Premium
Cleaning Improves Capacity of Large Diameter Pipeline
Author(s) -
Cooper R.E.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.1976.tb00873.x
Subject(s) - pigging , christian ministry , pipeline (software) , environmental science , water pipe , pipeline transport , water supply , mining engineering , engineering , waste management , petroleum engineering , environmental engineering , mechanical engineering , inlet , philosophy , theology
Problems of decreased water capacity were found in the Ontario Ministry of Environment's Lake Huron Water Supply System, which serves the city of London, Ontario. The pipe was installed in 1966 and by 1971 was operating at only 86% of capacity. Inspection of the exterior of the pipe showed no cause for this problem, so the interior of the pipe was inspected and a white slime‐like substance was found. Chemical analysis of the deposit showed that it possessed a high silica and alumina content. Now the problem was to remove the deposit, determine its cause, and prevent further build‐up. Several hypotheses were presented for the origin of the deposit, and several methods were tried to remove the substance from the pipe. The method which seemed to work was to redissolve the deposit by raising the pH of the water when temperatures exceeded 64 degrees F, a technique which was not economically feasible for a long period of time. The technique of “pigging” is now being used and further tests will be made to determine the effectiveness of this cleaning process.