Reaching for the Scars: Protecting Corroded Piping in Hard-to-Reach Places

Presentation Description: Abstract:
How do you rehabilitate corroded pipes that are inaccessible? Learn from Silicon Valley Clean Water’s critical underground piping rehabilitation project in their wastewater treatment plant. This work is especially challenging as it consists of multiple reaches of corroded piping with difficult access. Some pipes are under 24-inch diameter and are under concrete structures where personnel entry is very difficult. In addition, some of the pipes have multiple bends, adding more challenges to the rehabilitation and making other available technology solutions infeasible.
SVCW worked on a technology feasibility evaluation that led to the selection of a technology – Spray-In-Place (SIP) lining – that has been used extensively in Europe but is relatively new to the United States for pipe rehabilitation within treatment plants. There were several challenges encountered during project planning and design, contractor procurement, engineering review, and construction inspection, but SVCW was able to successfully overcome these challenges and get the pipes lined by working with an experienced project team.
This presentation will review the project challenges and innovative solutions developed by the project team, and provide key takeaways to other municipal agencies in similar situations on use of SIP technology for pipe rehabilitation in hard-to-reach areas in wastewater treatment plants, good practices for project planning and design, and practical inspection techniques for this technology.