Code of Practice for Pipe Bursting suiting Indian Condition

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PREFACE

Sewerage and water infrastructure and other utility services represent a significant investment on the part of most municipalities. For well over 100 years, the distribution networks for utility services have been located underground in pipes or ducts that are laid, repaired or replaced by trenching from surface. In cities and urban areas, these distribution networks are located underneath the roads. This often makes access difficult, particularly in areas congested with traffic and buildings. When pipeline infrastructure is not well maintained, inefficiencies occur. For example, in water distribution system, this can lead to leakage and possible water shortages. In sewage system, cracked and damaged pipes can cause wastewater seepage, leading to contamination of ground water apart from other host of problems. These problems often give rise to related health and environmental impacts and are needed to be corrected at an early age.

Perhaps the largest share of the trenchless market is represented by the requirement to rehabilitate defective pipelines with some residual structural and physical life, which can be used as a structure for the new line. Examples of rehabilitation techniques include Cured-in-Place Lining (CIPP), Close-Fit Lining, Slip-lining, and Spray Lining, all with their own-patented variations, as well as various other localised repair techniques. Variations relate to the material used, wall thickness provided to offset structural or physical defects, the rate of rehabilitation, and the minimum time of shut-down for the existing service.

Perhaps the largest share of the trenchless market is represented by the requirement to renew or rehabilitate defective pipeline because of its economical and technical efficiency. Because of its technical and economical efficiency the total pipe network of city and urban areas are now renewed by means of the dynamic/pneumatic pipe bursting method.

Pipe bursting is an eco-friendly trenchless method which replaces existing host pipes by bursting them from inside and then displacing the fragments into the surrounding soil while simultaneously pulling in new utility pipe of the same or the larger diameter into the void created. As the pipe bursting utilizes the space and the route already occupied by the old pipe main or service line, they are ideal for the renewal work which is having an ever increasing/growing demand. Since the continuous development and improvement in the technique it is now applicable for wide variety of pipe materials.

The Code of Practice for Pipe Bursting suiting Indian conditions has been developed to assist the project owner and the service provider in attaining the desired outcome of pipeline renewal process through Pipe Bursting. The condition proposed would help in renewing the pipeline with desired properties and strengths if followed properly. The conditions have been developed in an attempt at standardizing the technique and the procedures so that procurement process could be more transparent and the product could be cost effective.

Dr. Niranjan Swarup
Director General
Indian Society for Trenchless Technology

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