TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS OF ROTO-ROOTER PLUMBERS FOR UNPLUGGING PIPELINES AT THE FIU-HCET TEST SITE Plugging Prevention and Unplugging of Waste Transfer Pipelines

TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS OF ROTO-ROOTER PLUMBERS FOR UNPLUGGING PIPELINES AT THE FIU-HCET TEST SITE Plugging Prevention and Unplugging of Waste Transfer Pipelines Principal Investigato

TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS OF

ROTO-ROOTER PLUMBERS FOR UNPLUGGING PIPELINES AT THE

FIU-HCET TEST SITE

Plugging Prevention and Unplugging of Waste Transfer

Pipelines

Principal Investigator:

M A Ebadian, Ph.D.

Collaborators:

Y Sukegawa

M Allen

R Silva P.V Skudarnov, Ph.D.

C.X Lin, Ph.D.

Florida International University Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology

U.S Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Office of Science and Technology

This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, nor any of its contractors, subcontractors, nor their employees makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe upon privately owned rights Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or any agency thereof

TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS OF ROTO-ROOTER PLUMBERS FOR UNPLUGGING PIPELINES AT THE FIU-HCET TEST SITE

Principal Investigator

M A Ebadian, Ph.D.

Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology

Florida International University Miami, FL 33174

Florida International University

Collaborators

Y Sukegawa, M Allen, R Silva, P V Skudarnov, Ph.D.,

and C X Lin, Ph.D

Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology

Florida International University Miami, FL 33174

May 2001

Prepared for

U.S Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Office of Science and Technology

Under Grant No.: DE-FG26-00NT40806

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The results presented in this report were obtained from work supported by the U.S Department

of Energy (DOE), Environmental Management (EM), Office of Science and Technology (OST) under Grant No DE-FG21-95EW55094 The Principal Investigator and the associate researchers

at the Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology would like to thank Peter W Gibbons, manager of Retrieval Technology Integration, DOE Tanks Focus Area (TFA), for his guidance and suggestions The authors are also grateful for the useful discussions with Dr Fadel F Erian and Mr Michael Rinker at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) We would especially like to thank the DOE-OST for their support and encouragement throughout this research

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iv

1.0 INTRODUCTION 6

2.0 TASK DESCRIPTION 6

3.0 TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION DETAILS 9 APPENDIX A

APPENDIX B

iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

U.S Department of Energy (DOE) sites, such as Hanford and the Savannah River Site (SRS), need safe and efficient technologies for tank farm operations that include waste retrieval and transport of slurry waste through pipelines As the waste tank cleanup gathers momentum, there

is an increased potential for the waste transfer lines to become plugged Plugged pipelines represent a considerable hazard and loss of time and money In order to meet the DOE site need for waste transfer pipeline unplugging technologies, Florida International University’s Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology (FIU-HCET) was contracted to identify and evaluate technologies for pipeline blockage locating, reaching, and dislodging using technology demonstrations on full-scale test beds

During FY00, Roto-Rooter Plumbers, Inc (Roto-Rooter) was selected by FIU-HCET from the technology database collected by FIU-HCET, and Roto-Rooter was awarded a contract for a technology demonstration in collaboration with DOE-TFA and FIU-HCET Roto-Rooter demonstrated their high-pressure water jet (Harben Jet) technology and Ridgid Snake technology Following demonstration results were reported:

Harben Jet

 Harben Jet achieved 100% efficiency in unplugging bentonite-sand (30wt%/30wt%) blockage, and 11% in unplugging epoxy-sand (40wt%/60wt%) blockage

 2-in pipeline was accessed on Test Bed #1 instead of 1-in pipeline

 The technology requires short mobilization and demobilization time

 It is commercially available

 Water is not contained or recycled with high water usage

Ridgid Snake

 Ridgid Snake achieved 22% efficiency in unplugging bentonite-sand (30wt%/30wt%) blockage, and 8% in unplugging epoxy-sand (40wt%/60wt%) blockage

 2-in pipeline was accessed on Test Bed #1 since Ridgid Snake nozzle was not able to negotiate 1-in access pipe

 The technology requires very short mobilization and demobilization time

 It is commercially available

 Reach is limited to 150 ft

 It has limited effectiveness on both test beds

This document presents results for pipeline unplugging technology demonstrations at FIU-HCET The Test Assessment Site and the technology tested are described herein The results are presented in tabular format and contain pertinent technology demonstration statistics and information such as technology utility requirements and maturity of technology Demonstration

statistics provide information about technology performance, such as mobilization and demobilization times, reaching time, tool recovery time, total unplugging time, effectiveness of the technology, plug composition and location, and number of elbows traversed

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HCET-1998-M004-006-29 Technology Demonstrations of Roto-Rooter Plumbers for

Unplugging Pipelines at the FIU-HCET Test Site

1.0 INTRODUCTION

FIU-HCET has constructed three test beds to demonstrate and evaluate the capabilities for blockage reaching, unplugging, and detecting technologies in pipelines The three test beds were based on the Functions and Requirements provided by DOE sites They are representative of the actual pipelines at DOE sites, including SRS, Hanford, and Oak Ridge All demonstrations are conducted under standardized, non-radioactive conditions

2.0 TASK DESCRIPTION

This section describes the test beds, the general placement of the plugs in the pipeline, the types

of plugs, the technology used, and the key results from the demonstration

2.1.1 Water Jet (Harben Jet) Technology Description

Roto-Rooter demonstrated two technologies at FIU-HCET’s test site for unplugging pipelines One of the technologies demonstrated was a high-pressure water jet technology manufactured by Harben, Inc The technology is trailer mounted and consists of a water tank and approximately

500 ft of high-pressure water hose (see Figure 1) A jet head or nozzle is attached to the end of the hose and acts as both the propulsion system and the cleaning method There are many choices

of nozzles available for the operator Based on experience, the operator chooses which head is most appropriate for the job An operator may go though many different nozzles in order to find the best “compromise” for moving through and cleaning the pipeline The nozzles are made in different sizes and have different water jet orientations The nozzles have holes located in the rear and/or on the tip (facing forward) of the nozzle The rear-facing jets provide forward thrust and propel the hose though the pipeline The jets located at the tip of the nozzle are used to clean

or blast away the obstruction in the pipeline

Figure 1 Harben Jet being inserted into Test Bed #2.

HCET-1998-M004-006-29 Technology Demonstrations of Roto-Rooter Plumbers for

Unplugging Pipelines at the FIU-HCET Test Site

The Harben Jet equipment can produce up to 4,000 psi of water pressure while using up to 16 gpm The system was also equipped with Harben's jet pulsation system, which vibrates the water hose and nozzle to assist the system in making its way around obstacles such as elbows

2.1.2 Ridgid Snake Technology Description

The Ridgid Snake technology consists of an approximately 150-ft-long semi-flexible steel rod with a cutting blade tip that is inserted inside the pipeline for cleaning blockages The snake is housed inside a rotating drum, which is used to feed and retract the snake from the pipeline (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 Rigid Snake technology being inserted into Test Bed #2.

Two blockages were tested on Test Bed #1 Both blockages tested on Test Bed #1 were 5-ft-long, epoxy-sand (40wt%/60wt%) mixtures that produce a hard, adherent coating on the inside surface

of the pipe These plugs are only partial blockages and are hollow through their centers The blockages represent a hard buildup of material on the sidewall of the pipeline Another type of blockage was tested on test bed #2 It was 5-ft-long bentonite-sand-water mixture (30wt%/30wt

%/40wt%) that produced a hard and bulky blockage A total of two, 5-ft-long, blockages were tested on test bed #2 The blockage location is shown for the Harben Jet demonstration in Figure

3 and for the Ridgid Snake demonstration in Figure 4

The percentage (by weight) of plug/scale removed is determined by weighing the plugs/pipe sections before and after the demonstrations A removal effectiveness of 100% would indicate the technology was completely successful in removing the plug Partial removal and/or dislodging of the plug will also be recorded as partially successful

7

HCET-1998-M004-006-29 Technology Demonstrations of Roto-Rooter Plumbers for

Unplugging Pipelines at the FIU-HCET Test Site

Figure 3 Diagram of blockage location for Harben Jet demonstration on Test Bed # 2

Figure 4 Diagram of blockage location for ridgid Snake demonstration on Test Bed # 2.

scale

100 ft

20 ft

5 ft

Blockage

Access port

* Not to scale

Access

poppport

300 ft

10 ft

168 ft

5 ft

Blockage

Not to

scale

* Not to scale

port

HCET-1998-M004-006-29 Technology Demonstrations of Roto-Rooter Plumbers for

Unplugging Pipelines at the FIU-HCET Test Site

3.0 TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION DETAILS

Table 1 shows the demonstration information and statistics for the Harben Jet technology performed by Roto-Rooter Harben Jet was capable of reaching approximately 500 ft into the pipeline The water pressure during the demonstration was 3900 psi with a water usage rate of 20 pgm The site mobilization time was 45 min., and the site demobilization time was 10 min The tool was successfully removed at the end of the demonstration

Table 1.

Demonstration Information and Statistics for Harben Jet Technology Test Bed Number Test Bed 1 Test Bed 2

Access Port Diameter 2 in 3 in.

Blockage Composition Epoxy/sand

(40wt%/60wt%)

Bentonite/ sand/ water (30wt%/30wt%/40wt%) Blockage Distance (ft from entry point) 15 483

Number of Elbows Traversed 0 2

Reaching – Reaching Time (min.) N/A 46

Unplugging – Time to Unplug Only (min.) N/A 2

Unplugging/Reaching – Recovery Time

(min to remove tool) N/A 13

Reaching – Distance Reached (ft) 15 483

Total Time for Unplugging (hrs.) 0.45 1.15

Unplugging – Effectiveness

(% by mass of total blockage removed) 11 ~ 100

The technology requires the operator to assist and guide the hose into the pipeline The hose is mostly self-propelled and requires continuous operator effort to aid the technology around obstacles and through the blockage Water is also expelled toward the open end of the pipe and toward the operator The results of the technology demonstration for Harben Jet are summarized

in Table 2

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HCET-1998-M004-006-29 Technology Demonstrations of Roto-Rooter Plumbers for

Unplugging Pipelines at the FIU-HCET Test Site

Table 2.

Technology Summary for Harben Jet

Benefits  Short mobilization and demobilization time

 Commercially available

 Relatively low cost Limitations  Although technology is self-propelled, it’s still very labor

intensive

 Water is not contained or recycled

 Water overflows toward the operator

 High water usage

 Limited effectiveness on Test Bed #1 Data Sensitivities On Test Bed #2, the second elbow was partially blocked by paint accumulation and

impeded the progress of the nozzle The hose had to be manually guided around the elbow However, the system is expected to go around elbows without such aid because it successfully managed to go around the previous elbow

The technology was able to gain access through the 1-in access port on Test Bed#1 but it was deemed ineffective, so the 2-in access port was used

Table 3 shows the demonstration information and statistics for Ridgid Snake Technology performed by Roto-Rooter Ridgid Snake was capable of reaching approximately 150 ft into the pipeline The estimated site mobilization time was 5 min., and the estimated site demobilization time was 5 min The tool was successfully removed at the end of the demonstration

Table 3.

Demonstration Information and Statistics for Ridgid Snake Test Bed Number Test Bed 1 Test Bed 2

Access Port Diameter 2 in 3 in.

Blockage Composition Epoxy/sand

(40wt%/60wt%)

Bentonite/ sand /water (30wt%/30wt%/40wt%) Blockage Distance (ft from entry point) 40 124

Number of Elbows Traversed 0 1

Reaching – Distance Reached (ft) 40 124

Reaching – Reaching Time (min.) 6 16

Unplugging – Time to Unplug Only (min.) 24 5

Unplugging/Reaching – Recovery Time

(min to remove tool) 3 9

Total Time for Unplugging (hrs.) 0.55 0.53

Unplugging – Effectiveness

(% by mass of total blockage removed) 8 22

HCET-1998-M004-006-29 Technology Demonstrations of Roto-Rooter Plumbers for Unplugging Pipelines at the FIU-HCET Test Site

Technology requires an operator to assist and guide the snake into the pipeline The snake is mostly self-propelled and requires moderate to little operator effort to deploy The result of the technology demonstration for Ridgid Snake is summarized in Table 4

Table 4.

Technology Summary for Ridgid Snake

Benefits

 Very short mobilization and demobilization time

 Commercially available

 Low cost

 Self-propelled

Limitations

 Reach is limited to 150 ft.

 Limited effectiveness on both test beds.

 The hard composition of the plug in Test Bed#1 caused the snake to break

 Due to its geometric configuration, the blades cannot remove all of the blockage on the 3-in pipe.

Data Sensitivities Technology was unable to gain access through the 1-in access port on Test Bed#1, sothe 2-in access port was used

One of the reasons that resulted in low unplugging efficiency is that the pipeline of Test Bed #1 consists of a 1-in access line that expands into 2-in pipeline The snake was able to dislodge the blockage on the inner surface of the 2-in pipeline wall However, the snake was not small enough to negotiate the complex geometry of the 1-in access pipe When the snake with a smaller blade was used, it was able to go through the 1-in access pipe, but it was not big enough

to dislodge the blockage on the 2-in pipe wall Therefore, if the pipeline is to be unplugged with the use of a mechanical device, a snake that can be remotely operated with the capability to expand to the size of a larger pipeline would be effective

11