Water pipeline cleaning technology scoops innovation award 07 June 2010

New pipeline cleaning technology, developed for Northumbrian Water, has scooped a national award for engineering innovation.

Gateshead-based Hydrascan (a subsidiary of Killbride Industrial Services) cleaned up at this year's UK Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT) Awards for its Typhoon equipment, designed to clean water mains.

Typhoon was developed in response to a challenge set by Northumbrian for an efficient means of cleaning large trunk mains, as part of its four-year £30 million mains cleaning programme. Its scheme will improve drinking water quality to 500,000 people in South East Northumberland, North Tyneside and the north of Newcastle.

In 2007, the water company ran field trials with a number of competing systems, and awarded Hydrascan a contract with Lumsden & Carroll Civil Engineers to clean 50 miles of water mains in Northumberland.

The system, which uses water jetting technology and a tethered pig system from the oil & gas industry, is now attracting interest from water authorities and contractors across the UK.

Requiring only a single entry point, the system cleans up to 1km of pipe (from 6 to 60 inches in diameter) at one time and will save water authorities and their contractors millions of pounds in the cost of excavating and re-routing traffic for extended maintenance projects in both rural and urban environments.

"The hydro powered pig is jetted along a length of pipe where it will switch between propulsion and cleaning operations," explains Hydrascan technical director Dr Neil Stutchbury.

"On its return, multi directional controlled water jets remove any build up on pipe walls, allowing for expedient, thorough and environmentally friendly cleaning at ranges of up to 500 meters – totalling 1km in both directions from a single entry point," he continues.

"Compared to the Typhoon system, current pigging and swabbing methods require substantially more plant, equipment and machine operatives on site. [Also], each pipe length that requires cleaning necessitates an excavation at each end, as access to both ends of the pipe is required and only average cleaning results can be obtained."

"The Hydrascan system has proved well suited to working in urban environments, due to its small site set-up, the achievement of high specification cleaning over long lengths and the ability to negotiate bends, valves and fittings in the network," comments Northumbrian Water project manager Stuart Tilley.

"I'd like to congratulate the team on their well deserved award and look forward to working with them in the future," he adds.

Brian Tinham

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