September 9, 2010

URECON PRE-INSULATED PIPE

Urecon insulated the watermain pipe and also installed a heat trace cable to prevent freezing.

FOCUS | Sewer & Watermain

Veteran’s Memorial Bridge in Belleville, Ontario carries people, water

PETER KENTER

corespondent

The $15-million Veteran’s Memorial Bridge crossing the Moira River in Belleville, Ont. is designed to be a showcase project, highlighting the contributions of Canadians in military service.

Scheduled to open in a ceremony on Sept. 8, the bridge features a stainless steel monument and eight lamp posts, each designed with an integral poppy.

Unknown to most, the bridge has also been designed to carry water to the north end of the city and to an industrial park in the city’s northeast corner. The water will be carried by a specially designed main suspended underneath the bridge.

“The bridge is of composite construction and features a concrete deck and steel beams,” says Stan Czyczyro, project manager with the City of Belleville. “Hanging below the deck are specially designed ‘C’ channels that hold the watermain.”

The watermain itself is a special-order item made of stainless steel and imported from the U.S. “That’s the first phase of the watermain project,” says Czyczyro. “It’s about 600 metres long and is now hanging from the bridge, unconnected at either end.”

The section of main was first shipped to the offices of Quebec-based Urecon Pre-Insulated Pipe, a company specializing in insulated pipe applications.

The pipe isn’t welded, but uses vitaulic couplings that employ a grooved pipe, a seal and bands, which compress a water-tight joint.

“Urecon applied the insulation to the pipe and shipped it here for installation,” says Czyczyro. “In order to protect the pipes from freezing conditions in the event that temperature drops, Urecon also installed a heat trace cable, which gently warms the pipe through the winter.”

The heat tracing cable is pulled into trace conduits that are factory-applied to the pipes prior to insulating. Each conduit is pre-tested to ensure that no foam has entered into them during the insulating process.

“The system also has a thermostat hooked to an alarm system,” says Czyczyro. “In the event that the temperature drops and the heat doesn’t come on, the system sends a signal to a dedicated modem to warn operators that there’s a risk of the water in the main freezing up.”

Phase I of the watermain project was completed with the pressure testing of the length of watermain hanging in mid-air.

“The second phase of the project will be to attach the main to the feeder watermain in two or three weeks — just after the opening ceremonies for the bridge,” says Czyczyro.

“It’s been a lot of work on a tight deadline, but everything looks like it will fall into place.”

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