On 20 September, the International Society for Trenchless Technology (ISTT) presented the 2005 award under the category of a new machine, tool, system or technique to ShieldLiner Limited of Perth, Australia, for its new ShieldLiner™ rig and equipment at the 23rd International No Dig Convention, held in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
The ShieldLiner rig and equipment completed its first commercial trial on 15 September 2005 for the City of Stirling in Perth, Western Australia, with the relining of 70 metres of damaged, root-infected stormwater pipe. The task involved relining damaged pipes from the inside, using the ShieldLiner System to create a new fiberglass inner skin, which bonded and became part of the host pipes.
ShieldLiner Managing Director John Hassen said this first public trial was a key milestone in the path to commercialisation, and to addressing a worldwide problem for local authorities faced with the dislocation and cost of digging up and replacing underground pipes by providing a viable method of repairing them in situ.
City of Stirling's Director of Infrastructure Management Geoff Eves said that city officials had been keen to participate in the trial because it had the potential to provide a cost-effective way of extending the life of Stirling's stormwater drainage system. "The cost and time involved in digging up and replacing root-damaged drains, coupled with the inconvenience to residents, are the reasons the City became involved in the trial. Replacing the 70 metres of pipes would have involved digging up roads, verges, driveways and footpaths to a depth of three metres over a two-week period, at a cost of about US$ 45,000," he said. Mr. Eves said ShieldLiner claimed the in situ repair could extend the life of the drain by up to 50 years.
The ShieldLiner system involves inserting a precision tool that travels along the pipe being rehabilitated and delivers the new inner lining. The process is monitored and filmed as it goes, and minutely evaluated in an on-site mobile control room. It was developed as a cost effective alternative to digging up and replacing ageing pipeline infrastructure - one of the most pressing issues confronting public and private infrastructure owners world-wide.
