Progressive Pipeline Management

need is really large diameter cast iron, 16 to 42 inch. That’s typically our bread and butter and most of our work. “We started with the three main gas utilities in the NY City area and now we have 25 to 30 different gas companies in 18 states where we’re using the technology. And we’re currently around 150 employees. The training process is very technical. We have annual training for all employees on the entire process, and our partners in Berlin at Karl Weiss are actively involved in the training. We also have inhouse training on the process itself, and OSHA and hazmat training for all our people. We also comply with operator qualification training – anyone who works around natural gas pipelines needs a certain level of training there.” BVM: What makes this pipe lining technology unique? Wickersham: “This particular liner goes under the brand name Starline. Karl Weiss developed the technology and we have the exclusive North American rights to it. We are the actual contractor that installs the liner. They built and created the system, which we’ve worked on with them hand in hand since its inception. From a direct lining capability, this is the only game in town for natural gas pressure pipelines. “Starline is a cured-in-place-liner (CIPL) in comparison to a cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP). Our liner is semi-structural, so we rely on the host pipe for structure, where a CIPP is a structural repair or rehabilitation. Starline is chemically and mechanically bonded to the host pipe, whereas CIPP just fits extremely tight, there is no bond. In a natural gas pipeline, we don’t