The Alphaliner system from Relineeurope has been available on the rehabilitation market now for some time.
As compared with some other systems Alphaliner offers higher storage stability and can generally be stored at temperatures between 5°C and 30°C for up to half a year. It is also claimed to offer more cost-effective transport options, as no just-in-time transports to the job site are required and deliveries to different job sites can be carried out together.
It also offers flexible site handling, as the liner does not break if it is not processed immediately. This gives advantages in water management (by-pass), traffic control and robot use. There is also no styrene-contaminated curing media (water or steam), there is only a comparatively low styrene odour due to leaking compressed air that is used to inflate the liner.
It is also claimed that the Alphaliner offers higher material characteristics, which
bring with it lower wall thicknesses and lower curing times and therefore lower manufacturing costs as well as hydraulic and processing advantages. The resin-rich layer on the inside of the liner gives the liner better resistance to mechanical and chemical attacks as well as better hydraulic behaviour due to the extremely smooth inner surface. The system also offers smaller site footprint than other systems and les potential for pollution.
Pure UV-light curing, in combination with the RELINE UV-Equipment, of liner thickness up to 20.5 mm is also available and during installation the liner is monitored permanently and protocolled without gaps.
Before curing, a camera is passed through the liner once in position to establish if there are any existing irregularities that can be detected and eliminated before curing. With the UV equipment used continuous video or recording of photographs is possible.
During curing, continuous documentation is carried out using the camera, control units (bulb power) temperature sensors, curing speed monitoring as well as inside pressure over the entire liner length.
Set-up and curing pressures used in the installation process are usually in the lower midfield range of commonly used values. As a result, this improves safety and offers further advantages on site including quicker packer (end cans) installation, less air volume requirement and therefore compressor performance is optimised.
LINER PRODUCTION
Alphaliner is manufactured as a seamless product which means there are no predetermined weak points in the composite material. The fibreglass mats are put through a pre-impregnation process and thickening of the resin before the liner is manufactured. This improves the control of homogeneous impregnation of the composite material.
The company also utilises a completely automated documentation system for the raw materials and manufacturing processes in a sophisticated database. This makes the production of the individual liner absolutely reproducibility and improved development (R&D) activities.
Steps in the production process are carried out in wall thicknesses of 0.7 mm. This allows relatively fine coordination to meet static requirements. Lower wall thicknesses and lower curing times and therefore lower installation costs as well as hydraulic and processing advantages.
ON SITE
Six or nine consecutive UV-bulbs are used during installation. This causes the liner
to be irradiated homogeneously over a large area and over a longer period thereby improving the complete curing of the liner. Additionally, considering the irradiation of a large area with the light-chains, the curing speed is very quick compared to a light-core or even a double core set-up.
An electronic control unit (with individual electronical ballasts for each UV-bulb) automatically checks each UV-bulb power. The UV-bulb power is kept constant at a pre-set value using the control unit. Age-related decreases of the UV-bulbs performance is therefore always compensated for during curing.
The UV-bulb power can be controlled in 100 W increments (with the REE4000 system this can be done individually and without defined increment limitations). This allows faster curing speeds of the light-chains, so lower personnel costs and lower temperatures inside the liner which avoids gluing of the inner film to the composite), especially when curing in smaller diameters. There is also automated ignition of
the individual UV-bulbs of the light-chains which avoids errors caused by improper ignition. The light chains are divided into three parts. This reduces the length and weight of the chain to be installed and allows better handling in manholes or narrow shafts. It is possible to cure short length liners with a reduced light-chain of two parts only.
Also available is a variety of light sources (small, medium, and large) for optimised curing of all pipe profiles and sizes with the required thickness. This means that the ideal configuration of light sources with high effectiveness in curing time and job site costs can be achieved.
Relineeurope supports new installation partners and difficult projects at all times as well as offering regular visits or emergency attendance on the job site by its experienced application engineers. As a result, there is a constant exchange of experience between the installation partner and the manufacturer and therefore a continuous improvement of all production steps from production in the factory to the final product on the job site is guaranteed.
Overall Relineeurope offers a comprehensive quality management (TQM– Total Quality Management) system for its quality characteristics from raw material to cured final product to complement the installation partner’s internal quality management system and demands for continuous further development of material and application quality.
www.relineeurope.com
