In an emergency, everything depends on this pipe: 5400m of extinguishing water per hour flows through the central extinguishing water supply pipe at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in Europe.
Rehabilitation was essential to ensure the long-term operational safety of the pipe – an ideal application for the Alphaliner PN from RELINE.
The DN 550 pressure pipeline has a difficult history. Rehabilitated 20 years ago using the inversion method with a fabric tube, it now faces some issues.
Repeated flooding of the road surface above the pipe and a measurable loss of pressure indicated significant damage. These suspicions were confirmed, and the connection to the old pipe system had proven to be inadequate in the long term. The fabric tube was backwashed due to the leaks and ultimately collapsed.
The situation required a quick and reliable solution. Experts from RELINE were called in, and their discussions with the local partner Autospurgo Roma quickly made it clear: the Alphaliner PN was economically and technically superior to other rehabilitation methods. In addition to the durability of the glass reinforced plastic (GRP) liner, the minimally invasive construction method and its advantages in terms of costs, construction time, and interventions in the infrastructure proved particularly convincing.
The pipe transports extinguishing water at an operating pressure of 12 bar from the pump station to the draw-off points.
Access was severely restricted due to the route through the basement and the masonry of the pump building. Ultimately, a short access was created inside the building, while the main work was carried out via an excavation pit outside.
It proved possible to do this with a compact depth of 5m and a length of 4m.
As the next step, a section of the pipe with a 15mm thick steel wall was cut out in the pit and lifted out. After the preparatory work, the installation team pulled the custom-made Alphaliner PN with pressure level PN 16 into the existing pipe using a cable winch and inflated it with compressed air.
The curing process was meticulously executed under precise UV light control. Every aspect of the operation, including temperature, pressure and speed, was carefully monitored. Advanced sensors and control systems ensured each parameter remained within optimal ranges throughout the curing process, guaranteeing the integrity and effectiveness of the rehabilitation.
Permanent tightness and high resilience
The liner end collars were connected to the existing steel pipe.
“The service life of the rehabilitated extinguishing water supply pipe has been designed for at least 50 years,” RELINE Area Sales Manager Switzerland and Italy Vincenzo Cutruzzolà said. “This means that the new solution significantly exceeds the service life of the previous fabric hose rehabilitation.
“The specially developed GRP glass composite of the Alphaliner PN ensures high resistance to dynamic pressure loads. The smooth inner surface also improves the hydraulic performance of the pipe.”
After a successful pressure test, Fiumicino Airport’s extinguishing water supply could be put back into operation after just four days – a decisive contribution to the long-term operational safety of the entire airport site.
Do you have news for the international trenchless industry? Contact journalist Gerald Lynch at gerald.lynch@primecreative.com.au
