Canadian pipeline project for Aussie spacer firm

One Australian company’s involvement in a Canadian pipeline project has provided insights and perspectives for the water industry.

The Trans Mountain Pipeline system, also known as the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMPL), is a set of pipelines that carry crude and refined oil products from Edmonton to Vancouver on the west coast of Canada. It is operated by Trans Mountain Corporation, which the Canada Development Investment Corporation owns. The TMPL delivers about 300,000 barrels of petroleum products every day through over 1,200 kilometres of pipeline in Alberta, British Columbia, and Washington state.

However, the TMPL needs to expand to increase Canada’s crude oil production capacity while ensuring access to global energy markets. The pipeline expansion seeks to increase capacity to about 900,000 barrels per day. It involves installing nearly 1,000 kilometres of new pipelines to essentially twin the network and building new pump stations and terminals. Trans Mountain Corporation will also build a new dock complex in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver.

But how does an Australian enterprise fit into this? Despite most of the project being an open-trench project, one section of the new pipes featured a horizontal directional drilling (HDD) component. Two HDD pull-back casing sections were needed to protect the run’s entry and exit points. This is where kwik-ZIP comes into play.

Who is kwik-ZIP?

kwik-ZIP, an Australian-owned company, specialises in manufacturing and supplying a state-of-the-art centraliser and spacer system for a wide range of industry sectors, including production well drilling, trenchless pipeline installation, HDD and the general civil and construction markets. The company’s innovative spacers and centralisers have been developed to effectively address support, grading and centralisation challenges in the trenchless and pipeline, vertical production drilling, and ground engineering industries.

Crafted from high-grade thermoplastic, kwik-ZIP products are widely embraced and endorsed by pipeline and civil contractors, water and gas utilities, drilling companies and international engineering firms. Embracing kwik-ZIP products not only ensures compliance with various regulations mandating the use of casing centralisers or pipe spacers. This includes wastewater and sewerage codes, as well as construction standards. kwik-ZIP spacers and centralisers also provide clients with a cost-effective and streamlined solution to their spacer and centraliser needs.

The range of HDXT, HDX and HD spacers have been appraised by the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) against their Product Specification WSA PA 324 Casing Spacers. They have also been added to the Accepted Infrastructure Products and Materials (IPAM) list for the South-East Queensland (SEQ) Water Supply and Sewerage Design and Construction Code. And to the list of approved products by Melbourne Retail Water Agencies (MRWA).

kwik-ZIP has long been proud of its ability to provide customised solutions to customers as required, focusing on ensuring a successful outcome for the project. They have been utilised in a wide range of products across the globe.

kwik-ZIP’s wide range of spacers accommodates a wide range of carrier/casing pipe size combinations and provides flexibility to accommodate project alterations. The kwik-ZIP spacers have no metal parts and are made from kwik-ZIP’s engineered thermoplastic blend, which is flexible, extremely tough, and has a low coefficient of friction.

How does kwik-ZIP fit in?

kwik-ZIP were approached to assist with a particular requirement on a small components of the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project where the contractor was unable to find a suitable solution. The requirement was to centralise the ends of an HDD pullback casing at both the entry and exit points on two specific runs. Due to a 15-degree slope at each entry and exit point, the contractor was concerned about the potential damage to the casing and engaged kwik-ZIP to provide a specific solution to the scenario they were dealing with.

The solution was to use multiple spacer assembly rings using the HDXT-58W spacer model. This method was used on each end section of the 30-inch pipe, and due to the large load, kwik-ZIP load inserts were installed in each alternate runner.

HDXT load inserts are designed for the kwik-ZIP HDXT casing spacers to provide additional load capacity for heavy applications or where high-point loadings on one runner are experienced.

Although kwik-ZIP products have comprehensive instructions added to every box supplied, due to the contractors’ specific challenges, a project-specific set was compiled and sent to ensure trouble-free installation and utilisation.

The twinning project was finished by May 2024, following the completion of the “golden weld” on 11 April 2024. While benefits have started to flow to the Canadian economy and several of its Indigenous communities, kwik-ZIP has undoubtedly played a small yet crucial part in the project.

With its established stockists in Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, kwik-ZIP operates from its Head Office in Bayswater and warehouse facilities in Sydney, Texas and the UK.

For more information, visit www.kwikzip.com