Spanish Coastal Village Upgrades Pressure Capabilities with CIPP

The following article appeared in the November 2010 issue of Trenchless Technology.

Garrucha, Spain, a southeastern seaport on the Mediterranean Sea, is largely known as a fishing town and tourist destination. However, it can now be known as being the home of the first-ever European installation of the InsituMain® System.

As a coastal resort town, the population of Garrucha increases almost 60% each summer. Thus, during the summer months, the community’s water and wastewater needs increase as well. Taking a proactive approach to maintenance, GALASA, the water company that serves the region, decided to upgrade the pressure capabilities of Garrucha’s primary sewage force main, carrying roughly 80% of the town’s sewage flow, to accommodate the increase in usage. Simultaneously, upgrades to a nearby pump station presented a window of opportunity to rehabilitate the sewer system using the structural cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) solution.

Hired by local contractor Talleres Caype SA, Insituform upgraded the pressure capabilities of 220 meters of a 250mm sewer force main. Although the original AC pipe was 10mm thick, the pipe was originally designed in the 1980s to operate at only 2 bar; two completely brand new pumps meant the force main pressure would increase from 2 bar to 4 bar.

The Product

Introduced in 2009, the InsituMain® System is reinforced by using different weights of glass fabric or by using multi-layered glass fibers to provide added strength and stiffness and to meet the pressure requirements of force mains.

The dry tube material is constructed of a polyethylene-coated layer and a specially-constructed glass layer. An overlapped seam is lightly-bonded during the manufacturing process to ensure the glass stays in proper alignment prior to installation and expansion. The installation pressure overcomes the seam bonding strength and allows the tube to expand to the full size of the host pipe.

The dry tube is impregnated with a specially formulated resin system to mitigate any potential leakage between the tube and host pipe wall, and uses standard Hymax® fittings to secure the CIPP to the host pipe before reconnecting to the rest of the pipeline system.

Installation

Specialists from the U.S., including Insituform’s Director of Corporate Development for Water, Andrew Fulford, and Corporate Trainer, Joe Coyne, traveled to Garrucha to assist in training on the installation process for the new product.

Selecting the trenchless solution allowed City officials to avoid disruption to the scenic nature of the coastal village and minimize any digging of its picturesque streets while renewal took place. According to Fulford, “The InsituMain® System was the most cost-effective and least disruptive solution for the Garrucha force main.”

The pipe was rehabilitated during a two-month window while work was being completed on the pumping station, therefore no bypass or other special requirements were needed. Despite narrow streets and an 11-meter grade, the pipe was rehabilitated successfully to the client’s specifications.

Fulford added, “We’re proud to successfully complete this initial European InsituMain® installation. We look forward to how this new product could potentially change the way utilities renew their pipeline infrastructure in Europe.”