Page 21 - WWU Innovation Report 2019-2020

At the start, stakeholders from all areas of the business got the opportunity to experience DURASEAL first hand. We set up training rigs with live pressure leaks using compressed air at WWU’s Treforest depot and, in autumn 2017, the first of many field trials began in Penarth, Cardiff.
Following a two-month assessment period, and with positive feedback on every application, we geared up for deployment. The launch involved representatives from each area of WWU to help remove any potential implementation barriers, while more than 500 engineers received DURASEAL training during summer 2018.
The journey to unlock potential
involves a change in culture. First
Call Operatives in the past couldn’t repair these types of escapes, but WWU found a way to ‘make safe’ and ‘repair’ using DURASEAL.
Now, an NIA-funded project backed by WWU in collaboration with Cadent (NIA_CAD0041) is under way. Developing DURASEAL for use on larger pipework, testing to the new LC1 standard and trialling on the networks, the project will prove its suitability for below ground and acceptance as a permanent repair.
WWU’s open culture meant we could work with local teams, an invaluable source of experience, which has helped develop more potential applications and made the training programme effective.
The beauty of DURASEAL is that it can be used anywhere, as a permanent repair, above or below ground, on LP and MP, on metallic and PE pipelines. The full benefit of this ‘quick-fix that lasts a lifetime’ will be felt when the whole operations team is empowered to use DURASEAL anywhere.
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