What's the future of UV cured-in-place pipe rehabilitation?

Cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) has become one of the most important technology trends in the field of trenchless pipe rehabilitation around the world.

CIPP allows an in-situ rehabilitation of pipes using glass fiber liners and ultraviolet light curing systems instead of excavation and replacement of underground pipes for wastewater and other applications.

The existing damaged pipe is used as a mold to create a pipe-within-a-pipe solution. Compared to conventional hot water or steam cured needle felt liners, this method features low energy consumption.

Its compact equipment provides for a very small footprint on site and makes for simple work in confined spaces. The result is a highly economic and environmentally friendly technology with extremely short curing times.

The cured-in-place pipe market has been growing since its debut in 1971 and is now a substantial market segment around the world with even greater potential according to market studies like Stratview Research.

For 2019, the market is estimated at $2,083.8 million USD and is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.6% over the next five years to reach US$ 3,074.3 million USD in 2025.

The latest market trends follow established international standards like ISO 11296-4, ISO 11297-4, and ASTM F2019 and include all sizes of diameters for sewer applications up to DN1800 (70 inch), as well as various cross-section profiles like round or egg shapes.

UV-CIPP technology provides higher mechanical properties compared to felt liners, such as thinner liner wall thicknesses, which results in cost-effective solutions and other benefits like hydraulic improvements to the end user.

The future potential of UV-CIPP technology is also notable for its innovative use in rehabilitating potable water or gas lines. So far there are only a few existing products that comply with the mandatory standards of local authorities like NSF/ANSI Standard 61 (U.S.), DVGW KTW/W270 (Germany) and others.

For pipes with dimensions from DN 200 to DN 1200 mm (eight inches to 48 inches), rehabilitation up to 320 meters (about 1000 feet) of potable water pipes is already possible.

In fact, the ISTT (International Society for Trenchless Technology) awarded SAERTEX multiCom with the No-Dig Award 2019 in Florence, Italy, for its development of a GRP liner for potable water.

In the future, new technologies like LED light sources will be established and systems for quality control on the job site will be even more enhanced than they are today.

New, strong partnerships between installation equipment and liner manufacturers will open up possibilities to develop turnkey solutions for customers.