Burdens supplies Duktus pipes to three Southern Water projects

Burdens says that the BLS joint is arguably the most technically advanced of its kind, and is becoming the product of choice for several reasons:

• It eliminates the need for concrete thrust blocks or expensive couplings
• It is fast and uncomplicated to install
• It is robust and cost-effective
• it requires no bolts or external clamps

The programme is part of Southern Water’s £1.7B AMP5 improvement programme. The BLS pipe was ordered by 4Delivery, a consortium comprising Veolia Water, Costain and MWH.

Owing to the restricted access at Mossy Bottom, Burdens took all the pipes and fittings into stock and delivered them in smaller quantities on smaller trucks. As a result everything was delivered on time. At Newmarket the site was by the side of the A27, so pipes could be delivered at night to avoid causing traffic jams.

Steve Bond of civil engineering contractor Dragtone says: “The BLS system is well liked by our pipe layers due to its ease and speed of laying, and the security of the joint system particularly at high test pressures.” Altogether, the three contracts involved the installation of more than 360m of DN1000 pipes plus fittings. At both Mossy Bottom and Newmarket, the work involved the installation of 1m-diameter contact mains using both K9 and K10 Duktus BLS systems. The looped contact main increases the treatment time before the potable water leaves the site and enters the supply. The scheme at Southover was similar, involving a twin loop of 1m-diameter contact main to extend the existing 800mm contact main.

With ground conditions here difficult, ground beam foundations were piled and the contact main was built above ground and tested to 18bar pressure before commissioning and installation beneath a bund. Duktus is based in Wetzlar, Germany. The company’s range of DI pipe and fittings – all of which can be supplied by Burdens – is extensive.