The Rise in Trenchless Technology | NASTT No Dig Show

Martin Guzman | August 27th, 2020

Advantages of Trenchless Technology
The DT340 Pipe Crawler
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Trenchless technology is a viable solution to help decrease the risk of underground installation damage, and provide less disruption to cities and more convenience to the public.

A No-Dig Solution

The integrity and performance of water and wastewater buried pipelines are growing issues worldwide, especially seen in many European countries, such as Germany.

Some municipal pipelines have been around for more than 100 years and, like every man-made infrastructure system, have begun to age and wear out. As pipelines fail to meet regulatory requirements and performance standards, cities and municipalities must take to rehabilitation methods.

There are a handful of industries in water and wastewater that are seeing technological advancements through product growth and innovation. As communities and regulators place increasing demand on maintaining and improving infrastructure in cost effective and socially acceptable ways, there is an increasing need for cities and municipalities to use trenchless technology to provide the best solutions.

Cities Adopting Trenchless Technology

Cities and municipalities are adopting trenchless technology as an efficient way to work beneath the ground for public utilities from sewage and stormwater pipes, gas and electrical conduits, to the installation of new underground infrastructure.

The noticeable growth in the use of trenchless technology increases as communities become more aware of the impact of infrastructure development and renewals on our social and ecological environments, and as the aging pipelines in our built up and congested urban areas require replacement.

The specification, design and construction of pipe systems in Europe are some of the oldest, and also some of the smallest in size and diameter. The age and size of these pipe systems pose additional issues to European infrastructure.

Trenchless technology holds many advantages for future operation

trenchless technology

Decreased Disturbance:

Because trenchless technology reduces the need for invasive excavations, it has much less of an impact on the surrounding environment. Residential neighbourhoods remain unscathed, commercial districts don’t have to deal with loss of business and rural regions remain undisturbed.

Safety:

Excavating is one of the riskiest aspects of construction and safety is a paramount concern for infrastructure industries. Rendering the majority of excavations unnecessary can therefore only be a good thing – decaying pipe systems and related accidents become a thing of the past and workers can instead rely on the manual safety assurances provided by trenchless technology.

Improved Accuracy:

Trenchless technology allows for precise implements to be passed beneath existing surfaces and services in order to carry out complex procedures to a very high standard of accuracy, with minimal disruption to the surrounding area.

Financially Friendly:

Once you've invested in trenchless technology to carry out your excavation projects, you'll find that costs are quickly recouped.

Talk to us about your pipe inspection projects

The DT340 Pipe Crawler

This fully submersible Pipe Crawler is truly a standalone system; with rechargeable lithium-ion batteries built in, the Deep Trekker 340 Pipe Crawler robot packs up into two portable carrying cases. This set-up allows operators the ability to deploy the unit from anywhere; even in remote locations.

Live video is fed to the lightweight hand-held controller from the onboard pan, tilt, and zoom camera. The pipe system can be illuminated using the shadowless LED lighting fixed to the camera head and elevating arm. From the controller, an operator is able to adjust the brightness or zoom to an area of interest for further evaluation. A full workday is often filled with inspecting many pipeline systems and each can have different or unique characteristics, which is why the Deep Trekker 340 Pipe Crawler is entirely modular and with comes with plug-and-play technologies. Various wheel size options, and an elevating arm allow an operator to access and inspect pipes of varying diameters. Additionally, carbide grit wheels can be equipped onto the crawler to provide traction in smooth pipes.

If a pipe has many obstacles or is partially filled with sludge, Deep Trekker offers anodized aluminum tracks; its newest addition to the 340 Pipe Crawler. With this inclusion to the system, municipalities and contractors are able to provide another trenchless solution to their subterranean infrastructure inspections.

Learn more about tire options in Which Crawler Tires are Best for Which Pipe Material.