. From proactive asset management to emergency repairs, the company is dedicated to developing bespoke solutions that penetrate to the heart of its customers’ needs: robust, sustainable pipeline infrastructure that will service the growing needs of the community for generations to come.
This is something that has been characteristic of the organisation since its establishment. From day one, the organisation’s founder, Harold ‘Bill’ Weaver, was committed to ‘challenging the status quo’.
In 1936, Bill set out on a mission to support the growth of budding communities along the east coast of Australia through the construction of water, sewerage and drainage systems for developing towns. As a result of Bill’s ability to identify gaps in the market and develop services to meet the needs of his customers, the company was able to expand its operations across the country.
A generation-led, family-owned business
Over the years, the leadership of Interflow has been handed down from father to son, for three generations.
The organisation’s current Managing Director, Geoff Weaver, has been responsible for expanding Interflow’s operations across Australia, establishing international operations in New Zealand, negotiating two twenty-year exclusive Australasian licenses for spirally wound rehabilitation products with long-standing partner, Sekisui Rib Loc Australia, and has taken a leading role in the development of trenchless technology.
Today, at 85-years young, Interflow has become Australia’s largest provider of trenchless pipeline solutions, earning the enviable track record of being the preferred delivery partner within its market.
Geoff shares how the company’s ongoing success has been guided by the steadfast core values laid out by his grandfather.
“My grandfather’s ethos was simple. He was committed to challenging the status quo and finding new and better ways to do things,” he said.
“He strove to ensure that every action taken by the company, both in the way it treated its people and customers, reflected the core values of Honesty, Reliability, Competence and Respect.”
Geoff says that in addition to these core values, Interflow’s success should be attributed to the commitment and dedication of its people.
“Interflow’s innovation has always been spurred by two simple questions: What do our customers need, and can we challenge ourselves to do better?”
Geoff shares how this passion led to the development of many world-class technologies that changed the civil engineering landscape forever.
“As early as the 1990s, we pioneered the use of trenchless technology to improve project efficiency, reduce costs and minimise any impact to the environment and community,” he said.
“Each generation of leadership has been responsible for refining these methods and developing new technologies to further improve the experience of our customers and communities.”
A simple vision, an important mission
Starting as a humble business and steadily growing to a workforce of approximately 600 employees across all of Australia and New Zealand, the company continues to expand the range of services offered to its customers.
Geoff highlights the company’s desire to be the first point of contact for its customers’ pipeline infrastructure projects.
“Our crews are well trained and equipped to resolve all our customers’ problems, throughout the entire lifecycle of their water, wastewater, stormwater and culvert assets,” he said.
“We remain steadfastly committed to investing in our people and providing them with the right tools and support to grow with our business.”
Although Interflow’s vision and strategy have evolved over the years to accommodate the growth of their workforce and advancements in technology, the core foundation has remained the same.
As the company prepares for its anniversary celebrations throughout November, Geoff reflects on what the future may have in store.
“One thing is for sure: we will continue to grow, innovate, and challenge ourselves to be our best every day,” he said.
“As we celebrate this incredible milestone, we look forward to the next 85 years of supporting our customers and uplifting communities with pipeline infrastructure solutions for generations to come.”
An industry old hand
Hynds Pipe Systems has partnered with New Zealand’s civil and rural infrastructure for nearly half a century.
Edge Underground: bringing innovation to microtunnelling
Since it was established in 2010, Edge Underground has been at the forefront of the Australian microtunnelling industry, pushing its boundaries, improving equipment and finding ways to complete even the most challenging projects.
Aussie Trenchless dedicated to innovation, quality and safety
When ‘technology’ is in the name of the industry you specialise in, there’s always pressure to consistently deliver the latest and greatest innovations and cutting-edge products.
20 years of water asset management
Adept Civil Group protects Victoria’s water security and delivers critical sewer infrastructure to the state’s first dedicated quarantine facility.
Rob Carr wins contract for next stage of Melbourne CBD sewer upgrade
Microtunnelling expert Rob Carr has been awarded the design and construct contract for the next stage of Greater Western Water’s CBD Sewer Augmentation Project focused on Elizabeth Street in the centre of Melbourne.
Vacuum excavation that’s portable and quiet
CEA introduces its newest truck-mounted vacuum excavator, featuring a compact low profile, high visibility, and stability in rough locations.
The full package
M. Tucker & Sons is a family-owned business providing civil and trenchless drainage services since 1989. Over 30 years, the company has developed a reputation for supplying a comprehensive service in utilities and wastewater spaces, with the most up-to-date methods and technologies.
M. Tucker & Sons’ customers range from local councils, to small businesses, to large organisations across a range of sectors. The company’s services range from consultation and advisory, to civil construction and repairs, and CCTV inspection and condition assessments – but that is by no means exhaustive.
Back in July, M. Tucker & Sons completed 780 m of 540mm sewer rehabilitation at a major manufacturing plant in Traralgon. This project involved the use of all divisions in the company, from civil teams, cleaning and CCTV operators, traffic control to pipe relining.
The work involved heavy drain cleaning under meticulous CCTV monitoring to effectively clean the pipe while protecting the brittle and delicate host pipe. Civil crews were required to rectify collapsed sections of pipe and create access to buried manholes.
Two pipe relining crews worked around the clock to restore the system’s structural integrity and serviceability for at least the next 50 years, while traffic control crews were deployed to safely mange plant traffic around for the duration of work. M. Tucker vacuum trucks set up a large bypass to keep the team dry over the course of the works.
M. Tucker & Sons’ holistic service offering brought together all disparate ends of the project. Under deft project management, the divisions worked together like a well-oiled machine despite a few project challenges.
Issues
M. Tucker & Sons was required to rehabilitate 780 m of heavily deteriorated 540 mm sewer pipeline. The sewer was collapsed in sections, making it not only structurally compromised but also hazardous.
Manholes in the sewer required locating and raising, and the project was also hindered by high peak flows at unpredictable times.
M. Tucker & Sons only had a brief window in which to complete the works while causing minimal interruptions to the sewer network.
Solutions
M. Tucker & Sons provided the client with a safe and cost-effective solution to alternative reconstruction. While the treatment plant maintained operations, the company provided a UV liner designed to Australian standards to rehabilitate the sewer while it was still on-line.
The company successfully completed all works on time with no interruptions or lost time.
Outcome
The company installed 786 m of 5.8 mm GL16 iMPREG UV Liner over the course of nine 12-hour shifts, over a five-day period. The team worked tirelessly and seamlessly brought together all facets of the business to provide a true end-to-end service.
Works were installed under a 1 km long bypass setup with two vacuum trucks operating full-time for the duration of the relining works to manage groundwater infiltration.
Thirteen manholes were located raised and reinstated along the sewer, and two 5 m deep sections of pipe were safely excavated and repaired, despite their difficult locations with intersecting utilities and poor ground conditions.
The project was completed safely, as planned, and delivered on time. The client was impressed with the level of safety consciousness, diligence and execution of the team of 20 that worked on the project.
For more information visit the M. Tucker & Sons website.
This article featured in the December 2021 edition of Trenchless Australasia. To view the digital magazine, click here.
The perfect rehabilitation solution for sewer, stormwater gravity mains
Aussie Trenchless is headed by industry old-hand Chris Meredith. Skilled in achieving superior trenchless outcomes, Meredith is committed to pioneering state-of-the-art solutions for no-dig civil construction.
Offering practical advice to infrastructure owners and contractors on a variety of underground pipeline rehabilitation techniques, Meredith’s practice is backed by a wealth of knowledge and experience. From pipeline assessment, sealing and CCTV techniques, as well as various rehabilitation processes, Aussie Trenchless is a go-to for proven trenchless solutions.
The company offers a range of innovative new products, adding more to its inventory as the industry evolves. Just one of these latest developments is the SRP-EXP. Characterised by its intuitive use and speedy installation process, it can extend the service life of sewer and stormwater assets by more than five decades.
The SRP-EXP is a close-fitting structural, spiral ribbed PVC trenchless pipe lining system and is an ideal rehabilitation solution for deteriorated and degraded sewer and stormwater pipelines.
A liner pipe is formed in-situ by helically winding a PVC profile strip into a host pipe, usually from an existing access chamber. The spiral winding machine is positioned into an access chamber or pit, which then winds the SRP-EXP ribbed strip to produce a secondary pipe within the existing pipeline.
The system is first installed at a smaller diameter and then expanded to fit snuggly against the internal surface of the existing structure. Because the profile is initially set to a small diameter, it can ride over displaced joints and negotiate bends and damaged areas.
This relining product is available for asset profiles from DN150 to DN1200. The SRP-EXP profile strip is engineered with a dual action lock. During the initial wind-in process, this functions to hold the spiral wound pipe tight at the initial diameter.
When the total installation is reached, the SRP-EXP liner end is then torsionally restrained, with the lock area sequentially released such that the liner expands. The expansion is smooth and controlled before the lining is pressed hard against the pipe wall.
It is even possible to install the SRP-EXP under live flow conditions. Flow control is generally not required during the installation process, thus avoiding any interruptions to the network.
The SRP-EXP also has a small site footprint. It is quick and easy to install, and it doesn’t generate any waste.
This liner is designed in accordance with industry standards, such as ASTM F1741-08 (2016), to provide a stand-alone structural liner. SRP- EXP is available in a number of different profiles sizes to suit gravity pipe sizes from DN150 to DN1200, and is guaranteed to extend the life of your assets by at least 50 years.
For more information visit the Aussie Trenchless website.
This article featured in the December 2021 edition of Trenchless Australasia. To view the digital magazine, click here.
30 years of trenchless technology for Vermeer Australia
In the 1970s, Gary Vermeer had a vision: if Vermeer could develop a machine that could dig in a manner similar to a mole tunnelling underneath a road, without opening up a trench, it would blow open the market, and make Vermeer an industry pioneer.
The first battery-powered power system
The new T815 crawler system is battery-powered, making it safer, lighter and more robust. This machine is suited to the most extreme applications, from toxic environments to conditions 100 m below sea level.
Rangedale expands civil division
As the company continues to prove itself as an industry leader for drain maintenance and rehabilitation across Victoria and New South Wales, Rangedale is taking its capabilities further.
The Rangedale Group first introduced its civil division in 2009 when the company was primarily doing collapsed sewer dig-outs for waterboards across Melbourne.
Rangedale civil operations manager Mick Fuller tells Trenchless Australasia the division has quickly developed and upskilled into becoming a recognised industry specialist for repairs to damaged sewers and storm water pipes, and for constructing sewer pipe connections and extensions.
“Our civil team have the expertise, the experience, and the equipment to handle: Dig outs in excessive wet running sand and poor soil, plus closed timber sheeted up to 14m deep, construction of new manholes, dewatering of excavation and bypass pumping of sewer lines,” says Fuller.
“As our team continued to expand into becoming civil specialists, we were soon incorporating more skills such as tunnelling under buildings, trees, laneways and utilities, asphalt work, concrete cutting, hydro excavation and repairing sewers with relining methods.
“We started looking in concrete rehabilitation products such as industrial epoxy coatings for new manhole structures to protect the life of these pipes and drains. From here we’ve continued to expand this line of offering through our civil services which includes leak seal technology that seals infiltration on various concrete structure’s and additionally a geo polymer product to also rehabilitate deteriorated large diameter pipes as a structural liner.”
Fuller says the company currently has a strong focus on coatings and manholes, but is now wanting to add more products to expand its expertise.
“The main benefit and whole end-goal is to enhance the life of their customers assets non-intrusively. It is the trenchless way,” he says.
Fuller says with the technologies already there, the key is to work closely with partners and suppliers to get it out into the market effectively.
With the company’s longstanding philosophy “keep it running”, Rangedale offers the expertise, capability, resources and scale to take on projects large and small.
The Concrete Remediation Range provides a cost-effective solution in a timely, safe and industry-standard manner.
“Working with our partners is a really important aspect of the company – we come to the table with the technical and practical expertise. It is a winning solution,” Fuller says.
Ensuring its customers have a comprehensive service, Fuller says the Rangedale Group of companies is vertically integrated, allowing turnkey solutions utilising all in-house services.
With the scale of its fleet, personnel, industry knowledge and expertise, Rangedale is the first choice when it comes to drain cleaning, manhole construction and manhole relining, inspection, maintenance and repair, utility locating and mapping, service proofing, saw cutting, restoration, relining, NDD, CCTV, traffic management, asphalting, civil works, industrial cleaning, bulk liquid and slurry waste management.
Covering a large range of industries, Fuller says the company now has its sights set on expanding further the roads, transport and rail sectors following the addition of the Concrete Remediation Range.
The company aims to synergise more with these industries by working closely with its manufacturers and suppliers’ partners to ensure the application procedures are understood.
Fuller says this will be achieved by implementing and managing crews to ensure that they are working to a WSA approved inspection test plan.
With the overall goal to extend the life of assets, Rangedale has sufficient labour, resources and equipment which provide it with the flexibility of allocating high priority to emergency works, the ability to work 24/7 to complete works that may be located in high traffic areas or if high flows prevent day works.
“Rangedale is always on the look out for products and technology that can be of value to our customers – that is how the company has grown to what it is today. They are all driven by the needs of existing clients,” he says. “Given our specialist nature, our team have the expertise and the equipment to deal with a range of situations that many service providers wouldn’t be able to achieve.”
For more information visit the Rangedale website.
This article featured in the December 2021 edition of Trenchless Australasia. To view the digital magazine, click here.
No-Dig partners with WaterAid
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit determined to make clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene accessible for everyone in the world within the space of a generation.
No-Dig Down Under, organised by Trenchless publisher Prime Creative Media, is one of the world’s largest events dedicated to trenchless technology.
Taking place on 8–11 March this year, No-Dig Down Under will include a technical conference, trade exhibition, social functions, as well as training courses presented by internationally recognised leaders of their respective fields.
Teresa Ayles is the Director of Community Engagement at WaterAid Australia.
“WaterAid enables the world’s poorest people to gain access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Without all three, people can’t live dignified, healthy lives. With all three, they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty, and change their lives for good,” said Ayles.
“WaterAid Australia is thrilled to be the charity partner of No-Dig Down Under 2022.
“As charity partner, WaterAid will be presenting at the Gala Dinner during the conference and you can support our work at the various tap donation points at the registration desk for the duration of the event.”
WaterAid was involved with No-Dig Down Under 2019, with all proceeds from a charity auction at the event’s Gala Dinner and Awards Evening donated directly to the not-for-profit.
The company says in a world with so many competing priorities, it remains resolutely focused on transforming lives for good.
For more information visit the No-Dig Down Under website.
Breakthrough at CRL’s Aotea Station
On 10 December, workers removed the final pieces of concrete wall 15 m beneath Auckland streets and began connecting the new Aotea Station to tunnels running from Britomart to the City Rail Link (CRL) project.
Microtunnelling contract awarded for pipeline duplication
Due to the difficult ground conditions and high traffic volumes, Wellington Water said trenchless tunnelling was the preferred method for installation.
Vermeer proudly supporting the WA State underground power project
The State Underground Power Project (SUPP) was established in the early 1990’s after severe storm damage caused major power outages across the populated South West region of WA.