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Project Background
| Service: | SmartBall® and PipeDiver™ |
| Client: | Patapsco Sewer Force Main Baltimore County Department of Public Works |
| Project Date: | July 2011 |
| Type of Pipeline: | Wastewater Force Main |
| Diameter: | 54-inch (1350mm) |
| Pipe Material: | PCCP |
| Length: | ~8,000 linear feet (~2,400 m) |
| Pressure: | <50 psi |
| Results: | SmartBall: No Leaks or Gas Pockets; PipeDiver: <6% Damaged Pipe Sections |
As part of Baltimore County, Maryland’s Wastewater Force Main Asessment Program, Pure Technologies inspected the 54-inch Patapsco PCCP Force Main using the SmartBall and PipeDiver pipeline assessment tools.
The force main was constructed in the late 1970's with Class IV prestressing wire and has never been inspected since being put into serivce as the pipeline cannot be shutdown for traditional assessment techniques. Both the SmartBall and PipeDiver were inserted through a bypass pumping connection at the pump station, and then were advanced into the in-service pipeline using portable pumps.
In order to capture the tools, a specialized 10x10 foot bar grate was designed by Pure Technologies and installed within a downstream access chamber after the confluence of the force main and a 102-inch gravity sewer.
Once inserted, the SmartBall traversed the force main in just over one hour and subsequent data analysis revealed no leaks or pockets of trapped gas at the time of the inspection. The PipeDiver was inserted into the force main in the same manner once again completing the survey in just over one hour , finding less than 6% of the pipe sections containing broken prestressing wires.
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Downstream Access Chamber |
The SmartBall after inspection |
PipeDiver surfacing after the inspection |
In order to evaluate the risk of failure associated with the wire break damage, Pure Technologies’ Engineering Services Group will perform a 3D non-linear finite element analysis of the various pipe designs. Subsequent validation and/or repair recommendations will then be provided to the client.
This PipeDiver inspection was the first of its kind by providing a full, in-service inspection of a PCCP wastewater force main allowing the pipeline to remain in full operation during the survey.