project profile

INDUSTRY
FACILITIES

APPLICATION
BIPP & UV CIPP ROOF & SEWER DRAINS

CLIENT
UNIVERSITY of pennsylvania

background & situation

At the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, a seven-story building that had accommodated students for more than six decades needed a complete pipe system renovation. The original cast iron roof drains and sewer pipes were clogged with decades of debris, calcium deposits, and corrosion.

Progressive Pipeline Management (PPM) was brought in for their expertise in rehabilitating pipe systems without full pipeline replacement. The project had a tight deadline, with INTECH Construction managing various contractors to complete the renovations before the students returned. INTECH’s experience managing contractors on similar projects on campus would be heavily relied upon to overcome the challenges that the team invariably would face.

PPM was tasked with rehabilitating 26 cast iron sewer lines, roof drains, and rainwater stacks. They recommended inspections, cleanings, and applying Brush-In-Place Pipe (BIPP) coating. BIPP, a non-destructive method, uses a two-part epoxy to restore pipe integrity and extend service life by up to 50 years. Compared to traditional pipe replacement, BIPP was faster, less costly, and minimized disruption to the historic building’s infrastructure.

Scope

The building’s piping system included 18 vertical roof drains (3 to 5 inches in diameter) extending approximately 60 feet in length, and eight sewer mains located below the first-floor slab. PPM conducted pre-clean inspections using a robotic Pan and Tilt CCTV camera to assess the piping system.

The inspections revealed cracks and extensive blockages from debris, calcium deposits, and tuberculation—a bacterial-based corrosion that reduces flow by building up bacteria and slime on the pipe's interior walls.

To prepare the pipes for BIPP coating, a multi-stage cleaning process was used:

Smart Sweepers: Scraped pipe walls to dislodge loose debris.

Sandpaper Fins: Scraped down and cleared interior pipe walls.

3D Chains and Chain Knockers: More aggressive cleaning tools tackled heavier, more stubborn debris.

Cyclones: Custom fit for each pipe’s diameter, performed the most aggressive cleaning, often making multiple passes until the pipe walls were completely clear of debris.

Hydro Blast Jetting: High-pressure water blasting to purge remaining debris.

After the multi-stage process, a post-clean CCTV inspection was conducted before the BIPP coating was applied. The coating, mostly executed from the roof, involved three applications of a two-part epoxy to create a corrosion and abrasion-resistant protective barrier. The process was closely monitored by a robotic camera.

Challenges

The project faced several challenges including:

Extensive Blockages:
Camera inspections showed pipes with complete blockage (over 30 feet in some cases). Early in the project, a cleaning tool became lodged in the dense debris, prompting the project team to innovate. They experimented with various cleaning tools to clear the blockages and thoroughly clean the pipes. In some stacks, the buildup was so extensive that pipe cracks were only revealed after multiple cleanings. Four below-slab piping sections were found to have rock-hard debris filling the bottom 30% of the pipe. PPM recommended UV CIPP (Cured-In-Place Pipe) for these sections, successfully installing it in all four areas to create seamless, structurally sound lined pipes.

Unexpected Pipe Configurations:
Inspections uncovered unexpected pipe configurations, such as back-to-back 90-degree bends, cemented-over access points, and long stretches of pipe without access points running beneath apartments with hardwood flooring. The team had to devise and implement specialized cleaning and rehabilitation techniques to address these unique conditions.

The team discovered that a 4-foot section of sewer pipe was missing beneath the slab. Typically, this would require a dig-and-replace approach, but the void’s location under the building's main electrical unit made excavation impossible. PPM developed a solution by installing two 2-foot spot repairs to provide structural integrity for a seamless lining process.  A 6-foot UV CIPP liner was then applied to tie together these spot repairs, followed by the UV CIPP lining of the entire 40-foot section. PPM successfully  implemented this strategy, demonstrating their expertise in addressing a wide range of complex piping challenges.

Concurrent Renovations: 
Inspections, cleaning, BIPP coating, UV CIPP and pipe repair processes had to be coordinated with ongoing work by electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and other trades. The tight working conditions and very hot weather added to the project’s challenges.

OUTCOMES & RESULTS

Despite the myriad challenges, PPM successfully rehabilitated the building’s piping system, providing protection that extended the systems life by up to 50 years. This innovative approach was achieved at a fraction of the cost and time compared to full pipe replacement. PPM's commitment to teamwork, innovation, and creativity was key to overcoming unexpected pipe configurations and buildup issues. Through trial, testing, and utilizing all available tools, they successfully rehabilitated the 26 pipes. 

The combination of BIPP coating process and UV CIPP significantly improved the piping system’s structural integrity. Dovetailing with INTECH Construction in the coordination with other contractors, the renovations were completed on time.