Case Study: 6 Bar Live Leak Repair to 300mm Steel Pipe at Malaysia Water Treatment Plant

Case Study Data

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Site
Water treatment plant
Location
Malaysia
Repair Type
Live leak pipe repair
Defect
4mm hole in 300mm steel pipe

Products Used

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Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape
Self-amalgamating repair tape which seals high pressure live leaks by fusing together to form a solid rubber band

SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage
Water-activated composite wrap which sets rock hard, reinforcing and protecting the initial repair

SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Case
Easy-to-store Case containing enough products to make multiple live leak repairs on pipes of various diameters

Case Study PDF

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Case Study Details

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The pipe had been leaking for around two weeks through a 4mm hole. It could not be shutdown because of its importance to operations at the treatment plant, leaving a steady 6 bar jet of water escaping and saturating the floor.

Such a leak would normally be sealed by the water company using a pipe repair clamp. The hole though was located on a section of pipe with a saddle joint welded on, sitting approximately 15mm above the original line. A clamp would therefore be ineffective.

After a visit and presentation from Sylmasta a week earlier, the water company operating the treatment plant had taken a supply of SYL-PRO-866 SylWrap Pipe Repair Contractor Cases for sealing multiple leaks on pipework between 300mm and 600mm diameter.

One of the water company’s maintenance teams who Sylmasta had worked with whilst in Malaysia were tasked with using a Contractor Case to make a live leak repair to the pipe at the water treatment plant.

The leak was sealed with Wrap & Seal Pipe Burst Tape. Wrap & Seal stretches by three times its length and fuses together as it is wrapped around a pipe, forming a solid rubber band which seals the leak.

Applying multiple Wrap & Seals on top of each other builds pressure resistance. In high pressure repairs, tapes continue to be added until no water is seeping through and the user is satisfied the leak has been fully arrested.

Three 50mm x 11m Wrap & Seals were used by the maintenance team until the repair could withstand the 6 bar pressure. A SYL866HD SylWrap HD Pipe Repair Bandage was then applied to reinforce and protect the Wrap & Seal.

SylWrap HD has a fast-working, water activated resin. It was wrapped directly over the repair area, where it set rock hard within minutes to form an impact resistant outer shell.

Completing the repair took one hour. Having seen how quickly and easily it is to make a live leak repair when maintenance teams are equipped with a Contractor Case, the water company is already planning to expand their use – including onto the public supply network.

All the products in the Case have WRAS approval, meaning they are certified to British standards as safe to use with drinking water.