WET News

14 WET NEWS DECEMBER 2016 ONSITE TREnChlEss TEChnology Set concrete can prove a drainage system problem • Cleaning construction site equipment after use may be necessary where concrete is involved, but the wash- down water can block drainage systems. projEcT SpEcS • Remove set concrete from pipeline • Develope better technology to cope with limited access • limit any potential damage to the pipeline material L ondon, like many of the world's largest cities and towns, is seeing major building works including some of the largest new-build, purpose-built accommodation developments to date. During the construction operations, machinery and equipment are o•en washed down a•er use to ensure they are in the best working order. Where such equipment has been used for the preparation, movement or installation of concrete this can cause problems for the drainage system as wash-down water makes its way off site into the local drainage network. Done over time, this can cause even newly laid drainage pipes to become laden with set concrete that has to be removed to ensure the long-term viability of the drainage system. This was the case recently on a major construction undertaking for a residential construction project in the Docklands area in London's East End. Having sought the market for potential options to clean the affected pipes, and trialling cleaning from various cleaning contractors, the deal to complete the concrete removal process was awarded to specialist pipe cleaning company Tube Tech International, of Rayleigh, Essex. Tube Tech is o•en called on to implement its specialist fouling removal a•er other more traditional jetting and cleaning has failed to remove the blockage. Clients are usually at the point where the fouling problem is seemingly impossible to overcome, and consider pipe replacement as the only option. Correct flow A•er decades of operation in the field Tube Tech has developed a range of simple yet effective remote control systems and robotics specifically for fouling removal purposes. In many cases equipment suited to the scheme in hand may be developed. The requirement to re-establish the correct flow regime in the concrete laden pipes serving the new buildings proved to be urgent. Tube Tech was asked initially to rapidly mobilise with what might be the best equipment available to it at the time. The company has continually developed tried and tested, step change methods to solve heavy industries' most difficult fouling removal challenges worldwide providing simultaneous re-opening and inspection services for a wide variety of industrial situations enabling significant savings to be made by clients by reducing downtime, cutting CO2 emissions, increasing throughput and improving safety standards. Previous experience in the removal of concrete from pipework enabled Tube Tech to bring to the site one of its proven systems. This option had some effect for removing the concrete in the pipes at up to four times more than any previous contractor. However, this still proved too time- consuming an option for the client. What made the works somewhat more demanding was that there were no drawings of the pipe network available so until the Tube Tech team arrived on site any cleaning work was effectively done blind. A•er the initial attempts to remove the concrete proved too slow, Tube Tech's expertise was brought to bear given the experience and better understanding of the problem. The team regrouped and developed better technology to cope with the limited access to the affected pipeline within the confines of the construction site; handle the tight bends; and be a faster concrete clearing method. Part of this solution was the development and introduction of the use of polymer infused ultra-high pressure water, to create more impact against concrete blockages and remove it quicker. Tube Tech found a biodegradable chemical that Concrete removal underway in the pipeline is observed with CCTV cameras Access to and from the cleaning locations was difficult in amongst the ongoing construction works one of the concrete blockages removed from the affected pipe sections A cleaning access location within the building structure

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