The Blue-Tek CIPP system from Reline America Inc. is designed to offer municipalities a cost-effective, verifiable and environmentally safe method of trenchless pipe rehabilitation.
“This system uses an ultraviolet-wavelength curing system to cure pipes from 4 to 14 feet per minute, depending on the pipe diameter and thickness of the liner,” says Mike Burkhard, president. “A computerized monitoring system tracks every critical step in the curing process and provides customers with a database printout that proves the liner was properly installed and cured.”
The glass-reinforced liner is manufactured to each customer’s dimensions and specifications. It requires no resins, accelerators or refrigeration, reducing installation time. It is spirally wound to eliminate seams. In its uncured state, the liner has a shelf life of at least six months, providing flexibility in case of project delays.
After the liner is pulled into a pipe, it is inflated with a blower, not an air compressor. That enables customers to use it in larger pipes. The system can accommodate pipes from 4 to 48 inches.
Once the liner is in place, it is cured by a mobile ultraviolet-wavelength system. The light train is composed of three small, wheeled cars, each carrying three UV lights. As the chain moves through the pipe, the light cures the liner.
“The light train travels on a clear inner film that allows heat to penetrate and prevents the wheels from touching the uncured liner,” Burkhard says. As the liner cures, a computerized monitoring system logs all critical data, such as the liner’s initial calibration, the time curing begins and ends, the lamps’ intensity and the number of lighted lamps, the air pressure inside the liner, and the curing speed per minute.
When installation is complete, camera-equipped robotic cutters reinstate all connections, leaving a structurally secure pipe lining. The liner completely contains any styrene in its thermoset resin, making it environmentally safe. For information, call 866/998-0808 or visit www.relineamerica.com.
