Drainage cleaning for pipelines

Drainage cleaning for pipelines in arterial roads as street- and railways

Tunnels all over the world are equipped with drainage systems in which the water accumulated in the tunnel is drained off. However, the drainage system may become clogged or incrusted because of the chalky water in mountains. 

This can quickly have negative consequences to the system, e.g. reduction of the pipe cross section, diminishing the capacity of the pipes to drain the water or clogging of slots and openings of the pipes, leakage of water into the tunnel.

Therefore, to ensure proper and safe tunnel operations, it is important to keep the tunnel drainages clean, what supposes a significant part of the maintenance costs.

To be able to clean the (tunnel) drainages, several possibilities exist on the market which are covered by FCC and can be operated internationally.

 

1. Suction truck on train waggon 

Mounted on a train waggon the suction truck can be used for the cleaning of tunnel drainage pipes which is also the standard-technology currently in use. Cleaning is possible for lengths up to 300 m, however, the tunnel operations are blocked during the cleaning interval. 

2. High-Pressure pipe cleaning system HIPPO

In 2016, the ÖBB, the Austrian Railway company, published a tender for the cleaning of tunnel drainage systems with less operational interruption time. FCC was awarded as winner of this tender and since November 2017 FCC cleans the drainage systems in railroad tunnels of the ÖBB with the High-Pressure pipe cleaning system HIPPO especially developed for our customers.

 

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 Our solutions

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HIPPO 600

The HIPPO 600 was developed especially for the Wienerwaldtunnel, a tunnel close to Vienna in Austria but is a flexible system usable in several drainage pipe systems.

HIPPO makes sure that water which has accumulated on the walls of tunnels among others and drained via pipes, is safely transported away. This is done by cleaning the drainage pipes via a high pressure water nozzle. With a camera build into the nozzle, a simultaneous inspection and documentation of the cleaning process is assured.

The system offers another advantage as the tunnel operations can be continued nearly without interruption: a closure of the tunnel is only necessary if the tunnel is longer than 600 m and only during setup and dismantling of the system. This offers of course a big cost reduction for our customers.

The HIPPO can be equipped with the seeing nozzle but also with a robot unit. Thus the technology can be operated flexibly also providing small repairs if necessary.

Due to the complex requirement profile and the high safety standards in tunnels, HIPPO was and is continuously adapted and improved. The System can be operated in nearly all drainage pipes due to its fast set up time and simple components. In case of occurring problems, the components can be exchanged easily.

HIPPO can clean round (tunnel-)drainage pipes with a length of up to 600 m. However, it can be requested also in other areas, where ever drainage pipes are installed which need continuous cleaning.

Advantages for you as our customer:

• Flexible system with operation in many areas (nearly all pipe systems)

• Only short interruptions of the tunnel operations from lengths more than 600m necessary – high cost reduction
• Cleaning and documentation are done in one step
• Highly water resource saving technology
• Technology successfully proven in many tests

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