Die Draw Ltd

Here is a simple animation showing how our process works. For more information visit www.diedraw.com

Engineers often default to thick SDR 17 and SDR 11 PE 100 liners for pipeline rehabilitation, leading to unnecessary costs, higher carbon footprints, and reduced flow capacity. These choices compromise network performance despite no technical requirement for such over-engineered solutions. At Die Draw Ltd, we’re addressing this by launching a liner sizing tool that leverages BS EN ISO 12201 to optimise liner selection. The tool enables thinner, more efficient liners (e.g., SDR 41) to maximise flow, cut costs, and reduce environmental impact – ensuring networks operate as intended, sustainably and economically. https://lnkd.in/eHa6cJmv

We’re excited to share that the full case study for the Sandon Sewer Rising Main rehabilitation project is now live! This innovative project, delivered for Anglian Water Services, highlights the speed, efficiency, and minimal disruption of the Die Draw process, with 1,067 metres of liner installed in record time. For those who would like to dive deeper into the details, the case study provides a comprehensive look at the challenges, solutions, and outcomes of this successful project. It also includes a number of images showcasing the process and results. We’re incredibly proud of what the team achieved and look forward to applying this technique to many more sewer rising main projects in the future. If you’d like to learn more about how the Die Draw process can deliver reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions, we encourage you to read the full case study. #PipelineRehabilitation #DieDraw #Innovation #CaseStudy #Sustainability https://lnkd.in/exvEghya

We are pleased to share the successful completion of the Anglian Water Services Sandon Sewer Rising Main Rehabilitation, where the Die Draw technique was applied to 1,067 metres of 18” ductile iron pipeline using a 450mm PE100 SDR 26 liner. The challenging conditions required innovative solutions, and both 500m and 567m pulls were completed in around three hours respectively. The pipeline has now been successfully pressure tested and recommissioned. Most notably, this achievement reflects Anglian Water Services insight and forethought in selecting an advanced method that minimises disruption, extends asset life, and ensures a high-quality outcome. Our thanks go to the main contractor, Public Sewer Services, for their collaborative support throughout.

We’re pleased to announce that we have just successfully completed the first pull in our latest project - a key milestone in the rehabilitation of an 18” sewer rising main. In just under 3 hours, we installed 567m of 450mm SDR 26 PE100 liner using the die draw technique. We’re now on track to install the next 500m in the coming days. This project presented some unique challenges, and we’re proud of the innovative solutions that made it possible: 1) Modular, Reusable Restraint System – We developed a system that can be rapidly redeployed, offering greater flexibility and eliminating the need for permanent concrete foundations. This will significantly reduce setup time on future projects. 2) Dual Winch Setup – By introducing a dual winch configuration, we’ve enhanced the flexibility of our die draw process, allowing for a wide range of configurations tailored to different project needs. This innovation will expand the versatility of our approach for future applications. Once the engineering is complete, the speed of installation becomes one of the key advantages of the die draw technique. In this project, we installed over half a kilometre of pipe in just a little over 3 hours, showcasing how quickly and efficiently this method can deliver results without compromising on quality. We want to acknowledge the significant engineering effort that goes into a project of this magnitude. These achievements are the result of careful planning, precise execution, and innovative thinking. We’re incredibly grateful to have the expertise and experience of our strategic partners by our side. Their knowledge and support are invaluable, and it’s thanks to their collaboration that we’re able to deliver such successful outcomes. Simply put, we couldn’t achieve what we do without them. As always, it's a team effort and the dedication and expertise were key to overcoming the project’s challenges, and we’re excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in pipeline rehabilitation. Congratulations to Anglian Water Services and Public Sewer Services. Special thanks to Mark Sinnott at Anglian for a overseeing the whole project. Well done on a great job! #EngineeringInnovation #DieDraw #PipelineRehabilitation #PE100 #SustainableSolutions #Teamwork #UKEngineering

It was a privilege to be part of such an innovative project. Congratulations to Thames and Morrisons!

Die Draw Ltd is conducting pioneering research that explores the possibilities of utilising PE 100 for future high-pressure gas and hydrogen transmission systems. Our in-house polymer engineering expertise means we are uniquely positioned to lead investigations that explore the exciting capabilities of this material for these demanding applications. You can (and should) read more here... https://lnkd.in/eUZamkDY

PE 100 liners for higher pressure hydrogen and natural gas applications Increased interest in pipeline systems for transporting hydrogen, natural gas and blends has led to the consideration of PE 100 liners as a means of internal protection in carbon steel pipelines.   Die drawing technology was originally developed by British Gas for lining of low-pressure gas pipelines. It also has a successful track record in potable water, sewerage and mining slurry applications. Even high-pressure water injection pipelines, sometimes exceeding 500 bar, have been successfully installed, where the dissolved gas content is low. Historically, PE 100 liners have not been used in applications where high-pressure gas is a major or minor constituent of the transported fluids, usually limited to less than 10 bar sum of partial gas pressure.  Previously, the risk of annular collapse upon depressurisation after diffusion of high-pressure gases through the permeable liner material was not well understood. However, our extensive experience and unique knowledge of PE 100 pipe materials as lining solutions has enabled development of a refined diffusion model for use at different temperatures, pressures and flow rates. Using a conservative estimate for the most severe operational condition that can be envisaged for a liner, the impacts of liner diffusion can be assessed. This enables estimation of safe operational time limits without risk of liner collapse under more extreme operating conditions. Die Draw Ltd has recently undertaken desktop study for two separate pipeline operators wishing to change operating conditions from: 1) Water injection to high pressure natural gas 2) High pressure natural gas to high pressure hydrogen blends It is essential to consider all other possible failure mechanisms, however implausible, when expanding the operational envelope for gas applications. Our studies have shown that there is potential for increasing the operational envelope of PE 100 liners for higher pressure gas applications, though further work is required for commercial realisation and 50- or 100-year service lifetimes. Please contact Die Draw for further information on our PE 100 consultancy services. 

Since the 1980s, the use of thermoplastic liners has been a popular option for the in-situ rehabilitation of deteriorating pipelines. There are a number of techniques available but for pipelines where maintaining flow capacity is critical then a tight fit lining solution such as Die Draw can be used to retain or even increase flow capacity. A Die Draw liner is pulled into the host pipe and understanding the loads involved is essential to ensuring a successful installation. Calculating the load for a straight pipeline is relatively simple, however accurately predicting load distribution around bends has always been a challenge. The viscoelastic nature of PE 100 alters material properties with “time under load” and ambient temperature. The bending moment changes as the liner negotiates a bend, depending on factors like bend radius, liner insertion diameter, and host pipe's internal diameter. Current industry practice of increasing friction factor to account for bends often leads to inaccurate force predictions and poses challenges in equipment specification and temporary works design. PE 100 liners from Die Draw can negotiate bends of up to 22.5° and have even been successfully installed in 45° bends. However, each bend affects the overall installation force, and the number of bends a liner can negotiate depends on their orientation, radius, and location within the pipe section. Each pipeline section is unique and will result in different loadings, which is further complicated by the change in stiffness and strength of the liner at different ambient installation temperatures. For the last five years Die Draw has been developing and refining our own calculation methods. Die Draw is now able to accurately predict the loads around bends as part of our design process, determining the optimum liner insertion size to negotiate the bends in the host. A recent refinement of our process has been to incorporate LiDAR survey information into our design. Using this data rich technology enables very accurate prediction of installation loads accounting for every minor deflection within the host pipe and all variations in internal diameter. This enables us to precisely predict installation loads enabling optimum equipment specification and temporary works design. We believe our design process for installing liners is the most sophisticated method yet developed and we are not aware that anyone else in the industry has achieved this. The implications are that the Die Draw design process can be used for successful installation of all thermoplastic liners including those by Die Draw and slip-lining too. These highly accurate designs provide predictability, control and most important of all, safety for the successful installation of thermoplastic lining. In this visualisation, we cross reference a section of the LiDAR survey with the calculated loads. You can see when a bend is encountered in any direction that it affects the load of the system. 

It is always satisfying to see the pipe emerge at the winch!! Last week the final 200m of 900mm SDR 26 PE 100 Seven Sisters Phase 3 with MorrisonWS for Thames Water was successfully installed in a 36” cast iron under Myddleton Avenue. This was a relatively short and straightforward pull for the Die Draw technique however this section presented some of the biggest Temporary Works challenges we have faced. We also had to accommodate a significant initial bend as the liner entered the host pipe from ground level. Although the setup was challenging, the actual liner pull was completely uneventful, with all loads matching our calculations. In yet another industry first for Die Draw Ltd, we believe this could be the deepest deployment of the Die Draw process ever undertaken in a built up, congested metropolis. Once again, our modelling of loads proved to be extremely accurate for the layout and ambient environmental conditions encountered, further demonstrating the reliability and robustness of our process. So why were the Temporary Works so challenging? Well, it’s the centre of London where nothing is straight forward. When constructing the reception shaft, historic brickwork was discovered that was initially thought to be the roof of a culvert. On investigation it was established that the brickwork was most likely to be the bed of an old water channel. The host pipe was very deep at the location of the launch shaft with a number of adjacent services in very close proximity. Although trial holes had not found significant obstacles, the launch shaft was found to contain substantial brick structures thought to be associated with historic filter beds. The presence of electric, gas and water services close to buildings and street furniture presented additional challenges. In order to lay the reinforced concrete base for the die restraint frame, excavation to ~6m depth was required. We believe this could be the deepest pipeline ever where this technology has been successfully deployed. As always, it is a team effort that make these large projects such a success. A special mention should go to Morrison Water Services for the really high standard of the butt fusion welding critical to this process, where tie-in welds are required while the installation is paused, due to space restraints. Congratulations to Thames Water on yet another successful Die Draw liner installation. We’re excited about our next project.