Sprayroq Blog

Water for Jobs in a special campaign outreach effort to send a clear message that investment in America's water infrastructure creates jobs and should be a priority. This platform allows for those interested in supporting this message to utilize social media to help raise awareness. http://www.waterforjobs.org/take-action-now

The campaign's website reports that "Adequate investment in water infrastructure ensures safe and reliable water and wastewater systems to attract and retain industry, business, and qualified workers, which are essential to economic vitality and growth. As the gap between needs and investment grows, the impacts on jobs, lost business sales and GDP worsens...Spending on water infrastructure drives research and innovation leading to new technologies that can be used in the United States and around the world. America has fallen significantly behind many of the developed nations of the world on infrastructure –we now rank 25th."

It is believed that $1 billion in water infrastructure investment can support 28,500 jobs and creates $82.4 million in local and state tax revenue. There is lots of interesting information on the site and ideas for helping spread the word that will not only economically assist the infrastructure industry but also the communities we serve on numerous levels.

More information about the campaign, how to take action and get involved can be found at http://www.waterforjobs.org

Welcome back to our second in a series of posts about polymers and the characteristics of the various formulas and types that are utilized for protective coatings/linings, corrosion barriers and for structural renewal. We hope these will be helpful in developing a better understanding of the subtle yet very important differences in these products and their applications in infrastructure protection, rehabillitation and asset life extension.

Polymers Part II: Polyurethanes

Polyurethanes begin with an oxygen/hydrogen chemistry, their polyol resins either natural or petroleum-based. Their corrosion resistance rivals that of a polyurea or epoxy. They’re not as versatile in terms of coloration, and their operating temperature resistance is a bit lower than polyureas. The open time is eight to twelve seconds, making polyurethane a very quick-curing product that must be spray applied.

Polyurethanes are a less expensive material to produce than polyureas. They are universal in their approach to corrosion protection, with a high build capability and a quick re-coat time. Polyurethane has the ability—if blended properly under the right formulation—to create a structural rehabilitation, not just a corrosion barrier film. This makes polyurethane applications best suited for rigid or semi-rigid structural rehabilitation or strengthening of a substrate.

Though this rigidity causes the sacrifice of some amount of elasticity, polyurethanes still exhibit high tensile performance, up to 200 percent. They also withstand freeze/thaw cycles from -40°F to 80°F without failing. As with any resin-based product, polyurethane must be kept warm and a mixing pump recirculating it to keep it viscous enough to ensure a proper mixture during application.

As costs of energy are constantly on the rise, water and wastewater systems and facilities operators are always looking for ways to save energy (= money). The Focus on Energy Water and Wastewater Program can help system operators explore and learn about best practices and methods for reducing energy use without compromising quality. Historically, energy improvements are extremely attractive and agencies typically experience shorter paybacks on these project than other industries due to longer hours of operation. Wisconsin has adopted many energy savings programs and has shared highlights of their programs and practices here:

http://www.airbestpractices.com/industries/wastewater/focus-energy-water-and-wastewater-program

The post offers highlights from a manager's guide for energy management and features steps to begin, identifying opportunities, quantifying savings and costs. A full copy of the 2006 guidebook is also available. Although the guide is old, the majority of the principles and suggestions offered are still viable and being used by many facilities today.

www.focusonenergy.com 

http://watercenter.montana.edu/training/savingwater/mod2/downloads/pdf/SAIC_Energy_Best_Practice_Guidebook.pdf

Over the next few months, we'll be presenting a series of posts about polymers and the characteristics of the various formulas and types that are utilized for protective coatings/linings, corrosion barriers and for structural renewal. We hope these will be helpful in developing a better understanding of the subtle yet very important differences in these products and their applications in infrastructure protection, rehabillitation and asset life extension.

Polymers Part I: Polyureas

Generally, a polyurea is an amine—or ammonia—based polymer, whose resin is built primarily on a nitrogen/hydrogen chemistry, making it very corrosion resistant, especially in a high hydrogen sulfide environment. Polyureas are a very versatile product group, used in a multitude of corrosion protection applications, and are the quickest curing of all polymer films on the market today.

Polyureas can withstand higher temperature applications than a standard polyurethane, which is generally functional up to about 140°F. Some polyureas are are formulated to retain their protective characteristics in environments exceeding 200°F, without melting off or cracking. This characteristic is more important in industrial settings than in wastewater management.

Polyurea must be spray applied because it begins to cure so quickly—within about three seconds—that a human can’t roll or trowel it onto a surface before it begins to cure. The open time on some polyureas can be slowed down through the use of additives to about one minute before it begins to cure. Applications can be made from a filmlike skim coat thickness to as thick as required for varying environments, uses and substrates. Polyureas exhibit no structural qualities of their own.

As with any polymeric application, surface preparation is the key to success. In general, polyureas must be applied in a very clean, very dry environment conducive to creating good adhesion between the polymer and substrate.

Polyurea has high elastomeric characteristics, beneficial in applications with potential structural movement. Also known as tensile or stretch capability, this allows some flexibility in movement without compromising the coating should the structure “give” a bit under a weight load. A good example would be geotech fabric application on a roadbed where there is a lot of vibration yet there is a need for strong moisture barrier requirements. Whereas certain polyurethanes will break at just four percent elongation, some polyureas can withstand 600+ percent elasticity before exhibiting tensile break or failure.

We all know that maintaining wastewater collection infrastructure – pump stations, force mains, and sewers – is an essential component of managing a treatment system and a critical step in preventing illegal wastewater releases or SSOs. Having an effective preventive maintenance program in place has proven itself as a method for significantly reducing frequency and volume of untreated sewage discharges while helping communities save money on emergency responses and plan for their future needs.

While cities, utility owners and operators are busy putting these plans in action, having some good tools at their disposal can be quite helpful in achieving program goals. The New England branch of the EPA has put together an easy to use, user-friendly series of articles at http://www.epa.gov/region1/sso/toolbox.html

• Communicate with and educate citizens and local officials
• Address financial and regulatory needs
• Develop and conduct preventive maintenance programs
• Better manage infrastructure assets
• Use information systems, including GIS
• Improve system capacity and address system overflows

Although certain approachs presented in the tool box may not directly apply to everyone's situation, the hope of the content providers is that it might provide new ideas, useful contacts or guidelines for developing a program to make collection systems operate more efficiently and effectively.

The RCAP (Rural Communities Assistance Partnership has just posted a great article to help small communities understand the history of trenchless, the pros and cons, the methods and what to do to make an educated decision about adopting it into an overall maintenance scheme.

The author makes a strong case for taking a proactive stance on dealing with aging infrastructure now and discusses in easy to understand terms how rehabilitation is being viewed and how the whole concept of trenchless technology has taken on a life of its own in the water/wastewater infrastructure maintenance market. Some nice links to additional resources are also included.

http://www.rcap.org/node/904

Good question. And that's leads to the discussion about the use of cementitious products for structural rehabilitation and if it is the best choice for giving aging infrastructure a new lease on life. The price point on concrete based repair is attractive but may not be the best solution for a true long-term structural repair.

Everybody knows that concrete is one of the world's strongest materials in compression.  However, compression is just a linear measure, a one-dimensional measurement, just like tensile strength. Compression is squeezing something together whereas tension is pulling something apart. Concrete is very good in compression but it isn't so good in tension.

When developing a design for structural rehabilitation, both measurements need to be incorporated or factored in.  This is why flexural modulus is incorporated in most designs.  Structures are under combinations of stress and flexural modulus more accurately reflects these forces.

Consider this: people talk about concrete underlayment and the strength it would add to a structure being repaired. Sounds good, but in theory it doesn't add anything if you're measuring in a true dimensional analysis like flexural modulus.  Which leads us back to the title of this post, "Why DO they put rebar in concrete?" The answer is simple; they put rebar in because of the strength of the concrete needed to handle the tensile properties working against it. Example, applying concrete for rehabilitation in a manhole or a wall for structural integrity is really a "rebuilding". You need to have some kind of wiring or support mechanism to compensate for the tensile forces that the concrete will be under when subjected to flexural stresses.

Concrete (without rebar) is a short term fix but probably isn't a good long-term true structural rehabilitation choice. Because of the elements it is exposed to, it will break down quickly over a 5 to 10 year period (without a corrosion barrier), only to present the same issues for the system again.  

When dealing with an infrastructure repair requiring a true structural rehabilitation method, there are several criteria that asset owners should be on the lookout for.

Let's first consider the word "structural" and the rehabilitation arena. There are two categories of structural rehabilitation: 1. partially deteriorated, is defined as the host structure being able to carry all live and dead loads with the only force to be designed for being hydrostatic pressure (water table) 2. full deteriorated which is categorized by the structure being unable to carry live, dead and hydrostatic loads. Over 95% of structural rehabilitation design assumptions are partially deteriorated.

Structural capabilities will be determined by not only the product’s inherent properties but also by the design parameters and application as noted above. Structural products must be able to withstand various forces: hydrostatic load, corrosive elements and the environmental to which they will be exposed during their normal life cycle.

Standards like ASTM D2990, or DMA (Dynamic Mechanical Analysis), among others, can be extremely helpful during the due diligence phase in determining what methods or materials are most appropriate and truly meet the definition of long term structural strength for each project's unique requirements. DMA explores the effect of Creep on many structural rehabilitation materials.

Note: Other common terms related to structural rehabilitation and product properties include: flexural modulus (both long and short term), compressive strength and tensile strength. It is advisable to be aware of and understand the distinct difference between these product capability measurements as they will determine a product's long term suitability.

An interesting study by McGraw Hill regarding the increased use of asset management practices for dealing with water/wastewater infrastructure is available online.

The study was initiated by CH2M Hill to learn how utilities are utilizing asset management practices and was conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction in conjunction with leading industry associations (AWWA, WEF, APWA, NAWC and NACWA). The report provides a portrait of asset management adoption in the USA and Canada based on 14 specific asset management practices along with a wealth of other insightful information.

Adopting an asset management approach appears to offer utilities a method to make better decisions about budgets and infrastructure investment and running organization more efficiently & effectively.The report is quite comprehensive and offers not only facts and figures but case studies and methods/considerations for implementation.

To see the full report:

http://www.ch2m.com/corporate/markets/water/assets/Water-Infrastructure-Asset-Management-SMR-2013.pdf

This is a question that comes up a lot when dealing with aging infrastructure. When mapping out a plan of action for the revitalization, rehabilitation or replacement of underground infrastructure, making the right call at the beginning of the project can save precious budget dollars and headaches later on.

We all know our buried infrastructure around the world is in a state of disrepair at some level. It is just the nature of these structures and the role we ask them to perform. So, a good rule of thumb for determining if a structure is in need of a structural rehab is this: if the structure has allowed ground water or the hydrostatic pressure (that is in all direct-bury situations) has permitted water to enter the structure, the structure should be considered compromised and therefore classified as requiring a structural repair/rehabilitation.

Because of the various extraneous forces at work on the structure, most notably corrosion, especially in wastewater systems, any infiltration no matter how small should not be discounted. Incipient cracking, failed joints, missing substrate, hydrogen sulfide pitting must be included also. Maintaining a "zero tolerance" policy to any infiltration will help provide the best possible outcome when developing ”structural design" rehabilitation so that no matter what rehabilitation method is selected, the rehabilitation will bring the structure back to a fully functional if not better than new state.

Nominations for outstanding trenchless industry people, projects and new technologies have now opened – don’t miss the opportunity to nominate thought-leaders in our industry.

Nominations for the 2013 ASTT awards, to be hosted at No-Dig Down Under 2013, will close 31 July 2013.

The Awards recognise the best in Trenchless Technology in Australasia and provide a fantastic opportunity to promote your company and the great work that you do.

Categories include:

• Person of the Year
• Young Person of the Year
• Project of the Year – New installation
• Project of the Year – Rehabilitation
• New Technology – Machine, Tool, Material, System or Technique

There are lots of polymer products on the market today and each has its strengths and weaknesses and applications for which it is best suited. The most commonly found are those that fall into a class of semi-rigid or elastomeric.

Sprayroq, like its competitors offers two products in this category: SprayShield Green I, an elastomeric product with a 115% elongation and SprayShield Green II, which has a 43% elongation rate. These are both excellent protective coating products, well suited to new structures and those that do not require structural rehabilitation.

SprayWall, touting a less than 4% elongation is a rigid material, a solid solution, designed to offer a true structural repair/rehabilitation. SprayWall is spray-applied just like our other polyurethane products but has special qualities and properties that put it in a class by itself. This isn't your regular member of the spray-applied polymer family and when being considered by engineers as a solution, shouldn't be classified or lumped in with the rest of the pool. SprayWall meets a variety of ASTM Standards for structural products which can be verified by 3rd party independent testing. More information about this unique polymer and 3rd party Test results can be found at:

http://sprayroq.com/products/structural-spraywall

There's a lot of good information to be found through the use of standards for developing project criteria and what methods or products will best suit your needs.

If your project is calling for a structural solution, these qualities are well outlined in many ASTM standards such as 1216, which we rely on quite often for circular structures. It is well defined in the standard what the parameters need to be and what the asset owner should be looking for. With any product under consideration, the product should meet the proper standard and this must be verified by a 3rd party independent testing facility.

Never rely solely on company statements or datasheets, ask for proof of 3rd party testing and what those results are to verify that the claims made by any manufacturer are valid. This is especially important when several similar products from different sources are being considered.

When comparing solutions for aging infrastructure issues, it is wise to run the numbers and examine long term benefits and savings against short-term savings.

Case in point: For a manhole rehabilitation project in which the engineer's estimate was in the $100K range, bids were presented by a Sprayroq Certified Partner for the use of a spray-applied structural polymer and from a competitor offering a cementitious repair method. The Sprayroq bid came in at $100,000 in comparison to the $60,000 cementitious solution so the $40,000 savings was of course very attractive and appealing. Most cement producers will state that the typical lifespan for their product under average conditions is 10 years. Compared to a 50-year design life offered by the spray-applied polymer from Sprayroq, we decided to draw up an analysis comparing the two products and their return on investment.

When factoring in inflation, rebidding and increased labor costs every ten years, compared to a one-time installation over the 50 year design life, it demonstrated that the Sprayroq polymer solution delivered a 580% percent return on investment over the use of cement over the same 50 year design period even though it started out $40,000 less. The total cost of ownership during the 50 year time frame for the cement was approximately $650,000 vs. $100,000 for the spray-applied polymer.

There are significant economic facts that must be taken in account when considering any rehabilitation solution. Doing the math and computing the true cost of ownership may reveal that your best decision may not be "low bid" and that a little more at the start can save you lots in the long run for your rate payers.

Thanks for Sharon Bueno, editor at Trenchless Technology for tweeting about this great site. Check out this short, excellent presentation filled with powerful facts/figures about our aging water infrastructure.

http://waterisyourbusiness.org/

Water is Your Business is an awareness campaign by the National Association of Water Companies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that is seeking to engage businesses, water infrastructure stakeholders and community leaders on the value of sustainable water provision, the benefits of investing in water infrastructure for the whole community, and potential solutions in delivering sustainable water systems.

In addition to the wonderful presentation, the site also boasts some other interesting resource materials related to infrastructure maintenance, operations, rehabilitation and planning for sustainability.

NACWA (National Association of Clean Water Agencies) and WERF Water Environment Research Foundation, along with WEF (Water Environment Federation) collaborated and have released a pioneering document  that defines the evolving environmental, economic, and social roles that clean water utilities are now playing in their communities.

Download Document

This "Blueprint" is focused on sustainability, minimizing waste, effectively using resources, protecting consumers, the community and environment. As wastewater agencies face their ever-evolving challenges, the "blueprint" is meant to assist in finding new opportunities to deal with those challenges.

More information about this collaboration can be found at: http://wef.org

They sound like they are but this is a common misconception in the world of rehabilitation and corrosion protection. For many years, people have tried to use the phrase coatings and linings interchangeably. It's just a force of habit that needs to be broken as there is a distinct difference between the two.

We like to use the analogy at our engineering brown bag lunch presentations that there are two sandboxes in which we play. One is the coating (corrosion) sandbox and the other is the lining (structural) sandbox.

We tend to equate a lining application to a structural application, that being when a structure is compromised with infiltration, deteriorated from H2S or collapsing from hydrostatic load. It is going to need additional structural materials to reinforce or rebuild it. In this instance, a lining of 250 mils or greater is typically recommended to bring the asset back into a structural condition.

A coatings application is essentially a corrosion barrier. In this instance, we specify an application between 100 to 150 mils of polymer product which will be resistant to the corrosive forces that you'll typically find in waste water systems and other industrial applications. The material isn't as thick but is designed to provide the protection that's required to sustain or to extend the useful life of a particular asset.

Coating OR lining, it all boils down to the host structure and its substrate condition.

WEFTEC - The Water Environmental Federation has recently published a great little video presentation about the importance of water and wastewater professionals. This is a feel good video and well worth the 3 minute watch.

So, next time you're having a bad day at work or want to explain to someone who poses the question, “what is it you do, exactly?”, play this video. It's a nice reminder of what we in this industry contribute everyday, why it matters and how it is more important than we often realize. Enjoy!

If you have been considering the development of a green infrastructure program but not sure what the best way to get started might be for your organization and community, the EPA has just provided some interesting information about 5 main types of incentive programs that may help you.

Each of these methods has its strengths and weaknesses but incentive programs in general are a good way to kick start the implementation and installation of "green" infrastructure on private property.

Examples of how each of these 5 methods methods (Development Incentives, Grants, Rebate and Installation Financing, Awards and Recognition and Stormwater Fee Discounts) have been utilized by different communities around the country is detailed in an excellent article as part of the Water Environment Federation's new Stormwater Report website. http://stormwater.wef.org/2013/01/five-types-of-green-infrastructure-incentive-programs/

Coming soon on this site will be a series of useful posts about our products, industry happenings, rehabilitation methods, technical information and other items to help you maintain and protect our vital infrastructure and systems.