Overview of pipe splitting techniques

Abstract

Pipe slitting, or pipe splitting, is a nonintrusive, safe and economical method to replace plastic gas services and mains without exposing them using open cut techniques. The design of today’s purpose-made pipe slitting tools enables them to navigate bends and turns without jamming midway through a pull and can be used with both legacy and contemporary gas line materials including PVC, HDPE, MDPE and Aldyl-A. The minimal preparation requirements and ease of operation make completion of runs of up to 400 feet (122 m) in length possible in as little as 15 minutes. Pipe slitting can also be used in many cases when horizontal direction drilling cannot as it follows the path of an existing gas line, greatly reducing risk to nearby utilities. This presentation demonstrates pipe splitting’s benefits in a case study of a large gas line installation and maintenance company that uses the pipe slitting method in addition to horizontal direction drilling (HDD) to increase its productivity for a large gas line renovation initiative.

Techniques