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Force Main Rehabilitation

Dennis G. Shin, PE


Course Outline

This eight hour online course discusses the challenges associated with the rehabilitation of force mains which carry sewage flows under pressure.  Force mains are constructed of materials which are susceptible to both internal corrosion from the sewage flow (liquid and gaseous states), as well as external corrosion due to the environment in which the pipe is buried.  Historically, the most common renewal technology employed has been to replace the main using open cut construction. Part of the reason for that choice has been a lack of rehabilitation technologies appropriate for sewer force mains. There is a wealth of technologies available for gravity sewers, but the field has been limited for pressurized systems. Fortunately, that situation is changing as more vendors recognize the growing opportunity in sewer force main rehabilitation. The other reason for replacement is that sewer force mains tend to have a fairly high consequence of failure. A rupture of a sewer force main could release millions of gallons of raw sewage into the environment posing significant health risks to the general public and significant impacts to the environment.  As some of the newer rehabilitation technologies develop a positive track record of use in sewer force mains and confidence in their design approach and installation process strengthens, more utilities are willing to consider these technologies as potential renewal solutions. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will understand:

Basic components and characteristics of force main systems including:

Renewal practices and technologies for force main systems including:

Considerations and methods for technology selection considerations including:

Considerations and methods force main system design and QA/QC requirements including:

Considerations and methods for operation and maintenance of force main systems including:

Gaps between needs and available technologies including:

Intended Audience

This course is intended for environmental and civil engineers.

Benefit to Attendees

This course will provide usable knowledge to engineers involved with the design, construction, operation, maintenance, and/or rehabilitation of sewer force mains.

Course Introduction

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Sustainable Water Infrastructure Initiative is committed to conducting research to improve and evaluate innovative technologies that can reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of the operation, maintenance, and renewal of aging wastewater conveyance systems. This research is intended to assist in the implementation of Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act requirements; to help states meet their programmatic requirements; and to assist utilities to more effectively implement comprehensive management of wastewater treatment and conveyance systems. It is aimed at encouraging the introduction of new and improved technologies into the US marketplace for wastewater rehabilitation, which will aid utilities in providing reliable service to their customers and meeting their statutory requirements.

Course Content

This course is entirely based on USEPA Publication "State of Technology Report for Force Main Rehabilitation", EPA/600/R-10/044:

Force Main Rehabilitation

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Course Summary

Force mains that carry sewage flows under pressure represent a special set of challenges for sewer rehabilitation. Force mains are constructed of materials which are susceptible to both internal corrosion from the sewage flow (liquid and gaseous states), as well as external corrosion due to the environment in which the pipe is buried.  Historically, the most common renewal technology employed has been to replace the main using open cut construction. Part of the reason for that choice has been a lack of rehabilitation technologies appropriate for sewer force mains. There is a wealth of technologies available for gravity sewers, but the field has been limited for pressurized systems. Fortunately, that situation is changing as more vendors recognize the growing opportunity in sewer force main rehabilitation. The other reason for replacement is that sewer force mains tend to have a fairly high consequence of failure. A rupture of a sewer force main could release millions of gallons of raw sewage into the environment posing significant health risks to the general public and significant impacts to the environment.  As some of the newer rehabilitation technologies develop a positive track record of use in sewer force mains and confidence in their design approach and installation process strengthens, more utilities are willing to consider these technologies as potential renewal solutions.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

USEPA National Service Center for Environmental Publications - http://www.epa.gov/awi/publications.html

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.