In 2000, a new two part spray applied material based on polyurethane was approved by the
Drinking Water Inspectorate in the United Kingdom, for application to potable water mains. The
main benefit of this new material is its cure time which allows return to service after 30 minutes
compared to existing epoxy resins that require 16 hours. The increase in early hoop stress enables
the spraying of large diameter pipes that is not currently widely available with epoxy resin while
being significantly less costly than the alternative of installing a polyethylene liner. After testing the
new material on small diameter mains, Yorkshire Water undertook the successful lining of an
825mm diameter 100 year old cast iron pipe. This paper covers this trial and its conclusions and
how this new technology is now being used to line large diameter mains throughout Yorkshire. It
also details the benefits to customers, potential cost savings and shorter construction time which
in turn has resulted in reduced traffic disruption.
Includes 5 references, tables, figures.