Rescue Rod

15th June 2018

Rescue Rod

Trenchless specialist Rescue Rod has been involved in providing pipeline services and waste management in various ways since 1990.

The company has more than 25 years of experience in the industry and offers some of the most technologically advanced industrial sewer cleaning and pipeline rehabilitation equipment in the world. Rescue Rod has always stayed true to the principle of providing its clients with the best possible solution.

In 2017, a refinery plant in Secunda was confronted with leaking fire water mains caused by the corrosion of pin holes in the steel host pipe, which is required to accommodate an operating pressure of 14 bar. The fire water mains, sizes DN 250 and DN 400, are located underneath asphalt. The 38-m-long DN 250 steel pipe crosses underneath a highly frequented street, whereas the 77-m-long DN 400 steel pipe runs under a parking lot.

Traditional open trench methods are not feasible in this scenario, as relining with high-density polyethylene (HDPE)-100 would require large excavation pits for the insertion of the pipe segments.
 
Rescue Rod proposed the use of the Primus Line® system, which institutes small surgical excavation pits, long installation lengths and high operating pressures. In the first step, Rescue Rod inspected the steel host pipe using closed-circuit television and removed the protruding incrustation mechanically by pulling scraper pigs and squeegees through the host pipe using a pulling winch. After the free inner diameter was cleaned, the liner was installed and pressurised to its full round shape using compressed air. American National Standards Institute-certified connector flanges were installed and a HDPE spool piece was connected between the relined and the existing pipelines.

The life of this critical infrastructure was extended by more than 50 years and a significant cost and time saving was realised.