Zipping past the competition

kwik-ZIP spacers are the only Australian-owned spacers on the market, and the only approved by the WSAA.

For seamless water mains upgrades, spacers are key for maintaining the position of a carrier pipe with a casing. They facilitate sliplining, increase ease of installation, and protect the carrier pipe to reduce likelihood of damage.

The use of kwik-ZIP casing spacer and centraliser systems helps contractors to comply with the numerous regulations that require pipeline centralisers or casing spacers/slippers including wastewater and sewerage codes and water well construction standards.

With distributors in Australasia, the US and the UK, kwik-ZIP is a specialist manufacturer used and trusted by industry professionals globally. kwik-ZIP is Australian owned, giving contractors the ability to deal with the manufacturer directly – in fact, kwik-ZIP spacers are the only Australian-owned product of its kind on the market.

The company says it was driven to produce a niche spacer system after it became apparent to industry drilling professionals that there was no such offering on the market. kwik-ZIP designed products that not only solved common problems faced by drilling and pipeline contractors, but also revolutionised the pipe spacer market within Australia.

The company’s HDX spacers are currently the only spacers approved by the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA). The company manufactures and supplies centraliser and spacer systems for many industry sectors, including well drilling, trenchless pipeline construction, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), and general civil and construction markets. kwik-ZIP spacers and centralisers have been developed by Australian drilling professionals to solve and support challenges in the trenchless and pipeline, vertical production drilling, and ground engineering industries. Manufactured from high grade thermoplastic, kwik-ZIP products are used and recommended by a variety of utilities operators.

With no metal parts, the thermoplastic blend is flexible, durable, and has a low coefficient of friction. kwik-ZIP’s large range of spacers caters for a variety of carrier or casing pipe size combinations as well as provides the flexibility to deal with project alterations.

On a recent Rail Infrastructure Alliance project in Sunbury, HDD specialist contractor Jelmac used kwik-ZIP HDX-90 spacers to assist the sliplining of a 355 mm high density polyethylene (HDPE) carrier pipe over a 66 m run.

The spacers were specified at 1.5 m

The 355 mm HDPE pipe being installed in Sunbury.

intervals for this project as per Melbourne Water Retailer Agency (MRWA) standards. As the pipes were not being grouted after installation, the spacers also need to support the weight of the pipe and water for the life of the installation.

“kwik-ZIP spacers are simple and quick to install and assisted with the sliplining process,” says Jelmac Operations Manager Mick Hemer.

The works were successfully completed at night due to stakeholder requirements.

The HDX’s unique load sharing design maximises the load bearing capacity of each runner and reduces point loading. The simple and efficient installation process does not require any special tools. kwik-ZIP provides a simple solution for spacer and centraliser requirements.

For more information go to

www.kwikzip.com

kwik-ZIP HDX-38’s spacers on high-density polyethylene pipe.