E N V I R O N M E N T
VERSATILE
PIPE STOPPERS
COMBAT DROUGHT LOSSES
With many areas of Australia
facing severe drought –
some the worst in 400 years – and
even harsher conditions in ares of
New Zealand, great importance
is being placed on water pipeline
construction, maintenance and
elimination of leakages over local,
regional and far-reaching networks.
The Australian government has
acknowledged the scale of the
challenge with a $12.9 million Water
for the Future plan focussed on
more efficient water infrastructure
and refurbishment of older pipes
and systems.
Such initiatives are seeing the arrival
of new technologies to assist in
the process of preventing, locating
and repairing water losses by
public and private water authorities,
agribusiness irrigators, and
engineers and operators in waterdependent
industries, including
food, beverage and mining.
One such technology from Air
Springs Supply Pty Ltd is a new
range of OPL and OPLT pipe plugs
for easy portability and perfect
sealing of water pipelines, as well as
sewage, hydrocarbon and chemical
process pipelines that can leak into
the environment.
These proven products are used
where sections of pipeline need
to be effectively and safely sealed
for maintenance and leak testing.
Rather than installing valves to
shut down sections of pipelines,
the stoppers are introduced and
inflated to stop pipe flow during
maintenance or to seal newly
installed pipes for air-tightness
tests.
Available with or without bypass as
required, they are designed to make
the job swifter and safer for use in a
wide variety of pipes, including steel,
plastic and concrete, over diameters
ranging from 30mm up to 2000mm,
with just four plug sizes covering the
100-2000mm range.
Weighing from 200g to 145kg for
the biggest model with bypass –
the plugs are easily transported to
infrastructure, maintenance and
construction sites, says Pronal sales
and marketing manager, Mr James
Maslin.
OPTIONAL
ACCESSORIES
INCLUDE:
• Single or double bypass for
pipe testing and dewatering
• Handling wire
• Inflation line
• Remote inflation/deflation
device
• Air/water exchange system
48 February 2019