Jack-and-bore is used for horizontal pipe installations (beneath highways, rivers, etc.) where a push and a receiving pit are excavated. Contractor installs what looks like a small locomotive on rails with a rotating head to auger and push a casing pipe through the ground to the receiving pit...
I've used our pipe model with an outlet about the size of the break hole set up as a reservoir to check the order of magnitude of a break's flow. The hole size is adjusted for restrictions such as soil or broken pipe. I've compared the model break flow rate with the actual tank drain rate and...
We have used this company to clean and inspect our distribution water storage tanks. They have provided us fast turnaround service and full reports. No shortcuts, no complaints. Our utility is located in northeast Ohio.
We've used successfuly a powdered insulation material called Gilsulate (it's on the web). It's suitable for underground installation and has compressive strength. It slows down the rate of cold penetration. Their competitor Dri-Therm makes a similar product.
Whenever you have a main break, mass quantities of air are sometimes sucked into the main, travel down the main, and reside at these highpoints. Instead of an automatic air release, valve, and piping in an expensive vault, consider just tapping the main with a 1-inch copper line and bring it...
We have had very good success with a resilient flapper check valve on pump discharge settings such as the 2100 Series by AFC. Very quiet on pump shutdowns.
We have successully used a LMW (low molecular weight) hydrocarbon non-permeable pipe wrapper called PetroGard made by MPC Containment Systems on a 36-inch ductile iron diameter water main through 300 feet of BTEX-contaminated area. Find them on the net. We had to get EPA approval to use the...
Just a suggestion: encase the pipe in concrete, but leave the pipe joints exposed for future inspection for leaks and future maintenance or disassembly. If possible, instead pour thrust blocks on the backside of the bends, with the block surface area bearing on undisturbed earth. Calculate...
Agree with 77JQX in that water system operators must mind keeping at least 20 psi in ALL portions of the distribution system during a fire or other emergency, particularly if the service area is hilly where pressures in elevated areas drop when someone in the valley opens a hydrant and thinks...
The flow test results you mention are perfectly understandable for an older tuberculated water system that maintains a high static pressure at the hydrant nozzle with no or very low flows, then poops out when the flow is increased due to the extreme head losses through the pipe from the source...
Here in Ohio we have kept wooden plugs on hand for emergencies for many years. We keep an old broom handle in each truck and whittle the end down to a taper to drive into corporation holes and pin hole leaks that have eroded into larger leaks. After driving the broom handle into the main we...
We have had much success with old-fashioned cement mortar lining of mains in streets too difficult to dig up the entire length, like brick or utility-laden. I think we can go about 300 to 500 feet per lining run, with locations usually where the valves are, which we most of the time repalce...
I suspect the pipe pressures in refineries are far less than the maximum we have operating a water distribution system (our maximum is 180 psi in the valley). In the perfect world without corrosion and backhoes there will be no thrust blocks. In the meanwhile, we stick with installing them.
I agree with pappaus....belts and suspenders is the way to go to sleep well at night and minimize the liability even though the cost is higher. Here in my water system we have had instances where the pipe thrust restraint failed due to corrosion or others hitting our main, and we have had...
