The Haughton Pipeline Duplication Project is the duplication of a fully functioning 36.5 km pipeline running from the Haughton Pump Station to the Ross River Dam. When completed, the duplication will provide a bulk raw water supply link to the Burdekin Haughton Water Supply Scheme and be capable of pumping raw water into the dam to top up water levels during periods of drought or very low rainfall.
Delivering vital infrastructure
The Queensland Government is backing the project and announced in December 2018 that it would fast-track more than $200 million in funding to the development, with $160 million allotted for 2018–19 and a further $55 million in 2019–20. NQ Excavations was enlisted as principal contractor for the final 8.8 km of the overall project, delivering works including pipe laying, construction of in-ground concrete structures and above ground pipe towers.
The pipe used in the project was 1,850 mm in diameter and made from reinforced fibreglass, while the pipe lengths were 13 m long and weighed approximately 5 t each. In order to access vacuum lifters that could install pipe of that size into the trench and have the ability to push the pipes together, NQ Excavations contacted Vacuworx. Before the pipelaying could even begin, a special pad was manufactured in the US and airfreighted to Australia for the project. To enable the pipe to be pushed together, Vacuworx recommended using the RC 16 lifter, which has a larger rotator capable of handling the higher than normal axial loads caused by pushing the two joints together.
Quick and safe execution
The pipes were then sealed together by a large rubber ring and were required to be pushed approximately 125 mm in order to give a perfect seal. Vacuworx’s RC 16 lifter and RPP74 pad were capable of holding the pipe and exerting the necessary force to push the pipe together, also allowing the process to be executed quickly and safely without the need for people near the jointing area.
In addition to providing the equipment, Vacuworx staff travelled to the site in north Queensland to train the operators and assist in the commissioning of the lifter. The job was so successful NQ Excavations used Vacuworx’s lease-to-purchase program and became the owners of the RC 16 and RPP74 package after the initial two-month rental period.
This article was featured in the July edition of The Australian Pipeliner. To view the magazine on your PC, Mac, tablet, or mobile device, click here.
For more information visit the Vacuworx website.
If you have a project you would like featured in The Australian Pipeliner contact Managing Editor David Convery at dconvery@gs-press.com.au
