The very first project that Rädlinger primus line GmbH carried out in Spain with their technology for the trenchless rehabilitation of pressure pipelines in 2013 included some extraordinary features: The 740-metre-long section of the cast iron drinking water pipeline to be renovated in the mountains of Gijon was only accessible on foot. So, the cut-to-length liner and installation materials had to be flown in by a helicopter. Several vertical and horizontal bends had also to be negotiated. A short installation time was particularly important to the end customer to maintain the water supply.
Primus Line strengthens business in Spain
Primus Line® features
In this first Spanish project, the Primus Line® system was able to demonstrate some of its strengths: The system consists of a flexible, three-layered liner reinforced with aramid fabric and specially developed connectors. Because of its flexibility, the liner is supplied rolled up on a reel, which requires little space on the construction site and makes it suitable for sensitive or hard-to-access areas. In addition, this flexibility allows the Primus Liner to pass through bends of up to 45° as standard; and even 90° under certain conditions.
The Primus Liner is designed for the transport of various media such as water, gas and oil. In Spain, Primus Line® is mainly used in municipal and industrial applications. Once inserted and inflated to its round shape, an annulus remains between the host pipe and the liner. No bonding or gluing is necessary. The connectors can be installed with a few hand-held tools.
Success factors
Thanks to its product features, Primus Line® has become a trusted technology in the Spanish market:
Reduces the need for land permits
Unlike the traditional dig and lay methods, the trenchless variant requires in most cases only two excavation pits: one at the start for inserting the liner and one at the end. Existing manholes can also be used as access points. It does not matter whether the pipeline to be rehabilitated is located under a bridge, a river, a busy road, railway tracks, in an industrial park or nature reserve: The minimal civil engineering work avoids the need for trench permits and saves effort, time and money.
Reduces non-revenue water
In times of climate change and falling groundwater levels, it is essential to preserve water as a valuable resource. Primus Line® remedies leaking water pipes and extends their service life by at least another 50 years.
Fixes aging asbestos cement pipes
In general, deteriorating asbestos cement pipes are usually in good enough condition to accommodate ground loads, but there may be leaks around joints or a reduced ability to withstand the internal pressure. In a new-laying scenario, the disposal of hazardous pipe materials and the high safety standards for the workers add significantly to the overall project cost. With trenchless methods such as Primus Line®, the pipe remains basically undisturbed.
Used in industrial applications for high-value projects
In industry, pipes to be rehabilitated are often those transporting process water that is required to keep up the operation of the plant. Since these pipelines can only be shut down for a narrow time window, trenchless methods like Primus Line® constitute a fast and cost-efficient alternative.
Experienced installation partners and local support
Primus Line’s installation partner Sinzatec implemented the first project ten years ago. Since then, many others have followed: More than 30,000 metres of pipelines have been rehabilitated with Primus Line® in Spain so far and are still in operation.
Rädlinger primus line GmbH is supported locally by Sinzatec as a long-term partner. The inclusion of other partners like Aquatec and Hidrotec, also companies with a long track record in trenchless technologies, provides additional coverage to meet the current demands and needs of the market.
All activities of Rädlinger primus line GmbH are backed by Luis Guajardo, Business Development Manager for Spain and Portugal, who is based in Madrid, and by Hector Papavassiliu, Technical Project Manager, located in Barcelona. Moreover, the Primus Line civil engineering team from Germany provides assistance as well.
The powerful combination of experienced partners as well as local and remote staff will continue to develop and strengthen the Primus Line business in Spain.
Highlight projects
Reocín
Rehabilitation of a ten-kilometre asbestos cement trunk water main near the environmentally sensitive Saja nature reserve. On completion of the project, the operator compared the CO2 reduction of the trenchless method with that of digging and laying, which in this case was more than 90%.
Petrochemical plant
Rehabilitation of a raw water pipe with a length of six kilometres in Cantabria. The pipe made of reinforced concrete with a sheet metal jacket and asbestos cement had suffered accidental leaks, including at the beginning and underneath an intersection with a railway platform. The renovation ensures the supply of raw water to the petrochemical plant for cooling and fire protection.
Madrid Mountains
Rehabilitation of a 700-metre asbestos cement drinking water pipe supplying several villages near the Guadarrama National Park. Due to the rocky landscape and geology of the area, the operator opted for a trenchless method with a small construction footprint which reduced installation time and project costs. In this case again, the operator was able to reduce CO2 emissions by 86%.
Thanks to its little space requirements, Primus Line® is also suitable for the use in sensitive areas like nature parks.
The Primus Liner is inserted from its transport reel into the host pipe to be rehabilitated.
