Stopper Specialists hold back the tide at Medmerry
Jan 22, 2014
Groundforce’s pipe-testing and flow control division, Stopper Specialists, has supplied two of its large diameter Trelleborg Mega Plug inflatable pipe stoppers to contractors working on a major new sea defence project near Selsey on the Sussex coast.
The £28m Medmerry Managed Realignment Scheme has created new sea defences inland from the coast to allow a new intertidal area to form on the seaward side. The project has been undertaken by Team Van Oord, a joint venture between Van Oord, Kier, and local contractor Mackley Construction.
Rather than try to hold back the sea the Environment Agency, as client, chose a ‘managed retreat’ which allows a designated area of marsh to flood at high tides while being exposed during low tides. 7km of earth embankment has been built inland to act as new flood defence, along with a perimeter drainage ditch and sluices in the banks to let freshwater from inland drain out to sea.
To complete the scheme a 110m wide breach in the shingle bank to had to be excavated to allow inundation of the site. Part of this process was to remove an existing outfall structure whilst maintaining the existing flood defence and so the outfall pipes needed to be closed to prevent seawater entering the site. The contractor called in Stopper Specialists to close the pipes using two of its 700 – 1600mm Trelleborg Mega Plugs. These are large cylindrical inflatable plugs some 2.5m long and up to 1.6m in diameter when inflated.
"They are simply lifted into the pipes and inflated to a pressure of 1bar which is enough to seal them in place and withstand the water pressure in the pipe", says Stopper Specialist Technical Sales Representative, Matt Maidment. The plugs are made from tough aramid and Kevlar reinforced rubber with a heavy duty steel core and are designed to create a secure seal quickly and safely.
"These are actually not the largest in the range", says Matt. "We also offer models capable of stopping pipes of up to 2.4m in diameter." Team Van Oord project manager Tony Battrick said that without the Mega Plugs, progress on this element of the job could have been much slower. "We had two solutions: the conventional one of blocking the pipes with masonry or this one, which of course was much quicker.", he says.
The Mega Plugs were lifted into place with a tractor-mounted loading crane and then inflated with a compressor before closing the isolating valves to keep them at the correct pressure. "Once in place, they require no maintenance beyond a daily visual inspection", says Matt. The plugs remained in place for one week, during which time they kept seawater out of the site whilst the excavation of the breach took place.
More News and Articles
May 06, 2024
News
Redefining relining in Wodonga
In a step towards enhancing stormwater infrastructure, M. Tucker & Sons recently completed a challenging relining project for the Wodonga City Council.
The relining project, commissioned by the Wodonga City Council …
Apr 29, 2024
News
Minimising cultural impacts with trenchless
Through the benefits of trenchless technology, Yarra Valley Water is minimising impacts on the Upper Darebin Creek branch sewer project.
The project consists of building a 2.7km sewer pipe in Epping, …
Apr 26, 2024
News
Bothar’s cutting head innovation
The trenchless industry in Australia continues to grow and the need to provide customised solutions becomes vital for a leading subsurface contractor.
Recognising the need for advanced solutions to meet the growing …
Apr 24, 2024
News
Sustainable drainage solutions: German Start-up transforms urban water management.
Germany boasts a well-established infrastructure for managing rainwater and wastewater, yet many developing countries lack such systems. Addressing this gap, …
Apr 22, 2024
News
HDD tooling that gets the job done
Horizontal directional drilling is a dynamic process that constantly changes and adapts to suit a range of applications across utilities and infrastructure. Operators looking to get the most from their equipment …
Apr 19, 2024
News
WATCH: Overnight with SAERTEX-LINER H20 in São Paulo
Available through Pipe Core, high-quality liner SAERTEX-LINER H20 performed under pressure in São Paulo, Brazil.
Maintaining aging potable water pipe infrastructure is a constant challenge …
Apr 17, 2024
News
Immersive media provides wastewater experience in Denmark
An immersive media experience (IMX) may not be what most people want when they think about industrial wastewater, but that is exactly what visitors can expect when they visit a new installation …
Apr 15, 2024
News
Spotlight on gender diversity at Pipe Core
Since founding in 2008, Pipe Core’s team has grown across all areas of the business and is now in a position where there are more females than males across the organisation. Research published in Harvard …
Apr 12, 2024
News
New Wave of Startups Scale Innovation to Solve Global Water Challenges
Innovators from Around the World Join Xylem’s 2024 Accelerator Program to Deploy Breakthrough Innovations for Utilities and Industrial Users of Water
A new group of startups …
Apr 08, 2024
News
Integrated sustainable electricity and clean drinking water systems
Altitude Water and New Use Energy Solutions have partnered to create integrated, mobile solar-plus-water generation systems that produce sustainable electricity and clean drinking …
Apr 05, 2024
News
How to Evaluate Hydraulic Fracture Risk in HDD Design
The design of horizontal directional drill (HDD) installations often requires an evaluation of the potential for hydraulic fracture of the soil layers through which an HDD passes. Evaluating …
Apr 02, 2024
News
Historic Project Linking Rome and Vatican City Uses Advanced Technology and Local Knowledge to Keep Water Flowing
Relocation of Major Sewer Infrastructure Enables Construction of Pedestrian Link for 35 Million Visitors to the 2025 Jubilee
Water …
Contact
Groundforce
Beckwith Knowle, Otley Road
HG3 1UD Harrogate, North Yorkshire
United Kingdom