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10 Jan 2007  -  Germany

CC-GRP potable water line for middle Germany

A 1.5 km long steel pipeline from the early seventies needed to be replaced in Unterröblingen, Germany, to ensure the potable water supply for the brown coal plant Romonta LTD as well as for all connected municipalities. The client opted for HOBAS® CC-GRP WaterLine® for its easy handling and for economical reasons.

Since the line runs through an old industrial area with ecologically damaged terrain, it was the client’s high concern to choose the right pipe material which would withstand highly aggressive soil and which would not allow any diffusion whatsoever. Absolute leak tightness from in and outside the pipeline are essential for clean and hygienic potable water. The water supplier MIDEWA in Middle Germany who distributes potable water over a total network length of 4900 km sees it as their responsibility to provide their mainly private customers as well as middle-scale enterprises with a sufficient quantity of high quality drinking water. HOBAS® CC-GRP Pipe Systems and their characteristics lend themselves to the project regarding the difficult terrain and the aggressive soils, as well as the enormous cost pressure supply water utilities suffer from in Germany.

The construction works for the 1.5 km long HOBAS® CC-GRP WaterLine® started end of November 2005 and the first of the three construction phases was already completed in Mai 2006. HOBAS® CC-GRP WaterLine® Pipes produced by HOBAS Pipe Germany were delivered in a standard length of 6 m with sealing caps on both ends to keep the inside clean preventing additional disinfection efforts. It should also be mentioned that HOBAS Pipe Germany produces the WaterLine® in an eye-catching blue colour to distinguish these pressure pipes certified for potable water from other product lines, such as the SewerLine® and BridgeLine®.

Being the contractor as well as the constructor, it is an advantage to MIDEWA that the construction can be executed with two pipe layers, a machinist and a laborer only and as little gear as a wheel loader, an excavator and a plate vibrator. A noteworthy advantage of HOBAS® CC-GRP Pipes concerning the installation is their light weight which facilitates the handling on site considerably. They can be easily moved in the narrow pipe trenches and are quickly joined by hand thanks to their push-to-fit Sealtight® Couplings which are pre-mounted on one pipe end.

A flexibility in materials choice for the client is ensured through the compatibility of HOBAS® CC-GRP Pipe Systems with e.g. cast iron pipes and fittings which were also utilized in this project.

HOBAS® CC-GRP Pipe Systems, which have been tested and approved by the water authorities of various countries such as Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, USA and Italy have thus found their way into the Middle German potable water network as first GRP Pipe ever.

Source : Hobas