Project Brief
Asset resilience case study: How we helped reinstate water integrity at the Midlands’ largest water company
Asset resilience: how SPI Coatings and Adler and Allan used polyurea spray coatings to reinstate water integrity at the Clay Mills filter works
Our Solution
Background
Clay Mills in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire is the largest filter works in the Midlands. It serves a trade load and domestic population in the region of 400,000.
During refurbishments to the facility, it became apparent that movement and dummy joints within the water treatment beds were damaged, failing and leaking.
Clay Mills put the major project out to tender, which involved a live site trial. Working alongside Adler and Allan, the UK’s leading environmental and technical services company, SPI Performance Coatings developed and installed a technical solution that was based on experience it had gained from working on an irrigation canal in Italy in 2006.
Alder and Allan and SPI Performance Coatings were the only team able to meet the criteria to deliver this particular project.
The requirement
Engineering consultant, MWH, who were working on behalf of the major water company, needed an effective solution that would:
- Replace all the failed joints within the filter beds.
- Ensure containment of the water treatment within the existing concrete works.
Challenges
Due to the water treatment beds covering an extensive area, that spanned the equivalent of five football pitches, the solution needed to work without spray lining the entire area or replacing the concrete structure.
The solution
Incorporating its innovative, patented technologies and experience of completing remedial concrete works, SPI Performance Coatings developed and designed a solution with Alder and Allan that would replace the damaged areas and reinstate watertight integrity to the structure.
Taking into account the need for movement and the limitations of aged concrete, SPI Performance Coatings’ solution included its ELP 1.5 pure polyurea along with Adalline 400, its proprietary polyurea spray coating.
SPI Performance Coatings used Adalline 400 along with EPL 1.5 for a number of reasons, including its unique flexibility (EPL 1.5 has a elongation value of 450% along with a high tensile strength), the fact it is both water and chemical resistant and is capable of adding structural integrity to a wide range of materials. What’s more, it is quick to apply and dry, environmentally friendly and contains no volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The work, which was implemented by Adler and Allan, involved removing the damaged soft joints before using a high pressure water system to expel all previous sealant, contamination and surface laitance. The area was then thoroughly dried, the joints were filled with backing rod, and a 5mm recess was cut parallel to, and either side of the joint at a distance of 100mm from center either side. SPI Performance Coatings’ quick setting primer Staingard Rapide (polyaspartic) was then applied into the joint and in between the two 5mm chase lines. A fine grit was immediately broadcast into the still wet primer to enhance bonding adhesion between primer and polyurea applications.
EPL 1.5 (Extended Pot Life) was then poured directly into the joints with the use of SPI Performance Coatings’ LPG machine, this enabled fast metered filling of the joints without wastage. Adalline 400 polyurea was spray coated directly over the joint. Unlike epoxy or resin liners, Adalline 400 has in excess of 300% elasticity and flexes with the joint movements between the concrete.
Added value
In addition to reinstating immediate watertight integrity, SPI Performance Coatings also provided a unique 50-year guarantee for its work. Due to the technological capabilities of its solution, no other company is able to offer a guarantee of this duration for such a solution. What’s more, its innovative solution cost significantly less than lining the entire area or completely removing and replacing the concrete structure, without compromising its efficacy.
The results
The project was successful delivered by SPI Performance Coatings and Adler and Allan on time and within budget. In the space of just four months, more than 2,000m of movement joint and dummy crack repairs were completed with Adalline 400 polyurea overbanding.
Clay Mills were also able to replace bays of stone as work progressed without any breaks in the project schedule, which enabled a fast return to service.
For more information or to find out how we could help you with your next project, call 0800 0921 232 or email info@spiperformancecoatings.com.
