Installing a pipeline under a railway poses a number of challenges to contractors, and if any problems are encountered, the project could experience lengthy delays and extra costs. Here, microtunnelling expert Stuart Harrison looks at some of the key challenges and how these can be mitigated by selecting a microtunnelling contractor with the right equipment. Changing ground conditions Understanding the […]
Adept Civil Group, which specialises in the supply and installation of water and sewerage drainage pipelines, pump stations and associated services in Victoria, utilised kwik-ZIP HD-75 spacers to protect and centralise an IPLEX DN150 Restrain TM pipe installation during the relocation of sewer for the multi-million dollar Chandler Highway Upgrade in Victoria. The kwik-ZIP HD75 spacers were selected and installed at […]
Spoil management is an important consideration on any trenchless pipeline installation to ensure environmental regulations are met through proper disposal and site personnel are kept safe through site maintenance. Microtunnelling provides an efficient and cost-effective spoil management solution. Microtunnelling machines that utilise vacuum excavation offer a number of advantages over traditional open cut pipeline installation, as well as over other […]
Time and cost are among the top driving factors of trenchless pipeline installations; they are also among the first to be blown out if something goes wrong during an installation. This is why risk mitigation is extremely important. By managing the risks that could cause a problem to a project, a contractor will have a higher chance of avoiding any […]
A 100-year-old sewer main is being renewed beneath one of Bendigo’s major intersections, with minimal impact expected for traffic and no disruption to sewer services. Coliban Water is managing the renewal, with Interflow acting as the contractor for the works. Coliban Water Manager Infrastructure, Corey Bourne, said the works at Charing Cross, close to the Alexandra Fountain, have been scheduled […]
When you’re selecting a microtunnelling contractor to complete your project, taking into consideration their mobility is a crucial factor in ensuring you have a higher chance for a successful outcome within time and budget constraints. If your chosen contractor cannot reach the job site within a short timeframe and arrive fully prepared with the correct equipment, they won’t be able […]
There is no one-size-fits-all method of trenchless pipeline installation because every project is different; there are different ground conditions, different design tolerances and project specifications, and different types and diameters of pipes. This means that in order to have the best chance of a successful pipeline installation, it is important to get an experienced contractor who can provide unbiased advice […]
Regional Victorian water corporation Gippsland Water services more than 61,000 domestic customers as well as major facilities in the power, dairy and paper industries. The utility maintains more than 2000km of water and 1700km of sewer pipelines, but has been consistently faced with the challenge of maintaining reliable supply to scattered towns and centres. The microtunnelling boring machine in place […]
For larger microtunnelling machines, German standards quote 50mm from the design line. However, some contractors feel this tolerance is too restrictive for large machines — such as say an AVN 2400 which could weigh some 50 tonnes — especially when tunnelling through soft, mixed soils. When using such machines, there is limited data that contractors can access to assess ground […]
When a sewerage main at the mouth of the Noosa River in Queensland failed, Unitywater needed to carry out emergency repairs while limiting impacts on customers and the environment. As the pipe had separated at the failure location, repair by relining was not possible and horizontal directional drilling (HDD) was considered the best chance at a successful outcome.
It is not uncommon for microtunnelling contractors to arrive on site and find the ground conditions are different to the geotechnical information provided. This is problematic for most microtunnelling projects as most machines are not designed to allow easy access to the cutter head once an installation has started. So if you don’t have the right equipment and you encounter rock, project costs and […]
In this article, our HDD expert Charles Stockton explores the circumstances in which contractors are expected to foresee certain situations and potential impacts in HDD projects. A question I’m often asked to consider by both clients and contractors is, ‘were the conditions encountered a physical condition that would reasonably have been anticipated by an experienced and competent contractor at the time of tender […]
Unlike deep excavation, trenchless techniques such as microtunnelling bypass surface obstructions and have minimal impact on the surrounding environment. In the case of water and sewer pipeline installations, this has multiple benefits for the community and environment, and reduces risks during installation. Benefiting the community The impact of construction on the community is a key consideration when a pipeline installation method is chosen. […]
Being able to install pipelines on-grade is a must these days. This is especially the case in urban areas where a deviation from the route can result in damage to existing underground infrastructure. Microtunnelling is a trenchless method designed to achieve a high level of accuracy to prevent this. Laser guided machines, in particular, aid contractors in consistently installing pipelines on-grade. Guiding the way Microtunnelling […]
In this article, the second of a two-part series, our HDD expert Charles Stockton takes a closer look at the impact HDD technology has had on shore crossings in pipeline installations. How is using HDD in water environments different to standard use of HDD? The main difference in the HDD operation is that the pipe-side is managed over water by a marine […]
When completing HDD projects in urban areas, having equipment that gets the job done quickly, is easy to use, and reduces disturbance to the community are some of the key considerations identified by contractors. After listening to feedback, Vermeer has developed the third generation of directional drills addressing these three factors. The development of the S3 Navigator® HDD product line, which ranges from 20,000 […]
Hunter Water is drilling a 300m long, 20m deep tunnel to host a water main beneath Swansea Channel in New South Wales as part of a $3 million project to improve water security for local residents. Hunter Water Executive Manager for Investment and Innovation, Darren Cleary, said the new pipeline would give Swansea residents the water security expected in the […]
Meet Doug the rock reamer. He’s German, 2.2 metres long, weighs 2.8 tonnes and looks like he belongs with The Transformers. As the first of his kind in Australia, he is going to chew his way through extremely hard rock underneath Nicklin Way to help construct a new 2.5km sewerage pipeline to service the southern end of the Sunshine Coast. He has […]
Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU) is making use of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) on a number of projects across its South East Queensland network. The water utility is currently undertaking more than $175 million dollars’ worth of major water and sewerage projects in its service area. The works include a new trunk sewer main, two new cross-river pipelines, and an upgrade to the […]
Over the past decade, Australia’s water utilities have become increasingly reliant on trenchless methods of pipeline installation and rehabilitation. This trend has in turn resulted in a demand for higher performance, long-life polyethylene pipes that will provide reliable service for 100 years or more. It is this requirement that motivated Iplex to look toward the evolution of PE100 pipe materials – materials that […]
Sydney Water Corporation (SWC) is arguably the largest water utility in the Southern Hemisphere and is highly regarded in Australia and around the world for innovative approaches to water management. In January 2017, Sydney Water approached Primus Line in regards to the rehabilitation of two critical trunk mains. Trunk main rehabilitation At Pymble in Sydney, a DN225 CICL main 47m […]
Pipeline Drillers has achieved one of its longest and largest horizontal directional drills, crossing under a waterway for Unitywater. Located on the Sunshine Coast, the drill extended 908m from the Kawana Sewage Treatment Plant to cross under the Wyuna Canal and onto Kawana Way to install the 900mm diameter, high-density polyethylene pipe. After being awarded the principal contract for the […]
City West Water has awarded the contract for the $24 million Spencer Street Sewer Upgrade project in Melbourne. Quinn Civil will design and install a gravity sewer along Spencer Street from Little Lonsdale Street to Flinders Lane in Melbourne. The project involves approximately 740m of 400mm and 1400mm diameter gravity sewer. The Spencer Street Upgrade project is part of a […]
In the past, gravity slope sewer lines were installed via open cut or tunnelling methods. Today there are two main methods of trenchless sewer construction: horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and microtunnelling. The key is selecting the most appropriate and technically feasible method – the method chosen must be capable of doing the job in the prevailing environmental conditions and within […]
In this article, the first of a two-part series, our HDD expert Charles Stockton takes a closer look at the impact HDD technology has had on shore crossings in pipeline installations. Working in the nearshore environment, especially on Australia’s exposed coastlines, can be very challenging and inhospitable for both land-based and water-based construction equipment. Neither construction method is ideally suited […]
In the past, the use of trenchless technologies for installing and rehabilitating water and sewer pipelines were considered after other methods such as open-cut. However, water authorities have started to take notice of trenchless, and for those that have embraced these technologies, the benefits have been rewarding. Unitywater, the water and sewerage service provider for Moreton Bay, the Sunshine Coast […]
The properties of PVC pipe are well known and appreciated by water industry asset owners to an extent where the material has been significantly used for the construction of Australian urban pipelines. In recent years, the growth in trenchless pipeline construction and rehabilitation technologies has favoured polyethylene pipe due to its ability to be fusion welded on site into long […]
The installation of the Donvale Branch Sewer in Melbourne’s north-east has reached the halfway mark, with approximately 2,500m of the sewer installed using microtunnelling – eliminating the need for any open-cut trenches on the project. Pezzimenti Trenchless was contracted to install the branch sewer in the Yarra Valley Water project, with MFJ Constructions, the project’s principal contractor. The complex project […]
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