Premium
Water‐Jet Technique Used to Clean Encrusted Pipe
Author(s) -
Beck Robert A.,
Buttle James L.,
Wolfe Timothy A.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
opflow
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1551-8701
pISSN - 0149-8029
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8701.1983.tb00106.x
Subject(s) - piping , pipeline transport , environmental science , filtration (mathematics) , pipeline (software) , waste management , petroleum engineering , jet (fluid) , head (geology) , environmental engineering , engineering , geology , mechanical engineering , statistics , mathematics , geomorphology , aerospace engineering
When the water filtration plant in Bellevue, Ohio experienced reduced hydraulic capacity, the ensuing investigation revealed large deposits of calcium carbonate in the plant's pipelines. Alternative solutions to the encrustation problem were main replacement and main cleaning. A high pressure, water‐jet technique was chosen for cleaning the encrusted pipelines. This article describes the jet head and other equipment employed in the process, which involved installation and use of a temporary piping and pumping facility between the recarbonation chamber and eight filters so that water service would not be interrupted. Water pressures of 1000 to 10,000 psi were pumped into the jet heads to clean out the pipelines. The work took 40 hours and cost $8800, a significant savings compared to the $40,000 estimate the city received for replacement of the pipeline and associated fittings.