Long reach tooling enables operations to be conducted on underground gas pipes from surface level through a small ‘keyhole’ excavation. Keyhole excavation offers significant financial savings, reduced disruption to traffic and lower risk of damage to other buried plant. The results are lower labour costs, smaller quantities of spoil and backfill material and lower reinstatement costs. Additionally, the operative is kept out of the excavation and away from the hazards associated with confined spaces. In conjunction with network operators, ALH Systems has developed special long reach tools for keyhole operations and keyhole versions of conventional equipment, including leakage control, drilling and tapping, plug and tee insertion and camera entry systems.

Joint repair

Leaking joints between iron pipe sections can be treated without leaving the surface. This can have a big impact where a series of joints needs to be treated at frequent intervals along a main road. Long reach tooling allows the back of a socket to be drilled and tapped to accept a standard brass injection nipple. The repair product is injected into the joint using long delivery tubes in the normal way or with the new mini pressure pot