New York - October 04, 2011
Since meeting the stringent DVGW* regulation W270 and the KTW** in late 2010, RS Technik and The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) are pleased to announce the successful rehabilitation of the first potable water main in the world using the new RS BlueLine® system. RS BlueLine is a Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) system using epoxy technology custom formulated from Dow. The epoxy system from Dow meets Europe’s most rigorous standards for materials that come in contact with drinking water.
The completed rehabilitation project involved a severely deteriorated 24-inch water main at the Mainova industrial facility in Frankfurt, Germany. Given the poor condition of the existing pipe, repair criteria required the RS BlueLine system to be designed to handle fully deteriorated pipe conditions, delivering a structural repair capable of withstanding all external loads and full internal pressure.
This rehabilitation was part of a larger project at the “Friedberger Landstrasse” where a new street railway was under construction. Diringer & Scheidel Rohrsanierung GmbH & Co.KG, one of Germany’s most experienced trenchless rehabilitation contractors, conducted the installation. Since the 24-inch water main ran beneath an existing traffic hub, it was not feasible to dig up and replace the existing water main.
“It just made good environmental and economic sense to use RS BlueLine to rehab the old water main,” stated Andreas Weidt, Project Engineer for Diringer & Scheidel. “The liner installed will handle all external loads and internal pressure demands of the water main, as well as provide the structural requirements for the added load capacity once the new railway system is completed,” he added.
RS Technik’s proprietary, computer-controlled mobile wet-out unit and installation system, combined with the tailor-made epoxy solutions from Dow, allow the reinforced RS BlueLine to be installed faster and more effectively than traditional methods. This trenchless solution is performed without the major excavation and disruption of existing infrastructure, meeting the objective of Dow and RS Technik to minimize the environmental, social and economic impact of repairing and maintaining the world’s water infrastructure.
“The Dow Chemical Company is committed to developing chemistry-based infrastructure solutions that minimize social, environmental and economic impact,” said Jon Penrice, general manager for Dow Thermoset Systems, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. “RS BlueLine is a great example of how Dow and RS Technik are continuing to advance epoxy CIPP technology through unique resin formulations, proprietary processes and custom equipment to meet the world’s need for more reliable and efficient water infrastructure.”
“For over forty years the industry has focused on rehabilitating sewer lines,” stated Klaus Mueller, President of RS Technik AG. “Now, aging and deteriorated drinking water infrastructure is in dire need of repair. RS BlueLine has been developed to supply a comprehensive structural repair solution for water mains and other pressure pipe systems. Over the past year, RS BlueLine has successfully rehabilitated over 30,000 feet of pipe,” Mueller added.
Dow Formulated Systems, a business of The Dow Chemical Company, and Switzerland-based RS Technik are working together to develop and deliver sustainable pipe rehabilitation technologies which minimize social, economic, and environmental impact.
About The Dow Chemical Company
Dow (NYSE:DOW) combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2010, Dow had annual sales of $53.7 billion and employed approximately 50,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 188 sites in 35 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.
About RS Technik
For the last fifteen years RS Technik has restored more than 30 million feet of damaged sewer, water and industrial pipelines with its trenchless rehabilitation solutions. Considered a leader in cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) technology, RS Technik offices and installation contractors are located worldwide to serve the fastest-growing and most generally accepted trenchless method in the underground pipe rehabilitation industry today. More information can be found at www.rstechnik.com.
For Editorial Information:
Elise Heffelfinger
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 989-638-6834