< Return to Guideline Search

Thermal

In this category of close-fit lining, a principally thermal approach to creating the lining is used by what is termed a “Melt in Place Pipe” (MIPP) lining process. This process is currently offered commercially by only one provider (Aqualiner®) and is applicable for both water mains and sewers. The process involves winching a liner tube, made from an intimately woven fabric of glass fibre and polypropylene filaments, through the pipe to be renewed. A heated pig is then passed through the woven liner to deliver hot air which melts the polypropylene material and encapsulates the glass reinforcement. The molten mixture of glass fibre and polypropylene is then consolidated against the pipe wall using a pressurised silicone rubber inversion tube. Upon contact with the pipe wall the material cools down to form a tightly fitting thin walled, fully structural glass fibre reinforced polypropylene pipe. The process is currently designed to be capable of lining pipes between 6” and 12” diameter.