Proven effective in Plymouth

The two-component coating system proved itself effective in Plymouth, where pipes with an inside diameter exceeding 90 centimeters were renovated for the first time with the innovative coating. "Previously, in these cases, thermoplastic pipes were inserted into the old ones," explains Andreas aus der Wieschen, head of the laboratory responsible for the project at Bayer MaterialScience. "With this method, a significant amount of capacity is lost because the inserted thermoplastic pipe reduces the inside diameter of the original. On the other hand, the demand for water in densely populated areas is constantly increasing," he adds.
Another critical aspect of the pipe-in-pipe method is that the residential hook-ups subsequently have to be redrilled and sealed. Similarly, epoxy resin systems require time-consuming follow-up work because after the epoxy coating is applied, air has to be forced through the pipes for some time to dry it. Once everything has finally cured, the pipes must be thoroughly rinsed, disinfected and inspected. All in all, this solution takes two to three days to complete. "That's a major disadvantage for residents affected by the repair work," aus der Wieschen explains. Without water, life comes to a standstill.

Fully automated application

Copon Hycote polyurea offers significant advantages: it cures completely on its own at just ten degrees Celsius in a few minutes, after which time it already displays its final characteristics. If the respective pipeline system doesn't have too many turns, clean water can flow through it on the very same day. "In other words, the renovation teams don't have to take forced holiday in winter, and that's a big advantage in view of the immense task still facing authorities in Great Britain," Homann points out.
The interior coating is applied to a thickness of 1.5 millimeters by a robot equipped with a rotary atomizer, another quantum leap in technology. The coating raw materials from Bayer MaterialScience produce coating systems that hold up for decades. Apart from very good corrosion protection properties, their bubble-free application makes for an extremely smooth coating surface, so algae build-up and other deposits don't have a chance.