Steve Vick International (SVI) recently assisted Hydrotech Water Services (UK) Ltd on a project in the New Forest, in southern England by adapting its Pipe Coil Trailer to take 175 m coils of 180 mm diameter PE pipe. Previously the trailer had carried a maximum 100 m of 180 mm diameter PE pipe.
Hydrotech was awarded the contract to replace circa 3,500 m of trunk main across Plaitford Common and Canada Common in the New Forest. Initially the company looked to use open cut and replace the main in its entirety but after further consultation with the New Forest authorities and a team of specialist ecologists, it was decided that sliplining would be the preferred method as it would cause less disruption to the area classified as a SSSI (Sight of Special Scientific Interest), SPA (Special Protection Area) and a RAMSAR site (a site of wetlands of international importance).
The old 200 mm diameter PVC trunk main required sliplining with 180 mm diameter PE pipe. Hydrotech was given areas of the common whereby excavation was not permitted and as a result required bespoke pipe coils up to 175 m long to mitigate the environmental risk. Working alongside Westwood Pipelines Limited (a PE pipe manufacturer) the company was able to obtain bespoke coils up to and including 175 m long of 180 mm diameter PE pipe.
Hydrotech then needed to find a way to transport the bespoke coils, it was at this point that Steve Vick International was contacted. Seb, Project Manager at Hydrotech, liaised with the SVI Design and Development team and asked if the SVI 180 mm diameter Pipe Coil Trailer could be modified to take 175 m long coils. Having designed and built these trailers back in the 70’s, the SVI team was well equipped to know the capabilities of the trailers and was able to very quickly come up with an engineering solution. The trailer was modified by widening and strengthening the carousel to accommodate the larger coil, this carousel is fitted to all SVI trailers to aid dispensing of pipe onsite.
Hydrotech also used the SVI 180 Pipe Handler and several long pushes were achieved, the longest being 270 m.
Seb Summerell-Youde, Project Manager at Hydrotech Water Services (UK) LTD commented: “During the early stages of the planning process I realised that if we could use bespoke coils of 180 mm diameter PE pipe rather than sticks, it would be far more efficient for this project and allow us to mitigate the areas of environmental No-Dig. The issue I had is that I could not find a trailer that would accommodate the size of coils I needed. It was at this point that I contacted Steve Vick International to see if they could help. The company has been absolutely brilliant from start to finish and both the modified 180 trailer and the pipe handlers have been key to the success of this project.”
SVI was also asked by Anglian Water to demonstrate its Hexi Pipe Coil Trailer. Following a successful demonstration, Gary Jackson, Senior Delivery Agent IMR Water, commented: “After using the Steve Vick Hexi Trailer, the team expressed to me, that moving forward, wherever we are installing up to 125 mm diameter pipe by directional drilling or insertion, they would be far happier to use the Hexi Trailer than anything else. It became quickly apparent to the team that the Hexi trailer has been designed and engineered with the optimum safety of the operator in mind. The simple things such as hydraulically raising and lowering the retaining bars and the safe access to remove the bands means that this trailer is much safer than the alternatives, and a step forward in improving how we dispense pipe on trenchless installations.”
The Hexi trailer was first identified by one of Anglian Water’s engineers, Lee Forster, with a view to improving the quality of the company’s plant and equipment but also, more importantly the health and safety of its operatives and the communities where works take place.
The Hexi trailer was initially demonstrated by Tom Vick and Shelley Butler, on a live site, to a highly experienced team within Anglian Water. The team particularly liked the trailer for its health and safety attributes. They were impressed that the brakes had to be locked on before any other element can be altered and that by jacking up the pipe inside the trailer, to a point whereby it is dispensed slightly downhill directly from the carousel, instead of being dragged over a set of rollers, makes dispensing effortless and eliminates the need for uncontrolled operative intervention.
Another significant benefit of the Hexi Trailer is that it offers a safe way to transport and store coiled PE, which helps to reduce pipe wastage. By using 500 m long coils for example, useful lengths can be left on the trailer for the next job. This has been proven to reduce pipe wastage by up to 20%.
The Hexi Trailer, part of a range of trailers at SVI, can handle coils of PE from 40 mm up to 125 mm diameter. As an example, it can accommodate a 500 m long coil of up to 90 mm diameter or a 100 m long coil of up to 125 mm diameter PE pipe.
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