Innovations in sewer lateral and small diameter rehabilitation

Abstract

Lateral rehabilitation has gained traction in the industry over the last 25 years and is now recognised as a key part of any wastewater network for its role in infiltration and structural integrity. Historically, lateral rehabilitation was undertaken by small contractors using polyester resins and basic felts, either dragging in or in later years inverting. Curing was either, hit or miss with ambient, hot water and occasionally steam. As projects for laterals developed and ownership came increasingly under municipalities, the contract sizes grew for laterals rehabilitation and clients wanted the standards of rehabilitation to be in line with mainline pipe rehabilitation. Compact lateral rehabilitation systems have since been developed, allowing sophisticated CCTV and software monitoring, reporting functionality and increased capabilities to cure pipes from DN 50 - DN 300 and 90-degree bends using UV-Hg or UV-LED curing systems. These new processes will significantly increase the productivity for businesses and provide consistent and reliable results. This paper will discuss the developments in lateral rehabilitation, current innovations, and the need for accountability standards in the industry. It will also touch on the developments in the field of light-curing sewer rehabilitation resins and their technical and environmental properties.