TPI April 2011

developments products &

Jetstream Europe’s pipe lining removal project

Water blast system solves pipe lining removal by blasting 45km of pipe during project

A water blast system supplied by Jetstream Europe has stripped 500 tonnes of lining from 43km of pipe as part of a mammoth conversion project for a manufacturer of construction products. semi- automated unit was used on a total of 8,000 pipes, which measured 5.5m in length and ranged in diameter from 100 to 700mm, in an operation that took 950 hours to complete. The solution produced by Jetstream Europe was not only compact and speedy, but also proved to be cost- effective and productive. The manufacturer needed to convert a huge batch of stocked pipes from one type of seal coat system to another. The custom-designed,

Previously, the manufacturer had burned out the lining in a stove and scrubbed the bore back to bare metal before relining the pipe. However, this was a major time-consuming and expensive method as it also destroyed the expensive outer coating, which had to be shot-blasted away and re-applied, explained Danny Monaghan, Jetstream Europe’s technical and operations manager. “The pipe maker’s engineering team had used a water jetting process before, but this was only on a few pipes, and not on the scale that this project required.” Pipe samples were sent to Jetstream Europe’s facility, where trials were carried out to ensure the equipment could thoroughly remove the lining at the rate demanded. As well as providing the water blast system,

Jetstream Europe trained and certified eight staff members to the Water Jetting Association’s Safety Awareness standard, so that they could operate and maintain the kit. “The customer was not only very impressed by the results, but also by the quality and reliability of Jetstream Europe’s equipment,” said Mr Monaghan. “What’s more, only a few parts required replacing during the entire water jetting operation.” Jetstream Europe distributes advanced water blast systems and accessories for a wide variety of industrial cleaning applications.

Jetstream Europe Ltd – UK sales@jetstreameurope.co.uk www.jetstreameurope.co.uk

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Tube Products International April 2011

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