CONTENTSVOLUME 21 • NUMBER 5 • MAY 2012 • WWW.TRENCHLESSONLINE.COM
ON THE COVER: DEPARTMENTS 24 Visu-Sewer & Trenchless 8 News 66 Products Technology Go Hand-in-Hand 72 Calendar Visu-Sewer was born out of a general contracting company as a way to tap into the pipe inspection and maintenance niche opening resulting from new installation. As the trenchless market opened up, Columns the contractor did the same, growing into a trenchless leader. (On 6 Publisher’s Message the cover, from left: Phil Romagna, Dan Przewoznik, Doug Alexander, 22 Industry Watch Keith Alexander, John Nelson Jr., Ron Fenney, Dave Alexander and Jim Serketich.) By Sharon M. Bueno 70 Technical Forum 74 Point of View
FEATURES Marketplace 68 Business Cards 28 Premier-Pipe USA Does Business Its Own Way and Reaches Milestone 73 Index of Advertisers Premier-Pipe USA recently announced the completion of its 10 millionth foot of installed pipe liner. By Andrew Farr
32 Trenchless Rehabilitation Contractors: Expanding Service Offerings in Response to Stricter Regulations DIRECTIONAL & Environmental Concerns Trenchless contractors need to be researching and investing in new DRILLING trenchless technologies that complement their other services to stay 52 So You Think You competitive in the market. By Stevie Jones-Schein Want to Cut Hard Rock? 34 Survey of the North American Pilot Tube Industry 58 Ductile Iron Pipe Researchers at Arizona State University recently completed a Used in Mississippi survey of pilot tube microtunneling (PTMT) contractors across North HDD Project America. Check out what was found. By Dr. Jason S. Lueke, PhD, 64 Locating 101: PEng, and Vamseedhar Gottipati, MS Guidelines to Follow 40 Unique Slipline Project Solves Problematic Massachusetts Water Mains Key pipelines in Springfield, Mass., were aging and in a precarious condition until a 2011 sliplining operation gave the pipelines new life. By Tyler Henning
44 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable Trenchless Technology invited a group of industry professionals at Promoting Technology in the the 2012 No-Dig Show to discuss the past, present and future of Utility Construction Industry trenchless for drinking water main rehabilitation. By Jim Rush Visit us on:
TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY (ISSN 1064-4156) is published monthly, Copyright 2012, Benjamin Media, Inc., 1770 Main St., Peninsula, OH 44264. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without written permission from the publisher. One-year subscription rates: complimentary in the United States and Canada, and $99.00 in other foreign countries. Single copy rate: $10.00. Subscriptions and classified advertising should be addressed to the Peninsula office. Periodical Postage Paid at Peninsula, Ohio and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: send address changes to TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY, P.O. Box 190, Peninsula, OH 44264 USA. Canadian Subscriptions: Canada Post Agreement Number 7178957. Send change of address information and blocks of undeliverable copies to Canada Express; 7686 Kimble Street, Units 21 & 22, Mississauga, ON L5S 1E9 Canada
4 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
PUBLISHER’S MESSAGE Water Main Rehabilitation This year’s Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable at the No- Dig Show addressed the subject of water main rehabilitation in North America. There are more than 240,000 water main breaks in the United Publisher States each year, according to the EPA’s website. It’s commonly known Bernard P. Krzys that 17 percent of all drinking water is lost due to leaky water mains. Associate Publisher When you consider the cost to “manufacture” this water and the cost of Robert D. Krzys our distribution systems, we can no longer just write incident reports Editor expecting to later address this water problem. James W. Rush Our panel of experts in this issue present challenges and opportunities in water line rehab. Managing Editor One of the major issues they discussed is the conservatism in the engineering community, Sharon M. Bueno which they say is of the mindset to stick with what has been used in the past and forgoing Assistant Editor trenchless as an option. The panel also discussed that trenchless technology is still frequently Andrew Farr thought of as more costly vs. open-cut methods. But the panel pointed out that trenchless is as much as 10 to 15 percent less expensive then open-cut methods, local businesses are kept Contributing Staff Editors open, there is minimal wear and tear on detoured streets, and trees are preserved. There is lots Keith Gribbins • Pam Kleineke of good discussion in this year’s Editorial Roundtable so be sure to take a look at the excellent Bradley Kramer • Kelly Pickerel comments of our panelists in this issue. Production Manager Chris Slogar NASSCO & Visu-Sewer Marketing Director Our front cover presents Visu-Sewer, a highly regarded pipeline rehabilitation contractor Kelly Dadich based in the Midwest. Over the years, Visu-Sewer has made a major commitment to support the Regional Sales Manager industry through its participation with NASSCO. In fact, Visu-Sewer has the distinction of having Dan Sisko three of its management team serve as president of NASSCO — Ernie Alexander (1985), Keith Regional Sales Representative Alexander (2004) and John Nelson (2012). NASSCO has benefited from the leadership of these individuals. Lindsie Bowman Audience Development Manager OUCC Alexis R. White With so many economic difficulties facing utility contractors these days, we have an Web & Interactive Manager idea to help: the Opportunities in Utility Construction Conference, slated for Oct. 9-10 in Mark Gorman Wilmington, Ohio (located between Columbus and Cincinnati). A Trenchless Technology Road Show will be incorporated into the venue, as well as the areas of gas shale drilling, solar and Editorial Advisory Board wind construction, site work, geothermal, construction management topics and the latest in Chairman equipment innovations. This will be a major regional conference with exhibition and outdoor Dr. Tom Iseley, P.E. Professor/Director at CEMT at IUPUI demonstrations. We will be presenting exciting new areas for utility contractors to help get out Indianapolis, Indiana of the economic doldrums. Dr. Samuel Ariaratnam P.E. Much is under way regarding OUCC. As always, the best place to keep up on all these Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona developments will be to go to the web at www.oucconference.com. Dr. David Bennett, P.E. Bennett Trenchless Engineers, Folson, California Steven R. Kramer, P.E. Trenchless Directory Arcadis US Inc, Washington, D.C. For the 19th year, we have published the Directory of the North American Trenchless Joseph Loiacono, ing. Technology Industry. Our industry has grown so fantastically over the years that we now have Sanexen, Montreal, Quebec more than 1,700 listings in the directory. In this era of the Web, we still find most people Ronald T. Thompson, P.E. in our industry want a printed directory. Whenever we have our directories at our booth at Malcolm Pirnie Inc., Jackson, Mississippi Irene McSweeney, P.E. tradeshows, the directories are always totally taken by the attendees. You can also access the Boston Water and Sewer Commission directory online by going to www.trenchlessonline.com and clicking on the Online Buyers Boston, Massachusetts Guide button on the Resources tab. Editorial & Advertising Offices 1770 Main St., P.O. Box 190 Peninsula, OH 44264 USA (330) 467-7588 • Fax: (330) 468-2289 www.trenchlessonline.com e-mail: [email protected] Have a great summer, Reprints Wright Reprints Ph: 877-652-5295 Fax: 281-419-5712
Bernard P. Krzys President & Publisher
6 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
NEWS Las Vegas Welcomes NASSCO Members NASSCO’s 2012 Annual Meeting, held and opportunities for members to become Feb. 15-18 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, even more engaged with NASSCO. was by far the biggest and best gathering of Education and technical updates con- NASSCO members ever. Its record-breaking tinued Friday morning, with sessions on attendance included 101 NASSCO mem- chemical grout specifications, design of bers in good standing, with 13 of those in- CIPP, inspector training for manholes, fiber- dividuals being new to NASSCO. optic sensors for CIPP temperature control, The annual gathering, designed to fur- pipe joint leak detection during dry weath- ther NASSCO’s mission to set industry stan- er, large diameter multi-function inspection dards for the assessment and rehabilitation equipment and an update on the Registry The 2012 NASSCO Board of Directors of underground pipelines and to assure of Carcinogens as it applies to styrene. the continued acceptance and growth of With the serious nature of the Annual Meet- trenchless technologies, provides an op- ing concluded, the members joined together portunity for industry experts to network, for a relaxing evening of networking and participate in a variety of committees, and friendship for the awards banquet on Friday learn the latest and greatest about trench- night. During this time the 2012 Board of Di- less technologies and methods. rectors was introduced, Gerry Muenchmeyer The three-day event kicked off with a was inducted into the Sanitary Sewer Sleuth welcome reception on Wednesday night, Society and the 2012 Jeffrey D. Ralston schol- which allowed members to catch up with arship recipients were announced. This year, old friends and meet new members before NASSCO awarded two scholarships: Kenneth the general session and technical meetings. McLarin from Louisiana Tech University and Thursday was an intensive day that re- Smith Sanabria from the University of Mary- capped the accomplishments of 2011 and land-College Park were both honored with included discussions about strategic goals scholarships to further their educational ca- for 2012. Reports were made by the vari- reers in trenchless technologies. After the annual golf outing: Mike Russin, ous committee chairpersons, with division NASSCO’s annual meeting was wrapped updates being made by ICGA (Infiltration up on Saturday with a modified shotgun Pipeline Analytics (left), Dan Sisko, Control Grouting Association) and IPBA (In- golf tournament held at Rio Secco Golf regional sales manager for Trenchless ternational Pipe Bursting Association). The Club. Members are planning now for the Technology magazine, and Bob General Meeting was followed by an after- 2013 annual meeting in southern Florida, O’Connor, Municipal & Contractors noon jam-packed with committee meetings slated for Feb. 13-16. Sealing Products Inc.
Opportunities in Utility Construction Conference Set for Oct. 9-10 in Wilmington, Ohio
While the decline in the housing market has had a profound ef- with the Opportunities fect on the utility construction market over the last several years, in Utility Construction there have at the same time been emerging opportunities for en- Conference, features terprising contractors willing to look into new fields. topics covering pipe To help identify these emerging areas, as well as to provide relining, manhole repair, tools and strategies to be successful in these areas, Benjamin grouting, horizontal di- Media Inc. is hosting the Opportunities in Utility Construction rectional drilling, microtunneling, pipe inspection and more – all Conference in conjunction with its Trenchless Technology Road presented by recognized industry experts. The trenchless mar- Show Oct. 9-10 in Wilmington, Ohio. ket for repairing and installing underground utilities, particularly The regional conference is dedicated to helping contractors in sewer and water pipelines, has been a bright spot in an otherwise Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia discuss gloomy construction market. Trenchless techniques have contin- market opportunities in utility construction. New business oppor- ued to improve and gain market share vs. open-cut techniques. tunities to be explored include Shale Drilling, Solar Power Con- For more than 15 years, the Trenchless Technology Road Shows struction, Wind Power Construction, Geothermal Construction, has provided presentation on trenchless processes that keep vi- Microtrenching, Undergrounding of Utilities, Site Prep and more. tal infrastructure up and running with minimal disruption. In addition, tracks on equipment and management strategies will For additional information on the Opportunities in Utility Con- be presented to help contractors achieve optimal efficiency. struction Conference, contact Benjamin Media at 330-467-7588 The Trenchless Technology Road Show, presented as a track or visit www.oucconference.com.
8 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
NEWS Texas Hold ‘Em: NUCA Convention Meets in Fort Worth LEFT: Dan East (on left) receives the Ditchdigger of the Year award from NUCA Chairman Ryan Schmitt. RIGHT: (From left) Dis- playing their new NUCA bandanas, Tom Butler of Ripa & Associates, Rob Krzys, Publisher of Utility Contractor and Al Tilley of Mabey Bridge and Shore practice their hand at Texas Hold ‘Em as Charles Suraksy looks on. Underground utility contractors, excavators and the suppliers Industry association meetings on Tuesday included Education, that serve them gathered at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel Safety and Damage Prevention and others. Wednesday was all in Fort Worth, Texas, March 12-16 for the NUCA Convention 2012. about NUCA’s Annual Meeting and Pancake Breakfast, sponsored This week was all about helping you manage the changes your by CNA Insurance, as well as the presentation of the Ditch Digger company faces these days and the ideas, camaraderie and morale of the Year award to Dan East of Layne Heavy Civil, new chapter boost you get from joining forces with your industry colleagues. The charter presentations and the chairman and CEO reports. Attend- jam-packed week started off with a well-attended golf tournament ees also enjoyed Roundtable discussions on Tuesday and Thursday, and ended with an energetic night at Billy Bob’s famous Honky Tonk. spotlighting Profit Pipeline Roundtables. In between, the event offered invaluable networking opportunities, Guest speakers at the convention included former First Lady problem-solving sessions, a diverse lineup of speakers and a lot of fun Laura Bush, who answered audience questions, and New York Fire along the way. Chief Richard “Pitch” Picciotto, who was a Battalion Commander Nine outstanding educational sessions addressed safety, produc- in Manhattan on Sept. 11, and was trapped for more than four tivity and other hot topics. The sessions helped attendees gain new hours when the North Tower collapsed. Brian A. Moore from FMI insights on things like managing a new relationship with project spoke about new strategies for repositioning your company after changes; leveraging your competitive advantage by improving the Great Recession, and Jill Sharp of the Human Performance In- productivity; managing employee use of social media; preventing stitute offered insights and practical advice to make sustainable working complacency and more. life changes related to human energy.
M-I SWACO, a Schlumberger company, an- Xylem Inc. (NYSE: XYL), a leading global New Apps: nounced the release of the HDD Mining & Wa- water technology company focused on ad- terwell Essentials app for Apple and Android dressing the world’s most challenging water smart phones. The app enables rig operators issues, has launched a new mobile app for its M-I SWACO to perform calculations for pump output, hole popular online ‘Xylect’ product selection tool. volume, annular volume and other functions Xylect Mobile provides customers with quick and Xylem using a smart phone, which will minimize trips and easy access to detailed product informa- off of the rig and reduce human error that can tion from Xylem’s Flygt brand, from any loca- be incurred when performing calculations tion, simply using a smart phone. Xylem de- manually. The HDD Mining & Waterwell Essen- signed the app so that customers can input tials App includes a reference section that pro- their specific requirements and search for the vides useful charts and tables that enable the ideal Xylem product to meet their particular user to reference pipe and casing details, hole needs. Available in 18 languages, on iPhone and pump output volumes, unit conversions, and iPad* devices, customers can search product applications and flow charts. These by application or product type or by input- reference materials help guide the rig crew in ting required flow and head. The Xylect app preparing basic drilling fluid formulations for also allows customers to identify all available various hole conditions directly from a smart spare parts for a product, by inputting the se- phone. In the past, rig crews were required to rial number of the product that requires parts. bring reference materials to field locations so The new application also allows users to log-in that calculations could be made onsite. through their own account, so that information The HDD Mining & Waterwell Essentials app can easily be stored and saved. The Xylect is available for free download from the Apple app is available free for download at the iTunes App Store and Android Market. App Store.
10 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
NEWS Midwest Mole Moves to New Facility Midwest Mole Inc., an Indianapolis- based contracting firm specializing in trenchless technology, will move into a new facility located in Greenfield, Ind., which is approximately 10 miles east of its existing headquarters. Occupancy was to be completed by April 13. “My father Len and I purchased our cur- rent office and shop back in 1990, and it has served us very well for 22 years,” said Midwest Mole president Dan Liotti. “Our business has grown to the point where we really needed new space. We nearly dou- bled our square footage with this move.” The new building is 25,547 sq ft and oc- cupies 13 acres, providing plenty of space tktkt for the shop, office, yard and Midwest Mole employees. It also features a large training room that will be used for both in-house meetings and safety instructional seminars. versary in 2012,” said Liotti. “It is because of The address of the new facility is 6814 “This new space will be much more effi- our hardworking and dedicated employees West 350 N, Greenfield, IN 46140; the com- cient, and we will be poised for continued that we are able to take this big step and pany phone number remains the same: growth as we celebrate our 30-year anni- invest in the future of our company.” (317) 545-1335.
12 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
NEWS Echologics, City of Tampa Ink Agreement for Transmission Main Leak Detection Echologics, a division of Mueller Co. and a developer and Echologics pioneered the development of a proprietary, leading provider of acoustic-based technologies for water loss acoustic-based system that non-invasively locates leaks and management, leak detection and pipe condition assessment, assesses the structural condition of both water and force mains. has secured a service agreement with the City of Tampa Water Water service providers across North America and in Europe, Department. South Africa, Asia and Australia have leveraged Echologics’ According to the agreement, Echologics will provide the technology to prioritize pipeline rehabilitation and replacement department, which treats and delivers drinking water throughout plans, and reduce water loss on all classes of pipes, for diameters the Tampa Bay area, with Transmission Main Leak Detection ranging from 4 to 108 in. Mueller Co. and Echologics are for approximately 7.5 miles of pipe in its water system that is subsidiaries of Mueller Water Products Inc. (NYSE:MWA), a comprised primarily of cast iron. leading North American manufacturer and marketer of products “The forward-thinking decision of the City of Tampa Water and services that are used in the transmission, distribution and Department to leverage Echologics’ Transmission Main Leak measurement of water. Detection service will help it to efficiently improve conservation as well as its sustainability as a relied upon water service provider,” said Marc Bracken, vice president and general manager of Echologics. “By partnering with Echologics, the department will not only be able to pinpoint costly leaks in its system that Like us on are responsible for losing treated water, they will be able to Facebook! do so without interrupting service or disturbing surrounding facebook.com/TrenchlessTechnologyMagazine infrastructure.”
14 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com NEWS ASTM Working on CIP Vac-Con, Manhole Liner Standard CUES Single-size cured-in-place (CIP) liners for manholes were developed Partner on to improve efficiency by reducing time and effort required to reha- bilitate a manhole without the need for excavation. A proposed new Camera ASTM standard on such liners is currently being developed by ASTM International Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems. Vac-Con Inc. re- ASTM WK36573, Practice for the Installation of a Single-Sized Cured- cently announced in-Place Liner for Manholes Having Various Sizes, is under the jurisdiction that it has partnered of Subcommittee F17.67 on Trenchless Plastic Pipeline Technology. with CUES Camera to According to Brian M. Rohan, P.E., a consultant and chairman of the upgrade its Inspector task group developing ASTM WK36573, the proposed standard will Cam secondary prod- apply to all shapes and types of manholes, wetwells, catch basins and uct line. similar structures. Vac-Con has been working with product engineers with “Rehabilitation is accomplished by using a single-size, resin-satu- CUES Camera since August 2011. The system can be mount- rated textile liner tube and inflation bladder that are expandable as a ed on any Vac-Con combination sewer cleaner and is used to unit to press the liner against manhole walls,” says Rohan. “The single- inspect pipes before cleaning to identify any obstructions or size stretchable liner and expandable bladder fit the varying dimen- other problems. The camera system is mounted to the hose sions found in almost every manhole.” reel and is propelled by the high pressure water system on the Once it has been approved, ASTM WK36573 will be useful to own- machine, similar to a standard cleaning nozzle. ers of buried utility systems such as municipal sewers, telecommuni- The new camera system provides improved performance cations, power and similar systems. and added durability without changing the value of the system. All interested parties are invited to join in the standards developing The system upgrade is available for purchase on all Vac-Con activities of F17. combination machines and can be retro-fitted.
Aqua-Pipe Announces $20 Million Contract
Sanexen Environmental Services Inc. was recently awarded a $20 in its water and wastewater infrastructures for the next 20 years. million contract by the City of Montreal, Canada, for the structural re- Like most cities in North America, the City of Montreal is faced habilitation of approximately 60,000 ft of distribution water mains. with the costly repairs of water main breaks and consequent water Under this contract, Aqua-Pipe crews will be responsible for losses. In order to reduce the number of breaks and leaks in their the structural rehabilitation of the water mains located on approxi- water system, the City started systematically rehabilitating their mately 75 streets in the residential, commercial and industrial sec- water mains with structural cured-in-place (CIPP) liners. In the last tors throughout the city center and the 15 of its 19 boroughs. four years, it has rehabilitated more than 150,000 ft of small diam- The City of Montreal’s Water Services Division, which manages eter distribution water mains with the use of Aqua-Pipe, a struc- more than 2,640 miles of water mains, is responsible for the produc- tural CIPP liner. For the years 2008 to 2010, the City saved more tion and distribution of potable water for 1.6 million people, busi- than $60 million in direct costs for the structural rehabilitation of nesses and industries. In 2005, the City started an Asset Manage- approximately 120,000 ft of water mains, compared to replacing ment Program whose master plan proposed massive investments the pipes using the open-cut method.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 15 www.trenchlessonline.com NEWS AWWA Report Finds $1 Trillion Needed for Drinking Water Infrastructure The cost of repairing and expanding U.S. drinking water in- 2050, these needs exceed $1.7 trillion. Replacement needs ac- frastructure will top $1 trillion in the next 25 years, an expense count for about 54 percent of the national total, with the bal- that likely will be met primarily through higher water bills and ance (about 46 percent) attributable to population changes local fees, a study by the American Water Works Association during that period. (AWWA) shows. • Pipe replacement expenses account for more than 84 percent The report — “Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water of the $278 billion need in the Northeast and Midwest regions Infrastructure Challenge” — analyzes many factors, including tim- through 2035. Meanwhile, in the rapidly growing South and ing of water main installation and life expectancy, materials used, West, expansion to meet a growing population amounts to about replacement costs and shifting demographics. Nationally, the infra- 62 percent of the projected need of $277 billion in that same structure needs are almost evenly divided between replacement time period. Replacement-related needs are a less important fac- and expansion requirements. tor in these regions. “Because pipe assets last a long time, water systems that were • The required national-level investment will double from roughly built in the latter part of the 19th century and throughout much $13 billion a year today to almost $30 billion annually by the of the 20th century have, for the most part, never experienced the 2040s (in 2010 dollars). This level of investment must then be need for pipe replacement on a large scale,” the report states. “The sustained for many years, if current levels of water system perfor- dawn of an era in which the assets will need to be replaced puts a mance and service are to be maintained. growing stress on communities that will continue to increase for • Postponing infrastructure investment in the near-term raises decades to come.” the overall cost and increases the likelihood of water main breaks and other infrastructure failures. However, the $1 tril- Following are among the key findings from the report: lion investment necessary through 2035 does not have to be • Investment needs for buried drinking water infrastructure to- made all at once. There is time to implement asset manage- tal more than $1 trillion nationwide over the next 25 years ment plans and set rates that more closely reflect the cost of (between 2011 and 2035), if pipes are replaced at the end of water service. their useful lives. During the coming 40-year period, through The AWWA report, is available at www.awwa.org/infrastructure.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 17 NEWS HammerHead Introduces 9 New Piercing Tools HammerHead Trenchless Equipment models, in sizes from 2 to 5.75-in. The wide has announced the release of nine new product offering is designed to provide piercing tool models. the contractor the greatest production in Included in this broad product release their typical ground conditions. are two new previously unavailable tool The nine new models released include models, the 3.50-in. Catamount Mole and the following: 3.50-in. Replaceable Head Mole, and seven models with the new DEBRIS FREE tailcone • 2.50-in. (67-mm) Catamount with Power designed to eliminate introduction of de- Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone • 3.50-in. (89-mm) Catamount with Power Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone bris into the tool body increasing overall • 2.50-in. (67-mm) Active Head with Power production and tool life available exclusive- Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone • 3.50-in. (89-mm) Active Head with Power ly at your Ditch Witch or authorized Ham- Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone merHead Trenchless Equipment dealer. • 2.50-in. (67-mm) Replaceable Head with Like all HammerHead piercing tools, Power Port Reverse and Debris Free • 3.50-in. (89-mm) Replaceable Head with these new piercing tools feature the indus- Tailcone Power Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone try leading Hammerhead two year warran- • 3.00-in. (75-mm) Catamount with Power ty coverage and are manufactured entirely Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone HammerHead, an Earth Tool Co. of Ocono- in the United States. Setting a new standard mowoc, Wis., manufactures a full line of in the industry for warranty coverage on • 3.00-in. (75-mm) Active Head with Power pipe bursting, pipe ramming/HDD Assist, piercing tools reflects the high level of Port Reverse and Debris Free Tailcone pneumatic boring equipment and HDD tool- dependability and performance. Hammer- • 3.00-in. (75-mm) Replaceable Head with ing and accessories. HammerHead offers head provides a wide selection of pierc- Power Port Reverse and Debris Free worldwide sales, support, service and parts ing tools available in the market, with 24 Tailcone through a network of authorized dealers.
NASTT’s 2012 FREE WEBINAR SERIES
TM INTRODUCTION to TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY SHORT COURSE NASTT’s be divided into two sections with the first • REHABILITATION SESSION #1 Introduction two presentations addressing “Rehabilita- TUESDAY, JUNE 26, 2012 to Trenchless tion” methods available to public works and Cured in Place Pipe (CIPP) Lining; Lateral Lining; Technology utility owners for existing pressurized and Spray-on Systems; Tight Fit Lining Systems. Short Course non-pressurized infrastructure with no or is modeled minimal excavation. The third and fourth • REHABILITATION SESSION #2 for both new- webinars will present “New Construction WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 2012 comers to the Techniques”. industry and for anyone interested in seeking Pipe Bursting; Sliplining; Spiral Liners; Benefits of Trenchless Technologies: a refresher course on trenchless technol- Spot Repairs; Grout in Place Lining Systems; Capital costs are generally significantly lower ogy methodologies. All the NASTT Good Manhole Rehabilitation. than open-cut methods! *** Faster installa- Practices Training Courses are presented tions with minimal impact on other existing by trenchless industry experts and are of • NEW INSTALLATION TECHNIQUES utilities!***Environmental savings via reduced the highest professional quality. The Short SESSION #1-OCTOBER 2012 carbon emissions! *** Reduced air and Course has been a regular feature at the noise pollution as well as contaminated soil NASTT No-Dig Show for more than fifteen • NEW INSTALLATION TECHNIQUES disposal!***Socially responsible with reduced years. The training is both accurately and SESSION #2-DECEMBER 2012 impact on traffic and less disruption to com- objectively presented with no commercial munities and businesses! content. This series of four webinars will To register for this webinar session, visit Sponsored by Produced by
www.trenchlessonline.com/index/webinars TM
18 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
INDUSTRY WATCH Report Touts Benefits of Green Infrastructure ommunities looking for the most cost-effective options performing public construction in over 134 years. Ohio Construction for managing polluted runoff and protecting clean water Reform (OCR), as House Bill 153 is also known, now gives state agen- Cshould choose green infrastructure solutions, according to cies and local government the authority to use alternative project a report released April 12 by American Rivers, the Water Environ- delivery including construction management-at-risk and design-build. ment Federation (WEF), the American Society of Landscape Archi- In March 2012, MSDGC executive director Tony Parrott made a tects (ASLA) and ECONorthwest. decision to create a Design–Build (DB) Section in the Project Deliv- The report, “Banking on Green: How Green Infrastructure Saves ery (PD) Division. Principal engineer Ali Bahar will lead this section, Municipalities Money and Provides Economic Benefits Communi- reporting to Ralph Johnstone, the PD Division’s sewers chief engi- ty-wide,” demonstrates that green infrastructure practices can offer neer. Bahar’s responsibility is to assist with identifying appropriate more cost-effective solutions relative to traditional infrastructure DB projects from the list of proposed projects in the annual capital approaches. The report also details additional potential benefits improvement program. He will also work with internal staff and MSD of green infrastructure such as lower energy expenses, reduced Consultants to prepare the DB policy and procedures to be used to flood damage and improved public health. execute these projects. In 2010, Bahar managed the 58,400-sq ft DB Green infrastructure refers to practices like green roofs, rain gar- Gold LEED Wastewater Engineering & Education Center Project. dens, bioswales and pervious pavement that capture and treat rainwa- Recently, the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners ter and runoff. These measures reduce the amount of polluted runoff (BOCC) approved an estimated $10 million DB project to address — the water that mixes with oil, pesticides and other pollutants as it Combined Sewer Overflows in the City of Cincinnati’s Oakley rushes over streets, parking lots and yards into local streams. neighborhood. This is the first DB project under OCR, and there is “Polluted runoff is a pervasive threat to clean rivers and streams another DB project currently under consideration. nationwide,” said Chris Williams, senior vice president for Conser- SOURCE: Douglas Herbst, DBIA, vice president, Alternative vation at American Rivers. “Communities across the country are Project Delivery, MWH Constructors protecting their water resources with green infrastructure. It ef- fectively reduces pollution, saves money and delivers other ben- EPA Approves Permit for Biomass efits like flood damage prevention and improved public health.” Facility in Massachusetts The report features case studies from cities saving money and en- EPA has issued a final Clean Water Act permit for the proposed joying the other benefits of green infrastructure. For example, New Russell Biomass power plant in Russell, Mass. After a rigorous, sci- York City’s plan to reduce combined sewage overflows will save ence-based review, EPA has concluded that the final National Pollut- an estimated $1.5 billion over 20 years by incorporating green in- ant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for the proposed frastructure rather than relying solely on traditional gray infrastruc- facility meets the requirements of the Federal Clean Water Act. ture like massive pipes. In Baton Rouge, La., a high school spent The 50-mw biomass power plant is proposed to be built ad- $110,000 on bioswales and a rain garden to reduce flooding rather jacent to the Westfield River, and to withdraw water from and than the $500,000 it would have cost to re-pipe the site. discharge water back into the Westfield River. The final permit The report’s top findings are as follows: contains stringent protections including limiting the facility’s dis- charge of heat and other effluents to the water, and monitoring •Not only can the green infrastructure option cost less, but these requirements to ensure the protection of aquatic organisms and practices can further reduce costs of treating large amounts of habitat quality in the river. polluted runoff. The permit also ensures that the entrainment and impingement •Green infrastructure can help municipalities reduce energy expenses. of fish and other river organisms is minimized with the require- •Green infrastructure can reduce flooding and related flood damage. ment to use closed cycle cooling towers, which was determined •Green infrastructure improves public health – it reduces bacteria to be the best technology available for controlling the adverse ef- and pollution in rivers and streams, preventing gastrointestinal fects of cooling water withdrawal at Russell Biomass. illnesses in swimmers and boaters. The permit was first proposed in 2009 and underwent a for- mal public review and comment period. Following EPA’s careful The complete report is available for download at www.ameri- review of comments submitted on the proposal, EPA revised and canrivers.org/goinggreen. strengthened various protections for the river, including: impos- SOURCE: Water Environment Federation ing monthly monitoring of aluminum levels; added an “average monthly rise” phosphorus limit, which allows no detectable differ- Design-Build Gains ence between the intake and discharge mass of phosphorus; and Momentum in Cincinnati quarterly turbidity monitoring requirements for the stormwater A recent sign that public owners are continuing to embrace al- outfall locations, as well as a location upstream. ternative project delivery methods for waste and wastewater proj- The permit becomes effective on July 1, 2012. If information ects is seen in Cincinnati, with the Metropolitan Sewer District of becomes available to EPA which indicates that new or more strin- Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC). gent permit limits are needed to meet water quality standards, the On June 30, 2011, Ohio Governor John Kasich signed into law permit may be modified. House Bill 153, which included the first changes in Ohio’s method of SOURCE: EPA
22 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
Cover Story
Visu-Sewer & Trenchless Technology Go Hand-in-Hand
By Sharon M. Bueno
ou’ve heard of successful spinoffs in television: Today, Visu-Sewer sits on 10 acres in Pewaukee, Wis., and its A component of the original show that is created main facility stretches 28,000 sq ft (the original building sat on Yseparately and becomes successful in its own right. just one acre). More than just a contractor, Visu-Sewer also leads In the construction industry, there is a successful and highly the industry through its work with NASSCO, advocating the is- respected pipe relining and inspection contractor that fits this sues, training and education sewer contractors need to succeed. mold — Visu-Sewer Inc. The company’s history with NASSCO dates back to both organi- Based outside of Milwaukee, Wis., Visu-Sewer was born out zations’ early years and their partnership continues to make the of a general contracting company as a way to tap into the pipe sewer inspection and maintenance industry strong and vibrant. inspection and maintenance niche opening resulting from new installation. Ernie Alexander was the driving force in getting the Its Roots fledgling company off the ground and that he did. Visu-Sewer is a second-generation, family-owned pipe Visu-Sewer initially concentrated on sewer inspections relining contractor whose roots run deep in the underground and sewer cleaning. As the trenchless market opened up, the utilities construction industry. Based 30 miles west of contractor did the same, embracing grouting and later pipe downtown Milwaukee, Visu-Sewer started out doing pipe relining as main components of its service offerings. Ernie inspection and sewer cleaning and later grouting work. The Alexander led the company until stepping aside in 2003 and contractor incorporated pipe lining into its stable of services handing the reins over to his son, Keith, who along with during the late 1980s, with fold-and-form and later cured-in- his brothers Doug and David, has been a part of his father’s place pipe (CIPP), the latter of which has been the focal point company since his teen years. of its business since 1994.
24 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com Visu-Sewer’s beginnings are found in the company Super company employs approximately 140 workers and actively Excavators, a general contracting company founded by Ray bids on work in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Schraufangel, father-in-law of retired Visu-Sewer president Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and parts of Indiana. To date, and founder Ernie Alexander. Super Excavators entered the the company has completed more than 7,500 sewer system construction industry in 1954, concentrating on underground inspection projects. Since 1984, Visu-Sewer has opened offices utilities work such as water and sewer installations. Today, the in Minnesota, Chicago, Iowa and Jackson, Miss. Many of the company is recognized for its work in the utility tunneling and employees have been with the company for their entire careers. excavation arenas. By the mid-1970s, Schraufangel and Ernie “We basically started from scratch,” Alexander says. “We had two Alexander felt another area of underground utilities was worth or three guys when we first began. The first employee we hired in exploring, separate from Super Excavators. August 1975 — Ron Fenney — is still with us and runs our Minne- The idea was to establish a company to address a specific niche sota office. Our turnover is low, which is key to our success. We have in the new installation market for pipe inspections and sewer a number of employees who have been with us for over 20 years.” cleaning. Ernie Alexander and a core group of employees from In many ways, Visu-Sewer and the trenchless rehab market Super Excavators, investing in their new venture: Visu-Sewer. have grown up together, each maturing in knowledge, innovation The year was 1975 and Ernie Alexander served as the managing and reputation. With the strength and momentum of the partner and president of the company. rehabilitation industry, Visu-Sewer has been able to take advantage “They just saw the niche to fix existing problems in new of the opportunities that an aging underground infrastructure has installations and the need for inspections,” says Visu-Sewer offered, particularly in recent years. Alexander has been a part of president Keith Alexander. “We started out doing cleaning and that maturation, starting at his father’s side in 1989 and before CCTV on the maintenance side, along with grouting. Grouting was that, with his grandfather at Super Excavators. Over the years, used to stop water infiltration in new installations.” Alexander has worked in all facets of Visu-Sewer, and is joined in During the first few years, Visu-Sewer focused almost exclusively the family business by his brothers Doug, a field superintendent, on sewer cleaning and inspection work. These were the formative and David, a project manager and estimator. years for techniques such as hydro-jet flushing and CCTV With success, comes expansion and high expectations and inspection. During the 1980s, the company expanded to include though Visu-Sewer has experienced both, company officials have rehabilitation services, such as chemical grouting, sliplining, embraced a steady and conservative mantra when deciding where manhole lining and fold-and-form lining. As the company grew in and when to expand its presence. Visu-Sewer vice president of services, it also expanded geographically with full-service offices sales and marketing John Nelson has been with the company opening Minneapolis/St. Paul and satellite offices in Dayton, Ohio, for 20 years in various roles and has witnessed the steady and and Houston to monitor its large scale SSES projects. almost methodical rise of the company as a leader in the sewer In 1994, Visu-Sewer joined the National Liner Group, using its inspection, maintenance and rehab markets. CIPP method of relining. “Today, we are a full-service underground “We look to expand our reach every few years, making sure our maintenance and rehabilitation contractor,” Alexander says. “We last expansion is in place and operating effectively before moving do the service work, the grouting of mainlines, manholes, lateral on. We’ve grown not only our staff but our service offerings. connections, manhole rehabilitation both cementitious and epoxy Seeking out new techniques and refining the old ones keeps us in along with CIPP work.” the top tier of service contractors,” Nelson says. The company started out with just a handful of employees Alexander explains their expansion plans this way: “There’s no and the work they followed was relatively local. Today, the one pushing us to grow and we grow when it makes sense. You
In 1994, Visu-Sewer joined the National Liner Group, using its CIPP method of relining.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 25 Cover Story
cannot rush success. In the nearly 10 years since Ernie [Alexander] has retired, we have steadily increased in size over the years.” Visu-Sewer & NASSCO Visu-Sewer and NASSCO are two entities that just Keys to Its Success belong together. They both came of age during the The success of a company can be quantified in many forms same time period and have grown in stature and from its bottom line to its industry reputation to the quality reputation together, playing integral roles in each and experience of its workforce. In the case of Visu-Sewer, it’s a other’s histories. combination of those plus intangibles handed down from the It’s no coincidence that the two share similar philoso- company’s patriarch to his sons who lead today. Alexander and phies about the sewer inspection and maintenance Nelson credit the leadership and philosophy of Ernie Alexander industry as they have worked hand-in-hand the last for the work ethic followed by Visu-Sewer employees today — 35 years to make their industry stronger. In fact, Visu- business comes first and the rest will fall into place. Sewer holds the distinction of being the only company “Early on, Ernie [Alexander] established a solid foundation for to have three NASSCO presidents: Ernie Alexander the company and passed his vision and values on to his children. (1985), Keith Alexander (2004) and John Nelson (2012). Keith has built upon this foundation, kept the same core values but added his own vision. Honest, self-effacing leadership are the hidden tenents at Visu-Sewer,” Nelson says. “If you are a manager, one day you might be asked to present to a group of wastewater operators and the next day you are putting on a safety harness to be lowered into a 75-ft deep manhole. I don’t know many companies whose president and vice president are so active at all levels of the operation. In fact, it’s not uncommon on any given day to find Keith and [vice president] Phil Romagna crawling out of a manhole at a jobsite. This unassuming attitude results in a high level of respect within the staff and organization.” Visu-Sewer’s Keith Alexander (left), Alexander says that abiding by the company’s core values is not Ernie Alexander and John Nelson. an option but simply how they do their business. In fact, those core values are printed on the back of Visu-Sewer’s business cards. “It is obviously a great honor for our company,” says “Our biggest thing is sticking to our core values. They’re on the Nelson, who was named 2012 NASSCO president back of our business cards: Responsiveness, Dedication, Integrity at its recent convention. “The list of NASSCO past and Reputation,” he says. presidents reads like a who’s-who of our country’s Simply put, what makes them different is what makes them great, top sewer service professionals. It also speaks Nelson says and one of things that he believes sets the company volumes as to Ernie’s and Keith’s commitment to apart is the amount of experience of its workers. “Each of the manag- the industry, as those who have served on boards of ers started in the field and worked their way up through the ranks. trade organizations know well of the time and financial Thus, we have a tremendous amount of practical and historical commitment these positions require.” Visu-Sewer’s commitment to NASSCO runs deep, knowledge within the staff. It also provides us with a keen under- as company founder Ernie Alexander started working standing of the challenges a construction crew faces each day. This with the organization at its inception and continued experience and high level of project understanding also brings value his participation until his retirement in 2003. “Ernie to our customers. When they call, they know we can help. They also participated in with NASSCO very early on,” Keith know that if we do not offer the proper solution, we will direct them Alexander says. “Back then, it was a support network to someone else who does, even if they are a competitor.” as it is today but it’s at a much higher and different Alexander concurs with that assessment but takes it one level. Ernie was about bettering the marketplace and step further. “It’s our people and our approach that makes us educating people. That is why he became involved successful when taking on difficult projects. We do not bid and why we stay involved today.” from behind a desk. We’re out in the field and talking with our Over the years, NASSCO has tackled issues that customers, the end-users,” he says. “We find out what the real are important to their members, such as the ban on problems are and determine if there is another way to look at chemical grouting, safety equipment produced for solving the problem …We have persevered over the years and its camera manufacturers and styrene issues facing what we do is take care of our No. 1 asset — our people.” its CIPP contractors. “In the past decade, NASSCO has transformed into the leading organization for Trenchless Market contractors to unite with suppliers, municipalities and The economy of the last few years has played a pivotal role in engineers to solve the nation’s sewer infrastructure how companies have managed their time, revenue and workers. problems,” Nelson says. “NASSCO has always been Managing and maneuvering in the economic quagmire we’ve an unselfish place where contractors connect to been experiencing takes perseverance and leadership, as well as exchange thoughts and ideas …It is also a think tank a strong vision as to what is important. In the case of trenchless for innovation, as many of the systems and techniques used today to inspect, maintain and rehabilitate sewer technology, it’s the municipalities and government (federal, state systems were originally spawned by its members.” and local) recognizing the need to address the deteriorating infrastructure that lies under their feet and their watch.
26 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com “It’s a lot like the roads and bridges,” Alex- ander said. “We all know the state of the roads and bridges in this country and huge, vast amounts of money are invested in them. With the underground, we have the same situation, except we don’t see it and there’s just a small, select group of people who deal with it on Visu-Sewer is an a regular basis. Underground infrastructure advocate of the needs attention. Government agencies need to put money into it or it will have major con- education of everyone sequences later down the line.” involved in the industry. That’s why Alexander is an advocate of the education of everyone involved in the industry — from workers in the field to the design engineers to municipal and other government officials. Knowledge is power, Alexander says. “Especially on the design side,” he explains. “It’s the proper education and use of the proper products in the right spot: structural, corrosion or inflow-and-infiltration. It’s key for designers to know and understand the problems they are addressing so the correct technology can be selected for repair. Efforts to select the correct solution is imperative to the success of any project and it takes time to investigate the true issues to make the correct technology determination.” To that end, Visu-Sewer remains an ac- tive and relentless participant in NASSCO, serving as a partner to the organization that came of age about the same time as Visu-Sewer. The two have been steadfast ad- vocates for contractors in the sewer inspec- tion and maintenance industries, keeping members abreast on key issues that affect their industry, as well as educating them on the latest trends, technologies and training. “NASSCO is about contractors working together,” Alexander says, himself a former NASSCO president (2004). “It’s so important to work hand-in-hand because it’s all positive. We all have the same goal and it comes down to educating on a broad scale across the base to support our market.” (For more on the Visu- Sewer/NASSCO relationship, see sidebar.) Alexander is looking to the future — a believer in always moving forward, not back. He knows that history is important but he has set his sights on the big picture and what will keep Visu-Sewer in business for years to come. “I don’t spend a lot of time looking back. We’ve done a lot of growth internally. We are going to grow when it makes sense and it fits in with our core with what we do in service and rehab,” he says. “We will be in position to take advantage of opportunities and synergies working with other companies and partnerships as we move forward into the future.”
Sharon M. Bueno is managing editor of Trenchless Technology. www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 27 Premier-Pipe USA Does Business Its Own Way and Reaches Milestone
Installation of 10 Million Total Ft of Pipe Liner Complete
By Andrew Farr
im Mortell, president of Premier- inspired to enter the pipe industry of Minneapolis. The Virginia-based Pipe USA, refuses to follow what after his father and grandfather worked Am-Liner East has been installing Jworks for other businesses. To in similar fields. Earlier in his career, Premier-Pipe’s product since 1998 and him, success in his industry requires an he became familiar with the system performed the recent install of the 10 approach unique only to his company. of pipe relining. Through a colleague, millionth ft. That must be a good philosophy, he came across a manhole-to-manhole “To us, it’s a verification of who we considering Mortell’s company recent- pipe relining concept used in the are and how far we’ve come,” Mortell ly reached a milestone, as Premier-Pipe United Kingdom by Simon Baylis said. “It tells us that we’re really doing USA recently announced the comple- of Premier Pipe U.K., and became something right.” tion of its 10 millionth ft of installed intrigued with the idea of bringing a Mortell is particularly proud of the pipe liner. The installation was com- similar, high-quality system to relining fact that his company strives for excel- pleted in mid-March during a relining in the United States. In 1997, Mortell lence in producing quality products. job in Arlington, Va., just as the com- started Premier-Pipe USA using that He endorses quality in all aspects of pany was preparing to celebrate its very system, referred to as the CIPP the company as the backbone of its 15-year anniversary. water inversion method. success. Premier-Pipe USA is a cured-in- Today, the company contracts four “I think to succeed in this business, place pipe (CIPP) relining company different installers for its product: Am- you need quality installers,” Mortell based in the city of Eden Prairie, near Liner East, Insight Pipe Contracting L. said. “You cannot chase what works Minneapolis, Minn. Mortell was first P., Michels Pipe Services and the City well for other people and their lining
28 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com “Our expertise makes the hard jobs easy.”
Mel Willett Kelly Odell, V.P. AM-Liner East Michels Pipe 601 Jack Enders Blvd Services Berryville, VA 22611 817 Main Street Phone (540) 955-9671 Brownsville, WI Fax (540) 955-2872 (920) 924-4300
Congratulations Premier Pipe USA CIPP Installers for installing 10 million feet of the finest quality CIPP liner in the industry
Kelly Odell, V.P. Mike Marburger Michels Pipe City of Minneapolis Insight Pipe Services Minneapolis, MN Harmony, PA 1715 16th Street SE. (724) 452-6060 Salem, OR 97302 (503) 364-1191 www.premierpipeusa.com 9855 West 78th Street • Suite 400 • Eden Prairie, MN 55344 • Phone: 612-385-4101 that has been in development exclusively by Premier-Pipe for over two years. Today, the company contracts four different installers for Different from standard liner, the tech its product: Am-Liner East, Insight Pipe Contracting liner is made from a composite of fiberglass L. P., Michels Pipe Services and the City of Minneapolis. and woven felt. It is a CIPP liner installed through a “shooter,” or water inversion tube that can be used for gravity or pressure applications. According to Mortell, they are generally used in industrial applications where high internal pressure is of concern. In reference to the tech liner, Mortell stressed that Premier-Pipe’s ability to produce high quality products different from other companies is what sets them apart. He said the fact that the tech liners are manufactured to fit the specifications of each individual installation, is just one more example of the company philosophy. “Every installer in the Premier-Pipe USA group had a say in how this liner was made,” he said. “This is a vital component of our group.” Going Forward process. You have to do what works for you. the sewer manhole. Air or water (in this With the status of Premier-Pipe in a I think we’ve created a great partnership case, air) is then induced into the section seemingly good position, Mortell reflected with all our installers and suppliers.” where the liner was turned inside out, on the momentous 10 millionth ft and thus causing the liner to invert through how his company has evolved from its The Install Process the defective host pipeline. When the beginning. The recent installation of the 10 installation is complete, steam or water “A key was when we started, we geared millionth ft in March was for a 350-ft (in this case, steam) is circulated through our operations toward our policies,” he manhole-to-manhole relining project in a mobile boiler to raise the temperature of said. “People like our resin suppliers and Arlington with an 8-in. diameter liner that the liner and achieve the thermoset cure felt suppliers really didn’t understand us. included 10 service connections. of the resin. We purchased products and kept installers “It is quite an accomplishment for Being on-hand for the accomplishment and suppliers at an arm’s reach. We our company, as well as for the Premier was nothing new to Am-Liner East, as the quickly realized the need to form a close product,” said Mel Willett, vice president of company was also involved in the install of relationship with those people if we were Am-Liner East. “Like Premier-Pipe, we are Premier-Pipe’s 1 millionth ft of liner nearly to succeed.” very quality-driven and it’s really an honor 10 years ago. Mortell said forming those relationships for the group.” “It’s really phenomenal that the Premier- is example of Premier-Pipe’s field install The installation was completed using Pipe group of installers have collectively philosophy, or what they refer to as a “read an air inversion and steam curing process, been able to accomplish that amount of and react” policy, which the company likes typically used for installation of smaller CIPP liner installations in the time we’ve to abide by. He described it as identifying diameter Premier-Pipe products. The liner been working with Premier-Pipe,” Willett conditions in the field and reacting as a is made of polyester felt with a coating said. result of what needs to happen. of polyurethane on the outside and “These policies have saved us and our impregnated with a polyester liquid resin. New Tech Liner customers time and time again,” he said. Each liner is manufactured by Premier-Pipe Premier-Pipe USA’s 10 millionth ft of “We are proud of ourselves, proud of to specifically fit the dimensions of the installed liner isn’t the only big news for our installers and of our customers who damaged pipe to be lined. the company this year. In addition to the continue to use our products.” The lead end of the liner is essentially significant install, the company has also an- turned inside out for a required length nounced the release of its new “tech liner.” Andrew Farr is an assistant editor for and attached to an inversion device above The tech liner is an improved type of liner Trenchless Technology.
The recent installation of the 10 millionth ft in March was for a 350-ft manhole-to-manhole relining project in Arlington with an 8-in. diameter liner that included 10 service connections.
30 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
The intent of the survey was to fill an existing knowledge gap related to the business of the PTMT industry.
Survey of the North American Pilot Tube Industry
Dr. Jason S. Lueke, Ph.D., PEng By Vamseedhar Gottipati, MS
n 2011, researchers at Arizona State University completed a Trends in Utilization survey of pilot tube microtunneling (PTMT) contractors across Some significant trends were observed that gauged the health INorth America. The survey was developed in consultation with of the trenchless industry as a whole between 2006 and 2010. Fig- equipment manufacturers, industry consultants and contractors ure 1 summarizes the total number of projects undertaken by the working with the technology. The intent of the survey was to survey respondents broken up by methodology. It can be seen that fill an existing knowledge gap related to the business side of the the total number of projects undertaken by these contractors had PTMT industry. While the technology’s applications, capabilities decreased from a high of 1,328 projects in 2007 to a low of 899 in and limitations have been well documented in cases studies, there 2010. This equates to a 33 percent decline in the total number of was little documented literature available on the industry trends, projects undertaken by the respondents and reflects the prevalent business practices and contractor perspectives on the technology. market conditions at that time. While auger boring and pipe jack- Arizona State University contacted approximately 100 contrac- ing saw a decrease of 40 percent and 50 percent in utilization, re- tors via phone, e- mail and mail and received a total 22 responses spectively, by the from active PTMT contractors. It was found that while many of the respondents be- contractors contacted indicated they provided PTMT as a service, tween 2007 and many of them had not done more than a few trial or demonstration 2010, PTMT wit- projects. While this response rate was not as high as was hoped, it nessed a 56 per- still provided a good representative sampling of contractors from cent increase in across the continent. A total of 19 responses were obtained from utilization over contractors in the United States, with the other two from Canada. that same time In total, these 22 contractors completed 5,770 trenchless instal- period. However, lation projects (auger boring, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), PTMT still only microtunneling, pipe jacking, pipe ramming and PTMT) in the five represented 12 Figure 1. Trenchless Projects Undertaken years between 2006 and 2010. Of this total, PTMT accounted for 450 percent of the to- by Respondents projects, or 7.8 percent, of the total number of projects undertaken tal projects com- by the respondents. Only one of the contractors indicated he/she pleted by the contractors, with auger boring at 50 percent and solely undertook PTMT projects, with the majority offering PTMT horizontal directional drilling at 21 percent making up the major- as a complementary trenchless installation method. It was found ity of installations completed in 2010. that the majority of PTMT contractors had been traditional auger It was found that PTMT is commonly used in conjunction with boring (80 percent of the respondents) or pipe jacking (70 percent other trenchless installation methods. The three main hybrid ver- of the respondents) contractors. Several contractors also indicated sions of PTMT are: PTMT-auger boring, PTMT-horizontal direction- that they have just started using PTMT within the last three years. al drilling and PTMT-pipe ramming. The idea behind such hybrid
36 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com methods is to establish an accurate alignment contractor, using concrete pipes was 500 ft. It is interesting to note that a drive using PTMT’s guided pilot boring followed by length of 400 ft had been achieved with HDPE pipe using the hybrid PTMT- product pipe installations by the other tech- horizontal directional drill method. nology. Contractors are able to leverage the best of both the technologies in the hybrid Project Risks system through such methods. PTMT-auger The survey also asked the contractors to rate risks associated with certain factors boring is the most widely used method among and conditions affecting PTMT installations. Table 1 summarizes the results; the rank- all the hybrids. Eight five percent of the con- ings were on a scale between 1 and 10 with 10 being the highest level of risk. Sur- tractors reported that they had used PTMT in vey results indicated that the risk associated with damaging the product pipe and conjunction with auger boring. Continuous adjacent utilities during an installation had the lowest risk rankings. Approximately, plastic pipe can be installed using the PTMT- 82 percent of the contractors perceived the damaging of the product pipe as a low HDD hybrid method; used by 25 percent of risk with an overall risk ranking of 2.2. The highest risks were associated with ground the respondents. Thirty percent of the con- conditions. Sixty eight percent of the contractors indicated clay and silty soils were tractors indicated that they had utilized PTMT low risk with a risk ranking of 2.7, while sand and gravel had a much higher risk with in conjunction with pipe ramming. a ranking of 6.0, and cobbles and boulders had the highest risk ranking with a score Productivity The survey looked to identify factors that affect the productivity of PTMT projects. The responses provided by the contractors were reviewed and categorized by common factors. Figure 2 summarizes the factors and percent of contractors that indicated each factor af- fected the productivity of a PTMT installation. Ground conditions, including soil type and groundwater table, received the highest rating, with 72 percent of the contractors reporting it as a major factor. Many did not perceive in- stallation depth, as a major factor as the tech- nology, like many of its counterpart trenchless methods, is capable of working at great depths if the ground conditions permit.
Figure 2. Ranking of Factors Affecting PTMT Productivity
The contractors were asked to provide the longest length they had installed in a single drive with pipes of different mate- rials. Fifty percent of the contractors sur- veyed reported using vitrified clay pipe on their projects. It was observed that 70 per- cent of the contractors that had used PTMT with VCP pipe recorded their longest drive lengths above 300 ft. Steel pipe was used by 80 percent of the contractors on at least one of their projects. 70 percent of the con- tractors that used steel pipe recorded their longest drives above 400 ft. The longest drive length among the surveyed projects was 550 ft in which a contractor used steel pipe. Only two of the contractors reported installing concrete pipes with PTMT. The longest drive length, as reported by one www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 37 of 9.5, with 91 percent of the contractors indicating it was high setting. As the need to replace buried pipe infrastructure in risk. While the technology is well applicable in medium to dense urban areas increase, it is expected that pilot tube micro- sands above the water table, the applicability is marginal in very tunneling will see an increase in utilization due to its low loose to loose sands above the water table and medium to dense impact and small footprint of operation. sands below the water table. Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their gratitude and appre- ciation to Jeff Boschert with the National Clay Pipe Institute for his guidance and assistance in developing the survey, providing contact information and educating us in the art and science of pilot tube microtunneling. The authors also want to express thanks to the following con- tractors for their participation in the survey: Aaron Enterprises Inc., York, Pa.; Armadillo Underground Inc., Salem, Ore.; B Trenchless, Henderson, Colo.; Blevins Road Boring, Hudson, Fla.; Bore Master, Inc., Pewaukee, Wis.; Bradshaw Construction Corp., Elliot City, Md.; Brannan Construction Co., Denver; Calgary Tunneling, Calgary, AB, Canada; Claude H. Nix. Construction Co. Inc., Ogden, Utah; Frank Coluccio Construction, Seattle; Kamloops Augering & Boring Ltd., Kamloops, BC, Canada; Magnum Tunneling & Boring, LLC., Houston; Table 1. Ranking of Risk Factors for PTMT Installations Midwest Mole Inc., Indianapolis, IN; North Core, Fargo, N.D.; Pacific Boring Inc., Caruthers, Calif.; Riley Contracting Inc., Norwalk, Ohio; Closing Roddie Inc., Morgan Hill, Calif.; Specialized Services Co., Phoenix; The pilot tube microtunneling method while relatively Super Excavators Inc., Menomonee Falls, Wis.; T&D Trenchless, Mur- new to North America, has seen an increase in utilization rieta, Calif.; and Wayne Arnold Road Boring Co., Smackover, Ark. between 2006 and 2010, while more traditional methods of trenchless installation have seen a minor decrease in utili- Dr. Jason S. Lueke, Ph.D., PEng is an assistant professor at zation over the same time. This technology is ideal for the Arizona State University, Del E. Webb School of Construction. installation of pipe on tight line and grade for installation Vamseedhar Gottipati, M.S., is BIM scheduler for Enclos Corp, lengths generally used between manholes in a municipal Eagan, Minn.
38 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
Unique Slipline Project Renews Problematic Massachusetts Water Mains
By Tyler Henning
ithin eyeshot of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., a double- Wbarreled pipeline runs underneath the Connecticut River. The paired pipelines are one of three water main crossings that pass under New England’s longest river to service the communities of Springfield, Ludlow, Agawam, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and several others. Like much of America’s infrastructure, the key pipelines were aging and in a precarious condition until a 2011 sliplining operation gave the pipelines new life. Constructed in the late 1920s, the existing riveted joints and welded steel pipelines were becoming increasingly troublesome, springing numerous leaks at the weld seams, the steel plates, and at two major main breaks. According to an annual report from the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, the final straw for the steel pipelines came on May 20, 2010, The new high-density polyethylene pipe is when a significant leak was discovered in the north slipped into the existing steel pipe that was 36-in. diameter pipeline. Painters working on the grouted to help the slip lining process.
40 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com A length of pipe waits during the cooling portion of the fusion process before being pulled to the left under the Connecticut River.
nearby South End Bridge noticed a plume in the river, and divers Using Sliplining were used to discover a 2- by 4-in. hole in the pipe. A short-term fix The lining of the existing steel pipes was performed with was identified and implemented until full-scale repair work could a procedure called sliplining, a process where a pipeline begin on July 5, 2011. is constructed and “slipped” through the existing pipeline To rejuvenate the pipeline, the Springfield Water and Sewer to create a new lining within the old main. However, in the Commission turned to the flexibility and durability of high-density case of Springfield, the typical slipline procedure was slightly polyethylene (HDPE) pipe as the solution. Weather and logistics altered. Often, the new lining pipeline would be fused together made the installation unique and challenging, but the reward in a long length and pulled through the existing line using a of a leak-free system was worth the effort for the Commission; horizontal directional drilling rig or other tooling. Because of contractor P. Gioioso and Sons; lining subcontractor W. Walsh Co.; the limited space along the Connecticut River and a heavily and pipe supplier and fusion subcontractor VARI-TECH.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 41 A McElroy TracStar 900 is traveled road near the site, constructing the pipelines in the full flanked on the sides by ladders 1,300-ft length was impossible. servicing the 30-ft pit. Instead, workers constructed an entry pit approximately 30 ft deep and 60 to 70 ft long for each pipeline with sheet pile supports and steel beams. These pits served as work areas that were large enough to house a pipe fusion machine and one stick of pipe. As needed, a 50-ft stick of 30-in. IPS DR 11 piping was maneuvered into place, with careful choreography by the crane operator and workers around the pit. Each stick was guided through the supporting structure of the pit, placed into the fusion machine and butt fused onto the longer length of pipe. The process to fuse the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe together is known as butt fusion and has been a popular method for creating leak-free pipelines for more than 40 years. The process starts by “facing” or shaving the pipe ends simultaneously so that the ends can be joined together with heat to create a continuous, sealed pipeline. The welding of the pipes is accomplished by using a hot plate or heater that comes in contact with the faced pipe ends. This heats the pipe to a molten state. After the heater’s removal, the pipe ends are pressed together under a controlled force to form a weld that is as strong as or stronger than the pipe itself. Third-party industry research indicated that HDPE pipe and joints like those installed can have a lifespan of more than 100 years. Taking pipe fusion a step further, VARI-TECH director of engineering Bill Haines recommended a set-up called “piggybacking” that uses the cooling time of the fusion process as an advantageous time to prepare and perform a fusion joint on a second fusion machine. Only one technician is required to run
42 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com two fusion machines. In the case of Springfield, walking to the other fusion machine wasn’t that simple. Fusion technician Scott DesRosiers climbed up and down a series of ladders up to 21 times a day to complete fusion joints inside the two work pits. Each pit was equipped with a TracStar 900 fusion machine, provided through VARI-TECH and the Certified McElroy Rental program. The TracStar 900 fuses pipes from 12-in. IPS to 36-in. OD. The tracked chassis of the fusion machine allowed DesRosiers to make slight adjustments under the pipeline to ensure fusion operations were performed to the highest standard. The mobility of the tracked fusion unit was critical as the pipe was pulled through the existing pipeline as each new length of pipe was added to the new pipeline. Once a fusion joint was complete, workers from P. Gioioso and W. Walsh Co. would radio across the river to have the pipe pulled slowly and precisely. If the pipe was just a little off, the TracStar was able to make slight adjustments and get the pipes ready for the next fusion joint. “We were very satisfied with the pipe installation and fusing machine,” said Martin Lobik, project engineer for the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission. “The flexibility of the machine was critical.” The project used Certified McElroy Rental machines. The machines are checked after each rental by Master Mechanic Dave Sampson and only use genuine McElroy parts for any repairs. All parts of the machine are checked, from top to bottom by factory- trained employees, to ensure rental fleets, like VARI-TECH’s, meet the customer’s highest expectations. With the high expectations for the future HDPE pipeline several quality assurance tools were used to ensure that proper fusion procedures were followed. DesRosiers fused every joint with the help of McElroy DataLoggers, a device for recording and verifying fusion operations. The DataLogger consists of a rugged handheld computer that serves as a recording device. It is attached to a data collection device that records the heater temperature and fusion pressure profile over time. All data can be transferred to a desktop computer for archiving. Haines and DesRosiers also used the In Field Tensile Tester, a new quality assurance tool that provides a quick and easy way to qualitatively test fusion joints in the field. Workers create a dual- reduced-section coupon that is then put into a testing unit. The test offers a quick destructive test that offers a comparison of the integrity of the fusion joint vs. that of the parent pipe. The destructive test works on pipes up to 5 in. in wall thickness. Mother Nature Interferes While fusion operations went smoothly, Mother Nature became the project’s biggest challenge. Hurricane Irene struck New England in late August, flooding the two entry pits and stopping work for some time. The excess water was pumped out and work restarted, unaffected by nature until an October Nor’easter dumped record amounts of snow on Massachusetts. The resulting thaw almost flooded the pits again, requiring all equipment to be removed until the pits were clear. “The biggest challenge was the drastic changes in the Con- necticut River’s water elevation,” said Lobik. “There were periods of inactivity due to the (water) topping of our sheet pipe sup- porting system.” Despite the road blocks thrown their way by Mother Nature, the job is on target for a Feb. 24, 2012, substantial completion date.
Tyler Henning is a public relations specialist for McElroy Mfg.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 43 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless
The panelists (l-r): Charlie Zambito, Benoît Côté, George Bontus and Paul Pasko. 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable
Trenchless Rehabilitation Roundtable Participants of Water Mains George Bontus, P. Eng., Over the past decade, there have been a plethora of needs assess- Director-Pressure System Applications, ments published that document a staggering under-investment in Insituform Technologies Ltd., Edmonton, Alberta water and sewer infrastructure across North America. This under- Charlie Zambito, ing., investment in many areas has led to pipelines that are failing — or Division Head – Engineering, Urban Planning and are about to fail. Engineering Department, City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux , Quebec Trenchless technologies have become a primary tool for repairing these pipes because of their social, economic and environmental ben- Paul Pasko, P.E., efits. But while trenchless rehabilitation in sewer systems has become Principal, Project Manager/Client Service Manager, Short commonplace, the use of trenchless techniques in drinking water sys- Elliott Hendrickson Inc. (SEH), Minnetonka, Minnesota tems has been slower to catch on, despite its benefits. Benoît Côté, M.Sc., To get a better understanding of the trenchless water main rehabili- Vice President, Aqua-Pipe, tation market, Trenchless Technology invited a group of industry pro- Sanexen Environmental Services Inc., Varennes, Quebec fessionals at the 2012 No-Dig Show to discuss the past, present and Jim Rush, future of trenchless for drinking water main rehabilitation. moderator and editor of Trenchless Technology.
44 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless
What is the state of the water mains in How does trenchless water main rehab United States and Canada? What kind compare to open-cut? of demand do you see for the use of trenchless techniques in the drinking George: One thing we don’t have is an even playing field. In water sector? the South and other parts of the United States where water mains are shallow – you have 2 to 3 ft of cover – it is pretty tough to George: Water mains are not that much different than sewer beat open-cut. But that is the case where people have to start mains in North America with respect to their condition. They understanding and realizing that there are other things to consider were all put in around the same time and they are deteriorating. than just the construction cost. And people are starting to do that. Some of the pipes are approaching 100 years old. We have been They are starting to embrace the concept of social costs. lining sewer mains for over 40 years, and we see that people are coming to realize there are other ways of replacing water Paul: The main point I make when I introduce a community mains than the open-cut technologies, and there is a need for to trenchless technology is its reduced social cost (for example it. There is a real interest in relining water mains but people carbon and physical footprints, dust, noise, traffic backups, etc.) are still kind of dipping their toes in the water – waiting to get compared to dig-and-replace. That is really the main difference more information and waiting to get more comfortable with it. between dig-and-replace and trenchless technology. If construction costs are comparable, most communities are more open to using Charlie: In the City of Dollard-des-Ormeaux we have been doing the trenchless option rather than dig-and-replace. trenchless rehabilitation of water mains since 1996. We started with epoxy lining in 1996 and then switched over to CIPP in 2000. George: We had a case in Victoria, B.C., In general, our residents don’t accept open trench replacement where they were looking at either open-cut anymore. They have seen that there is a better alternative and they or sliplining. The costs were very similar but appreciate the advantages of trenchless rehabilitation. There is no using trenchless we were able to finish the doubt that water mains are deteriorating because of the neglect job more quickly and with less disruption. for many years. A sewer is much easier to maintain. Manholes People are really starting to appreciate that. allow you to inspect or to rehabilitate your sewer but try doing the same for your water main. It’s not as easy as that and because it’s buried, people tend to neglect it. We are now paying for this neglect, and the costs to fix this problem are going to be very high. “There is still a need for education. It starts with just telling people Ben: It interesting that in Canada, which is probably the there are technologies available largest North American market for water main rehab, you have and it piques their interest. And as you move two active contractors with two competing technologies in forward, you run into all the other questions and water main rehabilitation working that market, so that is going temporary road blocks. It takes a while.” to help create demand. What I find is that the U.S. market is still very different. The technology has not yet become well —George Bontus accepted, and, for the most part, is not known. Trenchless technology has historically been used for sewer rehabilitation, and clients and municipalities that use trenchless for sewer rehab do so because it has been around for 40 years. Structural What are the primary techniques you water main rehabilitation has only been around for about 12 are seeing? Which ones are emerging? years. As for the market, the United States is a little bit behind Canada in terms of using water main rehabilitation. There is Paul: In the Upper Midwest a lot of larger cities rely on still a lot of educating and training that needs to be done in cementitious mortar lining — CML — to rehabilitate their water the States to increase awareness of the technologies available mains. Some bigger cities even own their own CML installation for structural rehabilitation. It is not new anymore. Once equipment and will do it themselves. A few of those bigger cities municipalities use the techniques, residents will ask for it. even subcontract their CML installation services to adjacent first-ring suburbs. While we are seeing more pipe bursting and Paul: In rural areas of the Upper Midwest part of the United horizontal directional drilling for rehabilitation, first and foremost, States, the water main is usually a lot younger than in large cities are still using for dig-and-replace method to rehabilitate cities and there isn’t a great deal of demand for trenchless their water main pipes. rehabilitation. But in older cities and towns, you find metal mains that have been in the ground since the 1900s. But there Ben: I think it is fair to say that municipal engineers who care has been lack of education regarding trenchless technologies. for water mains are more conservative than sewer engineers, Even when people see trenchless technologies and think it’s a and that explains why some of the trenchless techniques great idea, there is a tendency to say, “Let’s let somebody else that have existed for quite some time remain fairly marginal try it and work the bugs out of it first.” Trying to get people up compared to open-cut. The preferred choice to rehabilitate the learning curve is a bit of a challenge. But I believe that as we water mains is still open-cut. That is what we need to break. move further along, the opportunities to implement trenchless Trenchless rehabilitation of water mains is a very small part technologies are going to come quicker. of what is really going on. When you look at a lot of the water systems, they were built post-World War II, then CML took on
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in the 1970s as cities began to experience corrosion problems, assessments with different means — some internal and some turning to CML as a corrosion barrier. But now we’ve come to external investigations — and in those cases they found that the point where these mains are completely deteriorated and the line was in good shape. It was not totally falling apart. In they need to be replaced or rebuilt. one case it enabled the city to use a semi-structural liner with the capability to span holes and gaps that retained a higher Charlie: In our municipality, we’ve done cement mortar lining percentage of the capacity vs. other methods. and we’ve done epoxy lining. In the last 12 years, we have mostly used CIPP liners. We’ve had good results with the CML and CIPP. Paul: Another issue is a lack of standards and consensus I don’t believe that certain technologies are superior to others. about some of the technologies, and that affects the city You have to evaluate every project and choose the best method council members, the directors of public available. For a small municipality like us — 50,000 people — works and the city engineers. If they see CIPP suits us well, but that doesn’t mean that sliplining or pipe plans that are vague or they see non- bursting is not a good technology. Again, one of the reasons we specific language in an ASTM standard have stuck with trenchless is our residents. We have all been in regarding performance testing, they are situations where you block someone’s driveway or you work in not going to use it because it still appears front of someone’s house and they complain. As soon as you have to dig, as soon as you have to disrupt someone’s life, you will hear about it. “The main point I make when What are some of the limiting factors I introduce a community to related to trenchless water main trenchless technology is its rehab? reduced social cost (for example carbon and physical footprints, dust, noise, traffic backups, George: A big issue for municipal engineers and consultants etc.) compared to dig-and-replace. That is really is the uncertainty of the existing pipe condition. Unless you the main difference between dig-and-replace and do a very detailed condition assessment where you take trenchless technology.” samples, you have anecdotal evidence based on comments —Paul Pasko from your crews or information on break rates. We have worked with a couple of cities where they have done very detailed
unproven. It can be difficult to educate city council members who may not have a technical background and may not fully understand the benefits of using these new technologies. In one situation we invited an NSF representative to speak to the council on what it means for structural liners for water mains to be NSF 61 compliant. That representative did a magnificent job explaining the ins and outs, and assured them that the water will be safe. Those types of resources are available, but I don’t think that they are widely known or used to their full advantage. There are more considerations involved with water main inspection compared to sewer. Is this a limiting factor for water main rehabilitation?
Ben: Most of our clients who have used CIPP for water main rehab don’t have an extensive, comprehensive evaluation of their pipes or didn’t do a pipe condition assessment prior to that. Most people, from what I have seen, look at two things: They look at their water loss — non-revenue water — and they look at their water main break history. A lot of municipalities don’t have accurate drawings and plans of their installations and water mains. Oftentimes they don’t even know when it was put in the ground. Because water mains carry drinking water, because it is a pressure pipe and because they are difficult to access, it is a challenge to have accurate information on the condition of that pipe as opposed to sewer. It is fairly easy to look into a sewer pipe and inspect it, and get a good evaluation of its condition. Another thing with water mains is that you have to shut off the water, and as soon as that happens, the phone starts ringing, even if you’ve told users ahead of time it was going to happen.
Charlie: We do a lot of pressure analysis of our system. I think what municipalities are looking for is more non-destructive
46 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless
methods of assessing the condition of not like you are setting up a bypass and going manhole to manhole. Basically, you the pipe. There are plenty of destructive are providing another water system in the interim so there are a lot of different methods for accessing a pipe. You can dig requirements related to disinfection and public health. down, remove a section of the pipe and send it to the lab for analysis. By doing this, Ben: The main criterion: safety — safety as it relates to the quality of the you can get a good idea of the condition drinking water. Fortunately, the NSF certification reassures most people as to of the main. There are also a few non- the safety of the drinking water. But even though our product is NSF certified, destructive methods that will give you a we still find areas where we may need to get state EPA approval on top of NSF good assessment of your pipe. You can certification. But there are other issues that help the trenchless option. One is AC never have too much information. We are (asbestos-cement) pipe – that pipe now is really becoming a problem. We see very hesitant to repave a street before knowing the condition of the underground infrastructure. The last thing you want is a brand new paved street and three months later you have to dig down to repair a break — it just doesn’t look good when you are spending public money. When you buy a new car you won’t buy it with a scratch on it. Who wants to pay for a newly paved street with a patch in it?
Paul: In the Upper Midwest, water main pipe condition assessment is starting to gather momentum. Today, I am not unaware of many cases where communities use anything other than indirect information — chiefly break history — to measure the existing condition of their pipes, but that is changing. As an engineer, I need more accurate information or I cannot give reasonable answers to a city council as to whether or not we should cut up the streets to rehabilitate their water main. Without this evidence, I am finding increasingly that mayors and councils will err on the side of caution from a cost standpoint and not rehabilitate their water main pipe.
George: Globally water rehabilitation has been reactive, not proactive. The place where you see people are being more proactive is where you don’t want to dig up the street. One municipality I work with has a three-year, no-dig policy. If you pave the street, you don’t dig it for three years. In cases like this, it is important that you collect as much information as possible.
How do regulations affect the trenchless water main rehabilitation market?
George: The biggest thing is the pipe has to have NSF certification. But then you still have some cities that just don’t want any chemical curing just because of the stigma that has been around for many years with different types of chemical products. But I don’t see that as being a real limiting factor. There are some issues regarding temporary water systems. It’s
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it a lot in the Southwest United States and in Alaska. What do pressure testing according to C600. Some utility superintendents you do with an AC pipe that is past its useful life? That actually do not want to exercise the curb stop because they are concerned plays to the advantage of trenchless because you don’t want it will come apart during exercising. There’s no way they are going to dig it up. You don’t want to touch it. Another consideration to want to put that much pressure against remaining equipment I see more and more in built-up areas, downtown cores and in that condition. So there is a lack of information on how to test industrial areas is contaminated soil. When you are addressing composite liners inside a host pipe. And as a result, some cities are the problems of your aging pipe, the immediate reflex is to dig reluctant to go out on a limb … they don’t want to be the first and replace. But when you are in an area with contaminated ones to figure out pressure testing in their state. In addition, some soil, that is a very big problem. Again it plays to the advantage state regulators are not sure what guidance to give, so they put the of trenchless because you are digging access pits instead of onus back on the city. And if the regulators aren’t sure, how can I opening up a trench. Although, as a product vendor, I still convince my city council to spend the money? have to prove that my product will resist the contamination in the soil. Lastly, the issue of greenhouse gas emissions is George: You have to do some form of pressure test, but you becoming an important subject, and that plays in great favor don’t know what effect that will have on the existing infrastructure. of the trenchless industry. We have done the calculations of the If you are putting in a fully structural lining, the liner is going greenhouse gas savings when you do a CIPP rehab of a water to survive, it’s just a matter of what is going to happen to the main as opposed to open cut, and you actually reduce GHG connections. In some cases, if you pressure test too high, you can by over 80 percent when using CIPP. That is another incentive damage the host pipe. to go with trenchless technologies. So all in all, environmental factors play in our favor in trenchless as opposed to against us. Charlie: Pressure testing at 150 psi — or in our case 125 psi — is for new systems with new services lines. What we do with CIPP is we Paul: One issue we see in the Upper Midwest is pressure test the liner at 125 psi before we open our services to make sure that testing regulations — that has been a big deal. For many years, there are no leaks. When we test with our services open, we’ll test it at people have been using AWWA standard C600 for pressure testing 70 psi. We don’t need to test our existing service lines that have been pipe, which calls for 150 psi for a minimum of two hours. But there for 40 or 50 years at 125 psi. There is no need for it. A lot of the when you rehabilitate using a structural liner, you can end up regulations were done for replacement or new construction. I think pressure testing against with old line valves, curb stops and other the major thing is water quality. That’s the thing that everyone wants aging infrastructure, and can blow that older equipment apart by to be reassured of — that the quality of the water is good.
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It seems that a lot of communities people are getting. They are not getting the same information are learning the same lessons everywhere. A municipal owner may be getting different independently. What is being done facts from vendors and consulting engineers and makes to help share information? them hesitant to use new technology. So that is something that can be overcome by having the proper standards, and George: There is still a need for education. It starts with just making everyone aware of the standards. And that is part of telling people there are technologies available and it piques their the education process. interest. And as you move forward, you run into all the other questions and temporary road blocks. It takes a while. I think it Paul: We do our part to share information about trenchless is a fair comment and observation that when you bring a new technology by using our company’s 80-year technology in, it’s going to be two years before you get a job, history. In other words, we have been deal- before they will look at it. That’s what we are seeing all over the ing with municipalities in the Upper Mid- place, especially in the water systems. west for long time and have forged a solid reputation with them. When those munici- Ben: It takes years from the day you start working with a client palities see our 80-year-old firm accepting on establishing a project and getting the first job in the ground because there is a blank in our industry when it comes to water main rehabilitation. The sewer rehab industry is more mature with standards that support it but none of that exists in the drinking “The United States is a little bit water industry. There are no real standards to design a water main behind Canada in terms of using rehabilitation project. No real standards exist to establish how to water main rehabilitation. There perform the work or how to test the product. I think it will still be is still a lot of educating and training that needs a couple of years before this industry has matured enough to the to be done in the States to increase awareness point where city engineers and consulting engineers can actually of the technologies available for structural reference proper standards to rely on for trenchless rehabilitation. rehabilitation.” George: One of the biggest problems we face in the cured- —Benoît Côté in-place sector is that it is a very inconsistent message that
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trenchless technology and educating them about it, they are usu- How much of a factor is cost in the ally more receptive to it. At the end of the day, it is about relation- trenchless vs. open-cut comparison? ships and trust. Paul: Cost is a factor. On the past George: I think we need the recognized industry leaders to step couple jobs where we used CIPP lining, it up — AWWA, ASTM, APWA, EPA. Those are the organizations we really was 5 to 10 percent less cost compared to need to help with leading the charge. They are the ones that write the dig-and-replace. We write bid documents regulations. They are the ones that everybody looks to for guidance. open ended enough to attract multiple bidders and multiple products to help Charlie: We also need to promote our success stories. People are hesitant to try something new, to be the first one. The products and technologies are available and work. If you get the message out that these products are working elsewhere, people will be less “We also need to promote our hesitant to try them. success stories. People are hesitant to try something new, to Ben: People are starting to get less and less hesitant. If you look be the first one. The products and technologies at Canada, for example, the engineering community has pretty are available and work. If you get the message much come to a consensus that using trenchless CIPP for water out that these products are working elsewhere, mains is acceptable. The industry and the municipalities have people will be less hesitant to try them.” come together in establishing the standards, and CIPP for water main rehab has become just like sewer rehab elsewhere. But each —Charlie Zambito year we see more acceptance.
Paul: We have done a lot of outreach with some of the rural ensure competition, and that is also helpful. Really the icing water associations where we will invite people to a lunch-and- on the cake is the greenhouse gas emissions reduction you learn and then visit a jobsite to see a contractor put a couple get with trenchless. In some of the cities we serve, there are shots of liner into host water main pipes. We did the same thing ordinances on the books that you can’t even idle a truck with pipe bursting. That outreach does a lot to dispel some of the because of greenhouse gas emission restrictions. And that doubts and fears about trenchless. is true relative to pipe bursting as well. A few years ago the
50 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless Technology Editorial Roundtable 2012 Trenchless
pipe bursting was as much as 20 percent George: The big consideration is that the decision on whether to use trenchless less than the cost to dig-and-replace. And or open-cut depends on the setting. If you try to push the trenchless product just by doing the pipe bursting we are able to because you want to do it in a situation where it is not going to be the best fit, save trees. In one case, a city mandated nobody is going to be happy. One of the things that is going to drive the cost is that no trees could be taken down, and in the feasibility of doing the trenchless method and the risks. The more you know that case trenchless was the only option. about the pipe, the less risk there is. We worked the rehab of a 20-in. steel water main recently where the consultant on the job told us that we were between 50 to Charlie: It is difficult to compare 60 percent of the cost of a similar open-cut project in the area.. And we were able trenchless and open-cut because they are so to do it in a considerably shorter time frame. Some clients are really starting to very different. We have seen that the costs embrace social cost and use a triple-bottom-line approach to evaluate big capital are very comparable when not taking into projects. They look at the social, environmental and financial aspects. One project consideration the social cost. Like Paul said, we bid was set up on a point system where one of the criteria was the impact that is like the icing on the cake. With the on trees in the neighborhood. In that case, lining was the second lowest cost to price of oil just rising and the cost of asphalt install, but it was selected because it scored better due to its environmental and also rising, this makes open-cut replacement social benefits. We are seeing more of this type of approach from informed owner more expensive due to street restoration were the lowest bid is not the sole factor in awarding a contract. costs. So, I don’t see trenchless being more expensive than open-cut in the future. Even Paul: In rural areas of the Upper Midwest, it is more difficult to implement though open-cut and trenchless may be trenchless technologies unless the pipe needing rehabilitation crosses beneath similar in terms of pure cost, depending on a railroad track, is under a main street that impacts business owners, etc. While the particulars of a job and on how hungry a the reason for the difficulty can be cost, sometimes the difficulty is also because contractor is at bid time, if you factor in the local dig and replace contractors view trenchless technology as taking work social cost, trenchless is definitely cheaper away from them and giving it to an out of state contractor that can afford the that open-cut. specialized equipment needed to rehabilitate a pipe using trenchless technology. We had a project delayed a year because a local contractors argued with the city Paul: Charlie’s point on the price of asphalt, council over awarding a project to a contractor that is viewed as an outsider. The I think that is going to push the movement engineering is easy; sometimes the politics can be tough. for more accurate water main condition assessments in the United States. Too often I see communities reach for a tool like dig-and- replace for an entire neighborhood when they really didn’t need to because maybe only a few pipe shots needed rehabilitation. But with the price of oil impacting the cost of street replacement, I think communities will have to make even more informed decisions about not just how much of their water main needs rehabilitating, but also whether or not to rehabilitate using dig-and-replace.
Ben: There are two different scenarios. In heavily built up urban areas, there are definitely big savings to be made using trenchless. These are in downtown cores, areas where you have a lot of concrete slab streets that are costly to restore. In residential areas, trenchless and open-cut are close in price, but it is the other social advantages that weigh in favor of trenchless. As a manufacturer and installer, cost is a very big factor. We are working all the time in trying to reduce those costs because we understood from the beginning that our competition was open-cut. We had to beat that with the cost because at the end of the day, especially when you are developing a new market, we are in direct competition with open-cut. While we have been able to be competitive with open-cut in residential areas, in built up urban areas, trenchless is cheaper than open-cut.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 51 Directional Drilling So You Think You Want to Cut Hard Rock? By Todd Bielawa
n the rock reaming world, size matters. Cone size, bearing size, seal size, carbide size — all of these Ihave a direct influence on hole opener performance and thereby the overall cost and success of your reaming jobs. In or- der to make the proper selection of tooling for a hard rock bore, it is important to have a good understanding of the differences the size of these components can make. Cone and Bearing Size Let’s begin with the size of the individual cones on your select- ed hole opener. Larger cones designed specifically for the reaming industry offer two distinct advantages.
1. Larger diameter cones increase the cone length allowing you to take larger cuts thereby eliminating passes. This saves trips, tools and improves the overall safety of the job. 2. Larger diameter cones allow manufacturers to provide larger bearings and seals. This translates into fewer cone revolutions Figure 1
52 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com per hole opener RPM thereby giving you longer bearing and seal life. The longer you can stay on bottom drilling, the more cost-effective your tool becomes. As you can see in Figure 1, increasing the cone size has a direct impact on the cone revolution per hole opener revolution. By uti- lizing larger cones you reduce the number of cone revolutions while taking a larger cut in the rock, thus reducing the number of reaming passes necessary. The larger bearing also allows for greater load capacity. If you were to look at a job requiring a 24-in. product pipe, a typical run option with smaller size cones would be a 9 7/8-in. pilot hole, first ream pass of 20 in., second ream pass of 28 or 30 in. and a final ream pass of 36 in. By using larger cones, a much better option would be a 9 7/8-in. or 10 5/8-in. pilot, first ream pass of 24 in. and final ream pass of 36 in. The clear advantage is the elimination of one reaming pass saving time and money. When it comes to bearings, they must be specifically designed 30-in. Hole Opener with 22-in. Cones to allow for greater load capacity and to handle the higher weights required by the HDD industry. In oilfield applications, seldom is more than 80,000 lbs of force loaded on the drill bit. thrust bearing and nose bearing (roller or sleeve). By applying In the HDD industry, it is not uncommon to see in excess of force across the entire cone face or at least the majority of it, we 180,000 lbs used to fail the rock effectively. utilize all the bearings properly to distribute the load. Smaller Most bearing designs consist of a main roller bearing, ball race, cuts lead to point loading and possible premature bearing failure.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 53 Advertorial Directional Drilling
Fusible PVC™Pipe
Underground Solutions has emerged as the fastest growing provider of water and sewer pipe reflecting the overwhelming accep- Figure 2 tance of the fused PVC pipe technology embodied in its Fusible PVC™ product line. In the end, it will cost more time, labor the torsion limits of the drill string and Over 5 million feet of Fusible and tools to take smaller cuts than it also the amount of weight per insert PVC™ pipe have been suc- would to ream more efficiently with necessary to fail the rock. cessfully installed in thou- hole openers that have larger cones The study also found that to fail hard sands of projects — saving and require fewer reaming passes. rock, a full cone cutting structure, with five to six very large carbide inserts on clients millions of dollars. Seal Size the bottom at a time, is needed. This re- Underground Solutions Seal size is also a critical component sults in a cone that can cut hard rock is proud to have been the in the design features of cones. By hav- effectively even though it has the look pipe technology to enable ing a larger effective seal area, it gives an of a soft formation tool. This offers us- the Trenchless Technology advantage of longer seal life. ers greater flexibility for boring in areas where the lithology is not well known Project of the Year in 2010 Larger Inserts with a tool that can cut both soft and and Trenchless Technology In a comprehensive study and hard formations efficiently even though Project of the Year in 2007 — through varied experience in many it is designed to cut hard applications Honorable Mention — both drilling applications, it was concluded without twisting off. for continuous directional that fewer bottom inserts were neces- drills greater than 5,000 LF sary to effectively fail harder rock for- Cutting Zone mations. The study also revealed that Illustration in length. Ease of re-con- conventional designs utilized a different The following case study illustrates nection, better chemical re- cutting structure that did not allow for the advantage of using larger carbides. enough weight to be placed on hole sistance and better ID/OD In this situation, the 30-in. hole open- openers to effectively fail the rock. To comparisons with respect to er with five cones had a conical cutting determine the best insert configuration, other plastic pipe materials structure for medium hard formations. it is important to look at the maximum The cone had a “cutting window” of drive both initial and lifecycle weight that can be put on a bit due to savings in horizontal direc- approximately 2 in. that is the section tional drill (HDD), sliplining, pipebursting and open-cut projects. Cone size, bearing size, seal size, carbide size — all of these have a direct influence on hole opener performance and thereby the overall cost and success of your reaming jobs. In order to make the proper selection of tooling for a hard rock bore, it is important to have a good understanding of the differences the size of these components can make.
54 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com Directional Drilling of the cone that is inline with the face of the So using the same formula as above, but with rock. This cone profile had eight carbides con- cones that have larger carbides, we now have tacting the rock at any given time. In this case, five carbides touching the rock within our cut- the hole opener had 180,000 lbs of weight be- ting window at any given time. In this case, the ing applied to it. The carbide insert weight is hole opener would have 135,000 lbs of weight shown in Figure 2. being applied to it as shown in Figure 3. The rock was being failed at 4,500 lbs The larger cones allow you to take the same per insert with a 30-in. hole opener. For the size cut, but reduces the amount of weight final ream pass, a 42-in. hole opener with needed on the hole opener to fail the rock, six cones utilizing the same conical cutting thereby also reducing added torque to your structure was used. Due to the extra cone, drill string. it was necessary to increase the weight on the hole opener to achieve the same 4,500 Summary lbs per insert. Before you bid on a hard rock bore make In order to calculate the amount of weight sure you consider the following questions. that needed to be applied to the hole opener Do you have the equipment to handle the to effectively fail the rock: 4,500 lbs per insert compressive strength of the rock? Is the multiplied by eight inserts per cone equals overall bore design compatible? Do you have 36,000 lbs. Multiply 36,000 lbs. by six cones the proper personnel to run a successful on a 42-in. hole opener and you get 216,000 hard rock bore? If you answer yes to these lbs of weight that needs to be applied to the questions and you win the bid for the next hole opener. This amount of weight is very hard rock bore, then make sure you use the hard to achieve without stalling the hole latest technology in cone, bearing, seal and opener due to torque. insert design. Failure is easy, but success will Let’s now look at how larger carbides can set you apart. help us in a case like this. Cones with larger Figure 3 carbides will invariably have less carbide in- Todd Bielawa is president Century serts due to their size. Products Inc., Sussex, Wis.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 55
Directional Drilling Ductile Iron Pipe Used in
Mississippi HDD Project By Sharon M. Bueno Project Sets New Standard for Pipe’s Use in Length, Diameter
onstruction is under way on a 32-mile duc- tile iron pipeline that will carry treated The project Cwastewater from the City of Meridian, Miss., involved four to an industrial customer northeast of Meridian. bores, one Ductile iron pipe is routinely installed in all parts of of which the country using conventional open cut and cover, was 1,640 and since 1996, less frequently using horizontal di- ft in length rectional drilling (HDD). using 36-in. This project included installation of four seg- diameter ments of ductile iron pipe using HDD technology. ductile iron All four directional bores were completed success- fully, one of which set a new standard in terms of pipe. distance and pipe diameter for directional drilling using ductile iron pipe, according to project offi- cials. The record-setting bore was 1,640 ft in length using 36-in. diameter ductile iron pipe. “That length has never been done before using 36-in. ductile iron,” says Ralph Carpenter, project manager for AMERICAN Ductile Iron Pipe, a division
58 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com of AMERICAN Cast Iron Pipe Co., which sup- on in the design phase was that the pipeline would be all ductile iron pipe in 20-ft plied the pipe for the project. nominal lengths. That was the basis for our decision to pre-assemble two joints at one time,” Barron said. He noted the key work of Layne Heavy Civil site superintendent The HDD Project Gregg Hibbard in this process. General contractor Layne Heavy Civil, Fair- REM Directional president Joel Colgrove said his company had installed ductile born, Ga., and its subcontractor REM Direc- iron pipe via directional drilling once before and that project involved successfully tional, Boligee, Ala., were responsible for pipe pulling 960 ft of ductile iron pipe in a continuous pull after it was all assembled, un- assembly and drilling the four bores, the lon- like this job. “We had never used the cartridge method of assembly before,” Colgrove gest one underneath the Sowashee Creek. said. “The pullback didn’t take too long. Once Layne Heavy Civil started putting Layne Heavy Civil is also responsible for the pipe pieces together, initially it took them about 15 to 20 minutes per sec- constructing the entire 32-mile pipeline, a new wastewater treatment plant, as well as the conversion of a small lift station. Layne’s entire portion of the project carries a fall 2012 delivery date. Teamwork Needed The four bores — of 1,640, 1000, 880 and 880 ft in length from connection to connec- tion — were fairly routine bores for REM Directional, which used its HRE 750 drill rig (750,000 lbs of pullback force) and Tulsa Rig Iron MCS-1000 mud cleaning system. In busi- ness since 2004, REM Directional handles large pipeline work, including HDD, auger bor- ing, direct pipe drilling, as well as sheet pile driving. REM crews ran into some stubborn rock formations in the soils (lignite) but the pilot bores went smoothly. Though REM Directional handled the HDD portion of the project, Layne Heavy Civil’s role was critical to the operation, specifically the pipe assembly. “During the design phase, engi- neers estimated the pullback load that would be required to pull the pipe back through the borepath. For three of the four pulls the actual applied load was close to the estimate, which was less than half of the allowable pull load of 310,000 lbs,” said Carpenter. The last pull was an anomaly, in terms of pull back load and bore path conditions; this resulted in a much higher pull back load that reached 304,000 lbs. Layne Heavy Civil introduced some innova- tive methods of pipe assembly that allowed the project to finish ahead of schedule. Be- cause of the limited access to easements, the pipe could not be joined in one continuous string. This forced the contractor to come up with a cost-effective and efficient assembly method. Layne Heavy Civil construction man- ager Bill Barron said the contractor decided to pre-assemble two standard 20-ft sections of pipe aboveground, making multiple 40-ft sec- tions and staging them near where the pipe entered the borepath. Crews also placed a protective, double layer of polyethylene wrap tightly to the pipe to provide additional pro- tection to its outside. “REM Directional had sufficient space to set up its equipment but we had limited access as far as laying the pipe out. The decision early www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 59 Directional Drilling tion. Once they started going, they got it down to putting the pipe together every five minutes …We were able to do each of the pullbacks in 12 hours or less.” HDD & Ductile Iron Pipe Though ductile iron pipe is widely used in open-cut installations, very few utility owners and engineers think about its use in projects being installed using HDD, Carpen- ter said. Interest in its use is growing. “It’s getting more notice,” he said of HDD. “We have four more [HDD] installations com- ing up in Pasco County, Fla., one of which, when it goes in at the proposed length, will be a little longer than the 1,640-ft project..” Why hasn’t ductile iron caught on for HDD projects? Carpenter believes that there are many factors in its slow accep- tance, one being the contractors them- selves. “They go with what they are famil- iar with and not a lot of them know how to put in ductile iron, when really it is very Using ductile iron pipe in HDD projects easy to do and no different than installing has been slow to catch on but interest in other pipe types,” he said. “They are used its use on HDD projects is growing. to grabbing hold of a piece of pipe and pulling it in as a single unit, but you can’t
60 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com do that all the time. As in this case, where you have limited easement and right-of-way Layne Heavy access, you have to use the cartridge assem- Civil intro- bly method where the pipe is pulled into the borepath one section at a time.” duced some “The ability of ductile iron pipe to handle innovative water pressure that would tax other pipe methods of made of substitute materials was also a con- pipe assembly sideration,” he added. “Because they have to that allowed pump the water 30-plus miles, you can get the project to fairly high pressures that would take other finish ahead pipe materials to their limits.” of schedule. Barron and Colgrove noted that ductile iron uses a rubber-gasketed joint that is not fused or welded. “For this 1,640-ft installa- tion, we checked each joint for the proper gasket seating prior to pulling the pipe into the borepath. Our focus on quality during pipe assembly proved invaluable in that we pressure tested the line a week after it was installed, and it passed with absolutely no pressure drop,” Barron said.
Project offi- cials credited Barron credited the success of success of the HDD the project to installation portion the team- of the project to the work of all teamwork and part- involved. nership of all the par- ties involved, particu- larly early on during the pre-construction phase.
Sharon M. Bueno is managing editor of Trenchless Technology.
www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 61
Directional Drilling Locating 101:
Guidelines to Follow By Jeri Lamerton
uccessfully locating and identifying buried utilities is a pro- Calls to 811 are routed to your local one-call center, where an cess of elimination — elimination of mistakes — according operator will ask details about your project. With this information, Sto Matt Lumbers, Ditch Witch electronics product manager. the operator will notify the local utility companies that will be af- A thorough understanding of the survey area and the equipment’s fected. Within a few days, the companies will send a professional correct operating procedures can help you save a great deal of locator to mark the approximate location of your underground time and money. lines, pipes and cables. Some important things to remember about No matter what locating equipment you are using, these guide- calling 811: lines will help drilling or excavating crews understand precisely • Call a minimum of 48 hours before you plan to dig; some where they can operate safely. states require 72 hours notice. Know Where You Stand • Only call if you intend to dig. You should not call 811 simply “Jobsite awareness is critical,” says Lumbers. “You should gain as to acquire a map of the utilities in your area. much knowledge about the location of the facilities before pulling • One-call contractors mark utilities for free, so take advan- out your pipe and cable locator.” There are three essential steps: tage of the 811 service. It can help you avoid utility damage, power outages, fines, and worse. 1. Call 811: “Smart digging always requires a call to 811,” says the 811 website. [www.call811.com] This cannot be overem- For more information, visit the 811 website. phasized. Calling 811 is important whether you are planting a 2. Make use of available facility records: Facility records tree in your backyard or installing new utilities. indicate approximate location, number of facilities, and access points for buried facilities within the jobsite area. Records are usually available from the facility owner. Knowing your jobsite is important. You need to gain as much information about the location of facilities 3. Visually inspect the jobsite: “Visual inspection is nec- before pulling out your pipe and cable locator. essary to determine if there are facilities not on record,” says Lumbers. Evidence of a facility includes poles, dips enclosures, pedestals, valves, meters, risers and manholes. Know the Process Pipe and cable locators actually locate the electromagnetic (EM) field produced by the AC current flowing on the line, not the pipe or cable itself. Most non-metallic pipes and cables have tracer wires buried next to them that can conduct electricity. EM pipe- and cable-locator equipment systems consist of a transmitter and a receiver that are portable and, when properly used, very accurate. After identifying the best access point to the target line, the operator can place a signal on the line either by direct connection, clamp induction, or broadcast induction. The most accurate method is direct connection, which involves the signal traveling from the transmitter, through the target line, and returning through the ground stake. Here are some recommended procedures for direct connection:
1. Setup • Remove common grounds and connections to other utility lines to prevent the signal from being placed on untargeted lines. • Insert the ground stake to the left or right of the target line’s suspected path. The transmitter’s black ground wire should not cross other lines. • Connect the black transmitter wire to the stake and the red transmitter wire to the target line. Remove any paint, dirt or corrosion from the target line. 2. Power and Frequency Selection On the transmitter, select the appropriate settings to
64 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com target line is to expose it. First, select the critical areas along the marked path of the target line, and then excavate to the target line. Exposing target lines can be safely accomplished using equipment such as a Ditch Witch FX25, FX30 or FX60 vacuum excavation system. These locating procedures are general guidelines and are not intended to be a comprehensive guide to operating your electronic locating system. Your operator’s manual contains complete recommendations and instructions for correct operation and maintenance.
Jeri Lamerton is public relations manager for Ditch Witch, Perry, Okla.
Smart digging always requires a call to 811 match the conditions of the particular locate. Use the minimum power level and the low- est frequency required to locate the target line. (Remember: the higher the frequency, the easier to couple to adjacent lines, and the shorter distance the signal travels.)
3. Sweep Set the receiver frequency to match the transmitter frequency. Conduct a 360-degree sweep around the access point where the transmitter is connected to the target line. This helps locate the direction of the target line.
4. Tracing the Target Line The target line can be identified by find- ing the location with the strongest signal response. Sweep the receiver perpendicular to the target line and walk along its path. Retrace the path and mark with the proper color paint or flags. Know Your Limits The receiver/transmitter system is accu- rate when used properly, but the only way to verify the exact depth and location of a www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 65 PRODUCT SHOWCASE Drilling Fluid Polymer CETCO Drilling Products has announced that its Clay Cutter Dry is now NSF/ANSI Standard 60 certified. This non-hazardous, quick mixing polymer can be used in both horizontal and vertical drilling applications. Clay Cutter Dry is a proprietary clay inhibitor that should be added to fresh or saltwater drilling fluids to increase cutting returns and reduce torque and drag when drilling in reactive clay soils. Clay Cutter Dry will stabilize the borehole, eliminate bit balling and reduces shale swelling. CETCO’s diverse line of polymers and additives are able to handle any complex drilling conditions and consistently deliver the highest performance.
HDD Drill Heads Carson Underground Inc. has announced its full line of HDD drill heads for Ditch Witch, Vermeer and Universal machines. The company launched its Vermeer line last year with huge success. The new line featured a shorter design and strong tailpiece connection, as well as impressive down- hole performance. Its new Ditch Witch line is sure to have the same success. The line was launched at the first of the year and has been a great addition to contractors’ drilling needs. The easy-to-use, side-load housing design machined of 4140 material fits DCI and Subsite electronics — giving it versatility. Carson has standardized its box connection to make it more uniformed for dealers and clients alike. Launching this line of tooling has given contractors time to diversify and achieve everyday bores. With 30 years of experience in the industry, Carson Underground appreciates customer feedback.
Wye Fitting for Laterals Inserta Fittings Co. introduces a new, easy-to-install wye fitting for tapping a lateral connection into most types and sizes of mainline pipe or structures. The INSERTA WYE connects to the pipe eliminating the need to dig underneath and no securing straps are required. INSERTA WYE meets ASTM 3212 using air pressure and is watertight to meet the requirements for storm and sanitary sewer lines. Available in both 4- and 6-in. inlets, the INSERTA WYE can be used to connect corrugated, solid wall, profile wall and concrete pipe regardless of manufacturer. With an easy-to-use hand drill and drill guide, a watertight wye connection can be achieved in just a few minutes saving the contractor time and money.
CCFRPMP HOBAS centrifugally cast, fiberglass-reinforced, polymer mortar pipe is ideal for a variety of installation methods including nearly every trenchless application: sliplining, jacking, microtunneling, two-pass tunnel and casing carrier plus open cut and above ground for both pressure and gravity applications. It provides inherent corrosion resistance, superior hydraulics and a long, maintenance- free life. Key applications are sanitary sewers, potable water and corrosive environments. Sections join with push-together, leak free, gasket sealed couplings. After more than 50 years of reliable service, the use of HOBAS pipe is expanding faster than ever and it can be found in most U.S. municipalities. Non- pressure and pressure classes are manufactured in diameters from 18 to 110 in.
Culvert Structural Lining Centripipe — Centrifugally Cast Concrete Pipe — is a cost-effective, no-dig solution for structural lining of culverts using a spin caster and our specialty mortar, PL-8000. The precisely placed and compacted concrete liner is applied at the best design thickness for the diameter and conditions. It contains rust inhibitors to prevent corrosion of the old metal culvert and it is highly resistant to abrasion. This process also provides waterproofing, sealing, structural reinforcement and corrosion protection. CentriPipe is the only system that maximizes the pipe interior for capacity and flows while providing a fully structural “pipe within a pipe.”
66 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com NASTT’s 2013 No-Dig Show Call for Abstracts The Great Trenchless Gold Rush! Submission Deadline: June 30, 2012
The North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) is now accepting abstracts for its 2013 No-Dig Show in Sacramento, California, located at the Sacramento Convention Center, March 3-7, 2013.
Prospective authors are invited to submit a 300-word abstract outlining the scope of their paper and the principal points of benefit to the trenchless industry. The abstracts must be submitted electronically via the No-Dig Show website at: www.nodigshow.com by June 30, 2012. NASTT’s 2013 No-Dig Show Program Committee will review abstracts in mid-July and notify the primary authors of acceptance immediately afterward. To ensure meaningful and commercial free technical content, all papers will be peer-reviewed. Final papers will be published in the conference proceedings.
Abstracts from the following subject areas are of interest to the No-Dig Show Program Committee:
HDD Trenchless Research • Pipeline Inspection and Locating and Development • Condition Assessment • University and Industry Initiatives • Subsurface Utility Engineering • Education and Training • I&I and Leak Detection Environmental Incentives, Cutting-Edge Advances Challenges and in Pipeline and Manhole Sustainability Rehabilitation • Carbon Reduction • Cured-in-Place Pipe Lining • Sustainable Construction Practices TM • Sliplining Municipal Issues • Pipe Bursting • Selection Criteria for Contractors • Laterals Rehabilitation • Development of Submittal • Grouting Requirements • Lining Materials and Application • Measuring Quality Assurance/ Methods Quality Control New Installations • Project Budgeting and Prioritization • New Concepts for Trenchless • Selection Criteria for Materials Equipment, Materials and Methods • Funding for “Green” Technologies • Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) • Lessons Learned • Microtunneling Industry Issues • New Applications for Boring • Social Costs and Impacts Techniques (Auger Boring • Industry Trends, TM and Pipe Ramming) Issues and Concerns • Pilot Tube Boring (Tunneling)
Questions? Please contact: Kim Staheli Michael Willmets Michelle Hill 2013 No-Dig Show NASTT Executive Director NASTT Communications Program Chair E: [email protected] & Training Manager E: [email protected] P: 613-424-3036 (Canada) or E: [email protected] P: 425-205-4930 703-351-5252 (U.S.) P: 440-638-4676 BUSINESS CARDS
Lateral Pipe Bursting Machine
408.224.7777 Sales/Training www.PipeburstingAmerica.com
2 & 3 REEL
68 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com Classified Microtunnel Operators/Technicians Vadnais Corporation is seeking a Microtunneling Operator/Technician that is experienced with Herrenknecht MTBMs ranging from AVN 600 to AVN 2400. We have an immediate full time position in the USA for qualified applicants. Minimum 5 years experience required. Send Information to [email protected]
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Classified
Entry-Level client, sub-contractors and on-site trades, as projects in a timely and efficient manner. Project Managers well as generating new clients. Such tasks include, but are not limited to; As Griffin continues to grow, so does our need • Demonstrate a willingness to travel to out-of- on-site project management and supervi- to increase our engineering and construction state job sites and regional offices as required, sion, quality control and quality assurance, teams. We are always interested in hearing from which is integral to learning all aspects of Grif- negotiation, testing, detail oriented, good qualified candidates nationwide. fin’s specialty techniques. communication skills, and technical daily Entry-level Project Managers fulfill both field • Communicate effectively, particularly with re- record keeping. and office responsibilities. The successful can- gard to design assumptions, effectiveness of A BS in civil engineering, geotechnical engi- didate will be expected to: the work in meeting project objectives, and neering, environmental engineering, or related • Demonstrate a proactive attitude towards gen- potential areas of risk or concern discipline is preferred, but not required and a erating and maintaining successful working re- • Perform all on-site and office tasks as as- background or general knowledge of Pumps lationships through positive interaction with the signed to successfully manage multiple and Construction is a plus.
For consideration, or to apply for immediate E-mail: [email protected] Fax: 713-675-4820 openings, please forward your resume: Upload: http://www.griffindewatering.com/griffincareers/ www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY 69 TECHNICAL FORUM Pilot Tube Microtunneling,
Expanding its Applications By David Crandall
renchless pipe installation such as Pilot Tube Guided opener head. These heads are attached to the casings and Auger Boring or Pilot Tube Microtunneling (PTMT) augers further excavating the hole and reversing the flow T is quickly becoming a popular way to install pipe of the auger and conveying the soil back to the jacking as an open-cut alternative. This method minimizes disrup- pit. Pipes ranging from 16- to 39-in. OD can be installed tions and costs, while proving to be an effective way to using the pullback method. If the authority requires, a install pipe. sensor can placed between the pulling attachment and For years, pilot tube machines have been installing steel, the product pipe to monitor the force placed on the pipe clay and other types of jacking pipes within a certain di- during installation. ameter range through displaceable soil, limiting their use From here, the sensor would attach to the product pipe. for trenchless projects. We are now seeing these systems The attachment for an HDPE product pipe is typically a expanding their pipe installation capabilities by using fusible pulling head. This is fused to the product pipe and specific attachments. These attachments allow the pilot removed after the installation process. tube machine to install larger diameter pipes, HDPE pipe, Some hole opener pullback kits also have expansion as well as the ability to bore through non-displaceable cones to increase the bore diameter while pulling back soil with certain head attachments. the product pipe. These attachments offer water jets in front of the cone and a single bentonite port located in the back. The water jets assist in loosening the soil ahead Hydraulic Extension Kits of the expansion cone. This reduces the pulling forces Hydraulic extension kits come in a range of sizes up acting on the pilots, adapter and the product pipe. The to 55-in. OD, perfect for installing clay, HOBAS, as well bentonite is used to lubricate the outside of the pipe and other various jacking pipe. Hydraulic extension kits typi- bore path reducing skin friction. cally have a cone shaped head with openings for the soil to flow through. Some also have a hydraulic motor inside them to operate their auger. Steerable Cutting These are for installation of a larger product pipe such as a 36-in. ID. HOBAS, you will need to perform the tradi- Head Attachments Until a few years ago, PTMT was limited to pipe installa- tional pilot tube three-phase installation. First, establish tions in soft displaceable soil. Now, we are seeing cutting the pilot rods successfully on line and grade. Then, attach head attachments, with diameters of 16 to 42 in., allowing the auger head with steel casing to the last pilot tube these machines to bore through non-displaceable soils up to expand the bore path diameter. The steel casings with to 100 blow counts/12 in. or weak rock. augers follow the auger head until it reaches the receiv- These attachments can be used with any pilot tube or ing pit. Then attach the hydraulic extension kit to the last standard auger boring machine on the market. With a pi- steel casing in order to increase the bore diameter to its lot tube machine, this attachment can either be placed final size. the front of the steel casings with augers or the product These hydraulic extension kits with hydraulic motors pipe, as there is no need or a pilot rod since the head is and auger will reverse the auger rotation conveying the using the pilot tube guidance system or achieving its ac- soil forward, ahead of the product pipe. Certain designs curacy. of expansion kits come with active cutting heads instead For auger boring machines, the unit is welded to the of static steel arms, which allow the end-use to enter into lead casing and lowered into the jacking pit. The auger stiffer/hard ground, expanding applications, which this boring machine provides the torque for the attachment system can be use. while the thrust is provided through the steel casing. Some of these cutting head attachments are steerable. Hole Opener Pullback Kits A monitor station and a high-pressure water pump con- Pilot tube machines are now capable of installing plas- trol horizontal and vertical movement of the head attach- tic pipe with the use of a hole opener pullback kits. These ment. A built in electronic water level helps monitor ex- kits are typically made of steel and can be used in a two act grade throughout the bore path while the end-user phase or three phase installation and pullback of HDPE, can steer for line using a left and right measurement sys- PVC or other plastic pipes with line and grade precision. tem with simple math. A second steering option is using The PTMT process for installing HDPE is completed us- the cutting head’s locate sensor built into the unit, which ing the two-phase or three phase method of installation. also indicates needed adjustment for line (left and right). You begin with the standard first phase, which is install- Although PTMT holds a small niche with small diameter ing pilot rods. Once the pilot rods reach the receiving pit pipe installation in soft displaceable soil, the technology successfully on line and grade you then attach the hole is ever evolving and expanding PTMT range of applica- opener pullback kit. Sizes ranging from 3 to 12 in. can be tions. As engineers and designers look to replace our ag- installed. You install the kit by removing the pilot tube ing infrastructure they should consider PTMT as an eco- head and then attaching a displaceable hole opener head nomical means of installing steel casings, clay, HDPE and and directly pulling the pipe in place. If a larger diameter other types of product pipe. plastic pipe needs to be installed, the contractor can use a three-phase method of installation using an active hole Dave Crandall is with ICON Tunnel Systems.
70 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com
CCalendaralendar october 2012 2-4 2012 No-Dig Live, Stoneleigh Park, Near Coventry, may United Kingdom, Web: www.nodiglive.co.uk 14-15 No-Dig India Summit 2012, Banalore, India, 22-24 15th Canadian National Conference & 6th Policy Web: www.no-digindia.com Forum on Drinking Water, Kelowna, BC, Canada, Delta Grand Okanagan Hotel and Convention Centre, 29-June 2 2012 CONEXPO Russia, Web: www.cwwa.ca/DrinkingWaterConference_e.asp Crocus International Exhibition Center, Moscow, Web: www.conexporussia.com november 12-14 30th International No-Dig Show, June Saõ Paulo, Brazil, ISTT, Web: www.abratt.org.br 3-7 PLCA-Canada 58th annual Convention, Whistler, British Columbia, Fairmont Chateau Whistler, PLCA-Canada, Web: www.pipeline.ca 5-8 No-Dig Moscow, Crocus Expo, Moscow, Notable Events Web: www.nodig-moscow.ru
10-14 AWWA Conference & Exposition, Dallas, 2012 AWWA (303) 794-7711; Web: www.awwa.org June 5-6 Trenchless Technology Road Show Niagara Falls, Ontario, july Canada, (330) 467-7588, Web: www.trenchlessroadshows.com 2-4 2012 Trenchless Asia, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, SEPTEMBER Web: www.trenchlessasia.com 19-21 Tunneling Short Course, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colo., Web: www.csmspace.com/events/tunneling 2-6 2012 Singapore International Water Week, Singapore, Sands Expo and Convention Centre, OCTOBER Web: www.siww.com.sg 9-10 Trenchless Technology Road Show and Opportunities in Utility Construction Conference (OUCC) Roberts Centre, september Wilmington, Ohio, (330) 467-7588, 29-Oct. 3 2012 WEFTEC, New Orleans, Web: www.weftec.org Web: www.trenchlessroadshows.com
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72 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com AD INDEX Advertiser ...... Page # 2012 Trenchless Technology Webinar Series...... 73 Educational Atlas Copco...... 3 2012 Series Barbco...... 49 Benjamin Media Online Buyer’s Guide...... 60 Benjamin Media Resource Center...... 40,46 Bor-It Manufacturing, Inc...... 41 Bortech...... 58 Brierley Associates LLC...... 51 www.trenchlessonline.com/index/webinars Carson Underground Inc...... 61 CSM - Tunneling...... 31 CTAM...... 50 Session Schedule Digital Control Inc...... 62 & 63 Ditch Witch...... 7 Doetsch Environmental Services...... 58 April September Fibrwrap Construction Inc...... 43 Root Control Microtunneling Griffin Pump...... 19,68 Hammerhead...... 11 May October The HDD Co...... 12 Manhole New Installation Herrrenknecht Tunneling Systems...... Back Cover Rehabilitation Techniques Holly Pipe Corporation...... 68 Session #1
Horizontal Technology Inc...... 17 TM ICON...... 33 June Inliner Technologies...... 47 Trenchless November ISCO ...... 68 Rehabilitation Damage Kerneos...... 35 Session #1 Prevention Layne Inliner...... 9
TM Lee Supply...... 69 Mala GeoScience...... 32 July December McElroy Manufacturing Co...... 69 Water Relining New Installation McLaughlin...... 27 Techniques Mears Group Inc...... 55 August Session #2 Melfred Borzall...... 56 & 57 Trenchless TM Michels Corporation...... 53 Mincon...... 59 Rehabilitation *Earn Municipal Sales...... 48 Session #2 .1 CEU! NASTT Webinar Series...... 18 TM No-Dig 2013...... 23,67 Oz Directional Drilling...... 60 Palmieri USA...... 68 Permalok Corp...... 37 Webinars PowerStream Technology...... 69 Premier Pipe USA...... 29 are FREE! Radius Professional HDD Tools...... 20 & 21 Railhead Underground Products LLC...... 39 RapidView...... 2 The Robbins Company ...... 38 We had from 7 to 13 Roddie Inc...... 68 employees from Designers Roose Manufacturing...... 68 RS Technical Services Inc...... 15 and Construction Managers Sanexen...... 12 “at each session. It was a Schenk AG Heldswil...... 34 great program as well as cost SEKISUI NordiTube Inc...... 42 Slabach Enterprises...... 69 effective. I/we look forward to StraightLine HDD...... 13 future presentations. TRS - Niagara Falls...... 75 TRS- Ohio...... 71 –webinar attendee Underground Solutions...... 54 Underground Tools Inc...... 65 Universal HDD ...... 14,52,68,69 Vac-Tron Equipment, LLC...... 68 *There is a $10 administrative fee for attendees requiring a CEU certificate. It is the responsibility of attendees to contact their state Vermeer Corporation...... 5 approval boards to verify whether they accept webinars for credit. Visu-Sewer...... 48 www.trenchlessonline.com May 2012 TRENCHLESS” TECHNOLOGY 73 POINT OF VIEW Emerging Trends in Drinking Water Rehabilitation By Andy Mayer ith drinking water systems in need of repair across This has the dual benefits of increased production and de- the United States, it is paramount that we embrace creased downtime for consumers. Because the pre-chlorinated Wnew techniques and technologies that effectively up- pipe is able to be put into service quickly, residents typically grade the infrastructure in an economical way. A recent report experience only a six- to 10-hour interruption in service before indicated that 8 percent of drinking water mains in the United being reconnected. States and Canada are beyond their useful life. One method for water rehabilitation is using pipe bursting Need for Pre-chlorinated along with pre-chlorinated HDPE pipe, which has been in use Pipe Bursting in the United States for more than 10 years. In fact, I was per- When looking at the U.S. market, I can’t help but think back sonally involved with introducing the technology in Florida, to the early days in the United Kingdom when the rehabilita- where it was approved by the Florida Department of Environ- tion program was put to work some 40 years ago and see some mental Protection in 2000. similar issues. Indeed, there is a tremendous amount of up-and- The technology is used predominately in Europe and par- coming work here as the information gathered from various ticularly England, which is my native country. Twelve years ago agencies all point to massive rehabilitation programs similar to when I brought the technology over from the United King- what England experienced, but of an even greater scale. dom, I was, frankly, a little shocked that the country that put This alone calls for technologies like pre-chlorinated pipe burst- a man on the moon and controls the .com universe was still ing to become more prominent in the marketplace. It is a tried- using 20-ton excavators with 4-ft wide buckets to install 6-in. and-tested technology that is not only considered the best re- pipe through the middle of subdivisions. It was then that I real- placement technology in the United Kingdom, but is now widely ized that there was a need for pre-chlorinated pipe bursting. accepted in the United States and after 12 years of service. With the carbon blueprint dramatically reduced with this Birth of Pre-chlorinated technology compared to open-trench, it is a faster and more Pipe Bursting Pipe bursting itself was de- veloped in England about 40 years ago, the result of a few high-profile incidents that led to a government mandate re- Twelve years ago when I brought the technology over quiring the rehabilitation of aging gas infrastructure across from the United Kingdom, I was, frankly, a little shocked the country. British Gas, the owner at the time of the larg- that the country that put a man on the moon and controls est gas distribution network, “the .com universe was still using 20-ton excavators with was left with a dilemma of how to replace such a vast 4-ft wide buckets to install 6-in. pipe through the middle quantity of pipelines. of subdivisions. It was then that I realized that there was Replacing buried utilities was especially difficult in a city a need for pre-chlorinated pipe bursting. like London with its population of 13 million, swelling to 17 million during working hours, and its hundreds-of-years-old roads, sidewalks and buildings. Limited easements and under ca- efficient practice that has the “green issue” whole-heartedly on pacity distribution lines further complicated matters. British Gas our side. I see this technology growing exponentially over the needed an alternative to conventional open-trench work. next 20 years, eventually becoming a go-to option. It gives the After many hours of research, pipe bursting was born in the client an option to use the existing utility corridor, minimize late 1970s, finally giving British Gas the tool to replace its ex- the engineering needed and save already limited dollars, which isting pipelines in highly congested utility areas. With the suc- in turn equates to more pipe being rehabilitated. Twelve years ago I saw the need for this technology,” and I’m cess in pipe bursting natural gas lines, other utilities began to take notice of the technology and began to examine if it would still surprised that has not experience sharp growth yet. It is work their systems, specifically water and sewer lines. only a matter of time, however, as this technology is undeniably Anglican Water in England took the technology one step fur- an under-used solution to America’s yet-to-be biggest problem. ther, developing a way of chlorinating the new pipe, pulling into place, super chlorinating, flushing and commissioning the new Andy Mayer is president of Murphy Pipeline Contractors Inc., line — all in one day. This spawned the term pre-chlorinated pipe a Jacksonville, Florida-based utility contractor specializing in bursting. trenchless technologies.
74 TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY May 2012 www.trenchlessonline.com Uniting the Trenchless World
Presenters from: Austria, Canada, Holland, Iran, New Zealand, UK, and USA
Underground Infrastructure Research (UIR) International Conference and Trenchless Technology Road Show
June 5-6, 2012 Host Hotel: Hilton Hotel and Suites Scotiabank Convention Centre Niagara Falls/Fallsview | Phone: 866-873-9829 Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada Mention Group Code CTA for discount rate. For the full conference schedule, more information, and registration visit www.catttrenchlessroadshow.ca
Platinum Sponsor: Gold Sponsors: Supporting Organizations:
Other Sponsors: R.V. Anderson Associates Limited; Andrews Infrastructure; Robinson Consultants/Trenchless Design Engineering; Ontario Concrete; Pipe Association; Infratech Services; Dillon Consulting Limited; LMK Technologies; Fer-Pal Construction; PITA