We engaged Clearflow Australia to clean a raw water pipeline that had not been cleaned since being commissioned in 1990. Their professional approach and knowledge of pipeline pigging was proven with the successful cleaning of this pipeline. We would have no hesitation in utilizing Clearflow for this type of work again.
The Issue
Etheridge Shire is located on the Cape York Peninsula and includes the township of Georgetown and Forsayth. The town of Forsayth’s water supply is dependent on a gravity-fed pipe transporting water 11kms from a dam to the town treatment plant. The pipeline, commissioned 50 years ago, had 15mm of biofilms, slime, manganese, and debris adhered to the internal bore. The pipeline passed through thick undergrowth with some sections of the pipe inaccessible, and there was no known “as construction” system plans or current maps of the pipeline.
The Solution
A pig launcher was fitted to the pipeline at the dam end of the pipeline. A pump was used to launch and control the speed of the pig so it could be monitored due to the long distance and the large amount of debris ahead and directly in front of the pig. Three pig runs were required to completely remove the debris and contaminants from the internal surface of the pipeline. Maximum flow of water to the treatment plant was restored.
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