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Vendor to fill a cased pipeline crossing with an inert material
- Thread starter Wesl
- Start date
I've thought about this for a while and have heard of melted wax and paraffin being used for this, but I've wondered why either of those would be better than plain old asphalt? If that would work there are any number of companies that do hot asphalt for roads and it would probably be inexpensive.
David
David
External Seal:
Internal Seal:
Internal Seal:
Asphalt would not be so inert, depending on what coating you have on the pipe the chemicals in asphalt it could break it down, not to mention toxic chemicals in asphalt. Typically wax is used, a conditioner (corrosion inhibitor) is also added first if there is water in the casing.
When I started in this business the only coating that was available was Coal-Tar Epoxy, I'm not sure what the exact composition was, but it felt, smelled, and looked like tar. Some of this stuff has been in the ground for 50 years without external piping failure. I'm just proposing a REALLY thick version.
As to water, I have never opened a roadbore casing that was not at least half full of water. Boots leak over time. Condensation accumulates. The pipe stands in water. Filling the casing with a plastic material to eliminate the space for water to accumulate has always seemed like a really good idea to me.
Wax (both non-petroleum and paraffin) has been used, but I'm pretty sure that wax is not the only material suitable. Maybe asphalt or tar have some problems that I'm not aware of (I do know that fusion bonded epoxy is inert to asphalt and tar), but I will bet that there is a less expensive way to do this than melting scented designer candles.
David
As to water, I have never opened a roadbore casing that was not at least half full of water. Boots leak over time. Condensation accumulates. The pipe stands in water. Filling the casing with a plastic material to eliminate the space for water to accumulate has always seemed like a really good idea to me.
Wax (both non-petroleum and paraffin) has been used, but I'm pretty sure that wax is not the only material suitable. Maybe asphalt or tar have some problems that I'm not aware of (I do know that fusion bonded epoxy is inert to asphalt and tar), but I will bet that there is a less expensive way to do this than melting scented designer candles.
David
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