This award is offered by UKSTT to encourage applicants to submit projects that, despite being small, are examples of excellence either technically or professionally, that they believe supports the aims of the awards ethos as well as demonstrates innovation in street works and the protection of the environment. It is designed to encourage submissions from a wider range of entrants in the trenchless world that can be related to any underground infrastructure projects of other cables, ducts, culverts, & pipelines for any utility using trenchless techniques
Other category finalists can be found here https://www.ukstt.org.uk/2024-finalists/
The finalists for the Small Scheme award are:
CLANCY / ANGLIAN WATER / SCHUR BPH
Cambridgeshire Lining Project – Clancy
As we have seen in recent years, the water industry has come under increasing pressure to reduce leakage, improve quality while delivering efficiency all while minimising the impact on their Small not be appropriate for the repair.
Despite being located inside a sewage treatment works any programme needed to minimise the impact on local stakeholders. Mitigation plans with safe entry and exit at staggered distances to avoid traffic build up and correct lane closures avoided negative feedback from businesses and residents in the area.
To deliver we turned to our strong supply chain relationships and identified how best to move ahead and quickly landed on the potential for resin spray lining to complete the job effectively and efficiently. The selected solution needed to offer the client complete peace of mind that the method would strengthen the repaired asset and deliver maximum cost efficiencies too.
Schur-BPH’s SR1000 Spray Lining Rig and Acothane Wasteseal product was exactly what was needed. It sprays a structural composite to line new pipes and restore existing ones. This coating is solvent free and carbon fibre reinforced to deliver maximum strength and durability.
Our team identified this solution, which has rarely been used in the UK, for this project due to its ability to limit the exposure of our people to the harmful H2S gases which had been damaging the pipework. This was a key priority to ensure the health & safety of our teams.
This project’s innovation is centred around scale. Schur-BPH and Acothane’s Wasteseal product has the ability to provide a continuous, leak-free and seamless lining for up to 430m but its use in the UK has been limited to smaller projects. In Cambridge, we wanted to exploit its full capability on this significant and high-profile asset renewal.
Compliance to Construction Design & Management Regulations (CDM) was delivered as part of the larger programme of works at the treatment works. We considered the exposure of the harmful gases and potential ongoing erosion of the asset so set this as a very high risk design which needed robust procedures, works matrix and safe systems of work to ensure the best outcome for all parties involved.
Careful planning was undertaken using best practice lessons learnt from our many lining projects. Recognising that there was significant surface damage to the pipe, we prepared it with a zero-degree jetting bomb which minimised pressure to the weakened areas before utilising a CCTV crawler to ensure no deposits or debris were left behind. This created the perfect conditions for the spray lining process.
Clancy puts the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff as an absolute priority and maintained an accident free site throughout. Daily briefings and close alliance with the experts supplying the Acothane’s Wasteseal product ensured a smooth programme was maintained throughout the works.
This lining technique, which was more cost-effective, sustainable and quicker, delivered multiple efficiencies that made it the right solution to recommend and deliver for this project. By utilising this in the UK, we are showcasing to the sector a new and unique way of protecting our infrastructure.
This project brought a wide range of benefits including:
- Time efficiency: within two days, we set up our project site, initiated Schur’s spray lining equipment, and restored the pipe’s integrity. The rapid curing doesn’t require steam, hot water recirculation or UV to achieve a full cure, enabling a quick repair and reduced project timelines. This ultimately meant less disruption to the network and local area.• Cost savings: due to the small amount of equipment required to undertake the lining of the concrete pipe, the use of the technology resulted in an estimated 15 per cent cost saving.• Environmental protection: in comparison to other techniques, the amount of plant needed for the project is minimal. This produces a smaller carbon footprint because of less on-site equipment and the fewer vehicles needed to transport it.• Health and safety protection for our people working as the time spent in the proximity of harmful gases minimised.• Long-term resilience: by providing the sewer with a strong, durable finish, this rehabilitation increases the pipe’s lifespan by a further fifty years and ensures the integrity of a major infrastructure network for generations.
Going forward, the success of this work will transform the way that we approach lining projects. As a company, we have now invested in achieving WRc accreditation for regulation 31 approval to bring this technology into the repair & maintenance of potable water networks. The high regulatory standards around materials carrying clean water means that this is not straightforward, but we believe that this has huge potential. Clancy became one of only two companies in the country to have the ability to undertake such innovative work on our most vital utility infrastructure earlier this year.
Environmental protection is dominating the water industry’s agenda. Greater pressure on the network from higher and heavier rainfall and aging infrastructure is driving the need for major investment. Clancy will continue to rise to the challenge through innovation, working with an expert supply chain to make repairs efficiently, cost-effectively, sustainably, with long-term resilience in mind.
Adam Cooper, regional operational delivery manager, commented: “Our collaboration with the Clancy lining team was outstanding, showcasing their exceptional speed and commitment to delivering the right solution for an emergency sewer break. This project exemplifies our ongoing pursuit of innovation and efficiency in our operations.
“Trusting their confident recommendation, we opted to use Acothane’s Wasteseal product. This choice proved to be more cost-effective and required fewer resources compared to the traditional UV Lining process, which would have necessitated significantly more plant and equipment.
“This project highlights the value of innovative solutions in achieving efficient and effective outcomes. We look forward to continuing our work with the Clancy team and to drive forward similar projects with cutting-edge approaches.”
CAPPAGH GROUP OF COMPANIES / THAMES WATER / S1E / TOM SANGSTER
Cappagh Group of Companies: The Hedingham Road Project
Project Management
Assigned to us on February 5, 2024, with a four-week completion timeline, we promptly devised an action plan completing the project within 15 days. This was achieved through great teamwork. The project manager oversaw client relations, permit applications, and project coordination, while a supervisor managed field teams and material preparation.
Cost control was managed by only utilising civils methods only where necessary and taking advantage of trenchless methods where possible. This decreased costs through materials, labour, equipment and time onsite.
Our initial step involved communicating with customers, explaining the process, and addressing concerns due to the combination of civil and trenchless works across multiple properties. One customer, with a private line and no accessible manhole, initially resisted the works but agreed after a meeting with our technical specialist and the client, leading to the installation of a new manhole on their property.
All work was executed by qualified engineers under the direction of our lining supervisor. Materials and chemicals were selected based on the sewer lines’ conditions and environmental requirements, using our bespoke design table to identify suitable materials for depth and diameter. Post-installation, all surveys were reviewed under our quality insurance process and all liners underwent structural testing to ensure they met stability and integrity standards.
Community Impact & Customer Care
The project had minimal impact on highways and the public since manholes were located at the rear of customer properties. The only disruption involved parking the recycler unit, causing some carriageway incursion and limited road parking. We obtained a permit from the local council via the street-manager system and informed all residents about the nature, schedule, and potential impact of the works through letters.
Coordinating work across multiple properties within a defined timeframe posed significant challenges. We prioritized direct, face-to-face interactions with customers to establish trust and provide a platform for addressing any inquiries or concerns they might have. Throughout the process, we maintained consistent communication with all affected customers, ensuring they were well-informed and engaged at every stage.
To ensure smooth operations, we expanded our site team and worked cohesively. Both teams tackled different lines, focusing on re-rounding and full-length lining, while the civils teams constructed manholes at the necessary properties. This reduced our time on-site causing less disruption where possible to customers.
Legislative Compliance
Maintaining high standards of legislative compliance was crucial due to the diverse scopes of work and various setups involved. Before commencing work, the site was fully prepared, and all relevant information was provided to the project manager. The manager ensured compliance with Street Works legislation and submitted necessary permits.
Field engineers carried site safety folders containing COSHH assessments, site-specific risk assessments, emergency contacts, NRSWA code of practice, and daily or site-specific safety assessments. These included:
• Point of work risk assessments
• Confined space entry permits and logs
• Confined space equipment pre-checks
• Work equipment inspection records
• Jetting unit checklists
• Site visitor records
Documents were reviewed by the site supervisor and stored for six months. Additionally, our Salesforce system mandated checklists that engineers had to complete before updating job statuses with notes, pictures, and closure details.
For materials and installation, a strict process ensured all chemicals and materials were suitable for the sewer repair type, diameter, depth, and environment. This included:
• Liner installation check sheets to determine appropriate methods and liners, using bespoke design tables.
• Wet-out protocols to ensure uniform resin impregnation.
• Installation protocols downloadable from the equipment used.
• Samples sent to a testing facility to ensure structural integrity, leak-tightness, and flexural modulus.
Our bespoke liner design table, meticulously developed with input from Tom Sangster, provides precise guidance on selecting optimal liner materials and brands based on the required thickness, diameter, and depth of the sewer line. Tom collaborated extensively with suppliers to identify the most suitable options and pinpoint potential gaps necessitating bespoke design plans. This tool ensures that each project’s unique requirements are met with the highest standards of material selection and application to meet industry compliance.
Sustainability
Ensuring eco-friendliness and reducing our carbon footprint is a priority. Combining civil and trenchless works helps achieve this by minimizing waste and environmental disruption. Using civil works only, when necessary, allows trenchless methods to handle most of the project.
We enhanced our eco-friendly approach with the Magnavity LED Lining System, which minimized customer disruption and promoted sustainability with its small footprint and no by-products. We also used Brawoliner with Brawo SRR resin, which avoids strong odours and chemical toxins, making it ideal when working near customer properties.
Innovation
Excavating the entire line would have entailed significant disruption and expense. Instead, we employed a hybrid approach, integrating civil and trenchless methods. We installed three chambers through civil engineering techniques to facilitate access for re-rounding the misshaped pitch fibre lines, using a combination of a rerounder and the Picote Maxi Miller. Following this, we installed liners utilizing the Magnavity system. While a full excavation would have impacted approximately 17 properties, our innovative combined methods necessitated access to only 7 properties, thereby minimizing disruption and increasing efficiency resulting in a 15 day turn around.
The estimated cost for full excavation was £54,665.30, while the combination method cost £15,604.00, saving £39,061.30. Integrating civil and trenchless methods yields numerous advantages. This approach facilitates civil excavations on sections of pipe that exceed the scope of trenchless repair while enabling the structural rehabilitation of the remaining pipeline through trenchless techniques, resulting in:
• Reduced site time
• Reduced carbon footprint
• Minimised costs
• Minimised public disruption
In 2022, Cappagh Group of Companies introduced this innovative approach via the gate-keeper concept during the Thames Water contract bidding phase. By emphasizing the advantages of consolidating both civil and trenchless works under a single umbrella, Cappagh secured the Lot 3 and Lot 4 contracts. Over the past nine months, this strategy has yielded remarkable results, saving our client an impressive £725,300.00 through the integration of trenchless and traditional civil methods. Cappagh Group of Companies stands as a prime example of how merging these two methodologies, drives innovation and fully harness the potential of trenchless solutions.
