Urecon - Bridge Crossings Pre-Insulated Pipe

Urecon U.I.P.® pre-insulated water and sewer pipes take a longer time to freeze and are ideally suited for bridge crossing applications. There are hundreds of bridge crossings in Canada and the USA where Urecon pre-insulated pipe has been installed to prevent freezing. In most cases, bridge crossings are a minor above ground portion of a conventional municipal system. They are often located in major urban centers in southern Canada and the northern United States.

Most bridge crossing pipes are relatively short (under 60 m (200 ft)), have a constant flow and do not require electric tracing. In some cases where there are periods of no flow, or extremely cold ambient temperatures, electric heat tracing may be required. Our THERMOCABLE® heat tracing system is available to compensate for heat losses through the insulation and prevent freezing.

Choice of Core Pipe

Urecon can pre-insulate any type of core pipe. The following core pipes have been successfully used in bridge crossing applications:

• Ductile Iron, with locking joints (push-on joints are not acceptable unless restrained).
• Polyethylene, butt fused joints, Hugger® couplings or flanged.
• PVC, self-restrained or solvent weld joints (push-on joints are not acceptable unless restrained).
• Carbon or stainless steel, welded joints, Victaulic® grooved with couplings or flanged. FRP, with glued or butt and strap joints.

Design

There are several design factors that must be taken into consideration when designing a pre-insulated pipe bridge crossing.

• Heat Loss: Urecon provides a complete computer assisted engineering service to determine heat loss, time to freeze, fluid outlet temperature, tracing wattage (if required), etc., based on the specific requirements of each project.

There are several advantages in using U.I.P.® pre-insulated pipe for bridge crossings over other field insulation methods, including:

• Economical installed cost: pipe arrives on site insulated and ready to install.
• Excellent insulating value: polyurethane has the lowest K value of all insulations used in the construction industry today.
• No heat wicking: supports are outside the insulation.
• High compressive strength: permits installation on roller supports.
• Polyurethane insulation is extruded without seams or joints onto the pipe.
• Various outer protective jackets are available depending on the application, including:
  • 1.27 mm (50 mil) thick polyethylene.
  • 1.90 mm (75 mil) thick polyethylene.
  • Spiwrap®, galvanized steel or aluminum lock seam outer jacket.
  • PE seamless casing
• Light weight.
• Factory quality control of both polyurethane insulation and outer jacket.