HTP Services were awarded the contract by Roadbridge to complete all pre- commissioning works for the High Pressure Steel Sections of the project. This consisted of 30km of 16” & 50km of 12” split into 9 test sections due to ground. Elevations, 7 Above Ground Installations and various HDD’s under road & river crossings.

Operations performed involved Initial Swab Pig & Gauge Pig Runs, Flooding X-Country Sections Including transferring to utilise the water source, Hydrostatic Testing, Desiccant Drying, Final Pig Runs & Geometric Surveys. This was all complete in accordance with IGEM/TD/1 & SGN/WI/PT/1.

HTP Services were awarded the contract by Fabricon for the pre-commissioning works for this High Pressure Steel Diversion. Initially the Pipework for the HDD was to be pre-tested above ground to a higher pressure as it is considered that the consequences of a post installation failure were cause to much disruption as the pipeline section would be routed beneath the M20 Motorway.

Upon a successful pre-test,  the pipework was installed and the rest of the construction of the diversion was completed. The diversion then underwent initial swab and gauge pig runs and a hydrostatic test at 150% Maximum Available Operating Pressure. Following this the pipeline was required to be dried to ensure all water from the hydrostatic testing operations has been removed. This was all complete in accordance with IGEM/TD/1 & SGN/WI/PT/1.

HTP Services were contracted by Amec Foster Wheeler to complete the pre-commissioning works involved in the newly constructed Buncefield Oil Storage Depot. This consisted of multiple interconnecting pipes between tanks, pumps and other ancillary equipment.

Included in this project was lots of bolted joints which HTP Services were given the task to prepare the joints and torque up the bolts correctly prior to flooding and hydrostatic testing. HTP Services’ in house calibrated torque equipment and experience allowed these works to be carried out safely and to the highest standards.  

This project’s works was complete in accordance with PD8010 : Part 1

HTP Services were awarded the pre-commissioning works by WB Civil & Mechanical, one of many pipeline diversions completed by Exolum on there oil pipelines network.

Access to some of these diversions is difficult and equipment cannot always be positioned as close to the pipework as preferred. HTP Services stocks a vast variety of hydraulic hoses to assist in these situations, on this project allowing us to position our testing equipment 200 metres away and still performing the pre-commissioning works in a safe and timely manner.
All works completed on this project were in accordance with PD8010 : Part 1.

HTP Services works closely with Pipeline Testing Consultants providing their specialist personnel and equipment. PTC were awarded the pre-commissioning works of National Grids Feeder 9 Replacement Project. This was the World’s longest hydraulically inserted pipeline under the River Humber.

HTP Services provided one of our custom built 20 Bar – 3000 Litres/Minute flooding pumps to achieve a 4000m3 fill in under 50 hours. The pipeline was then hydrostatically tested for 24 hours, dewatered and desiccant dried all in line with the client’s programme.

Following the newly installed pipeline being commissioned the old redundant pipeline required it’s safety ensuring by replacing the internal atmosphere with nitrogen. HTP services performed a full nitrogen purge to < 0.5% Oxygen, making the pipeline inert.

All these works were completed in accordance with IGEM/TD/1

Winners of innovation award

In 2022, The Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA) was challenged to future-proof water supplies in the east of England. This will mean installing hundreds of kilometres of new, interconnecting large-diameter pipelines to allow Anglian Water to move water from areas of surplus to areas of deficit.

Considered one of the largest infrastructure projects in the UK, we are delighted to have assisted PTC Ltd who have been awarded the “Innovation Award” (Anglian Supplier Awards 2022) for the vital role we all played in the successful design and delivery of a new low water commissioning process successfully applied to the newly constructed Norwich to Wymondham water main. Demonstrating a huge water saving over traditional methods of 86% approximately 13M Litres on just one scheme.

The Problem

When SPA pipes are delivered to sites they meet ‘food hygiene standards’ and are spotlessly clean, but they need to be just as clean when laid to carry drinking water safely.

Traditionally the new mains would be cleaned, flushed, pressure tested and disinfected using fresh clean water from the network. This would require Anglian Water supplying vast quantities of clean potable water to the project whilst maintaining customer supplies. Recognising the volumes required to commission the new pipelines and the issues associated with this supply an alternative process was required, one which vastly reduced the volumes required to achieve their goal whilst maintaining the required standard of cleanliness.

The Solution

The challenge was massive and the path to innovation took time and effort through a series of practical trials, but PTC Ltd designed a new air swab washing and disinfection process for the delivery of water mains using a new low water commissioning process replacing much of the water used and wasted with Clean food grade compressed air, In accordance with ISO 8573-1.2.1

The process was then proven on a 12km stretch of pipeline from Norwich to Wymondham (N2W). Results were as follows:

- 1st-time pass of a single pressure test across 12km of pipeline: no leaks.

- Calculated Conventional water use during commissioning (per AWS water footprint models) = 14.6Ml

- Actual water use using low water methods = 1.98Ml

- Percentage water usage savings achieved for overall project = 86%

- Potential for further savings (Pipeline Commissioning Complete /Pump Station unavailable) = 1.8Ml

- Potential opportunity for water savings next time = 97-99%

This new N2W Scheme went into supply early July 2022.

PTC & HTP Services as a Commissioning team we now continue to design, co-ordinate, supervise & deliver an industry-leading approach to lowering the water footprint in the process of commissioning transfer pipelines in keeping with strict Water Industry Standards.

Forecasts predict SPA Water Saving for Commissioning duties to be circa 90% (1.35bn litres) but will only be achieved if we continue to lay the pipelines hygienically, adhere to high standards of assembly whilst keeping to programme.