Project
Located in Gerringong on the South Coast of NSW, the project required a bypass connection to the existing 500mm PN16 water main for continuous water supply during replacement of the existing water main. A simple enough job however when you add in the site location on a section of the pipeline that crosses underneath a railway line and hot tapping into a Polyethylene line, things got a little tricky.
Plasson Large Bore Saddle
The project site in Gerringong (NSW) was on a section where the pipeline crossed underneath a railway line, which made the installation conditions extra challenging due to restricted access to the saddle installation site.
Solution
The solution was decided by KenKar and the local pipe installer to undertake the hot tap into the existing 500mm PN16 polyethylene using a Plasson large bore saddle and tapping tools. With the requirement for a safe and leak-free hot tap, KenKar was chosen to install the Plasson large bore 630-500mm x 250mm tapping saddle with minimal digging and light weight lifting equipment.
The existing main was underneath the water table, so continuous pumping was necessary to be able to conduct the weld and perform the hot tapping. The Plasson Large Bore Saddle was installed with minimal digging and lightweight equipment.
“This wasn’t an easy task considering the difficult site conditions. Plasson was able to present a reliable solution that gave us the confidence to perform a live tap that works. On top of it, we highly valued the ease of installation of products as well as the time-saving and cost-effective element that comes with it.”
KenKar Project Engineer Damien Heffernan
The saddle was successfully installed and a live full bore DN250 connection drilled into the pipe and an isolation valve installed. The project was successfully completed on time and to specification.
Weld Integrity Test- A test port is incorporated into the saddle to enable a pressure test before cutting into the pipe
Correct Clamp Indicator Stamp- Clamping Tool leaves a mark on the saddle to show if the correct sized clamps have been used at the correct tension
Correct Tightening Torque Indicator- Indicated with visual gauge built into strap mechanism
- Larger sizes tightened with a torque wrench