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Case Study

Line Strike at Roadside Valve Station Prompts Emergency OmegaWrap® EG Composite Repair

Written by Allan Edwards

As most pipelines are located underground, third-party damage typically results from line strikes by excavation equipment during foreign line crossings or routine digs. However, one operator had to quickly deal with the consequences when an inattentive driver struck an above-ground pipeline in a valve station in Louisiana.

A Critical Station Left Vulnerable

The 8-inch pipeline existed as part of a network of above-ground pipe within an unmanned valve station in Port Allen, Louisiana. When a passing driver lost control of their vehicle and veered off the roadway, the car penetrated the perimeter fence that surrounded the station, striking the pipeline. The line sustained a .160” deep dent that spanned two inches wide and four inches long. It required an emergency repair to provide the necessary reinforcement to avoid a costly shutdown – meaning the operator needed to find an effective repair solution with a fast turnaround time.

OmegaWrap® EG Composite Repair
OmegaWrap® EG Composite Repair

Allan Edwards Receives the Call

Immediately after the line strike incident occurred on Thursday evening, the operator reached out to Allan Edwards to request whether the OmegaWrap EG (e-glass) wet layup composite system could be used to reinforce the dented line. Josh Wilson, Technical Sales Manager at Allan Edwards, immediately set to work that evening and modeled a schematic of the repair zone. The OmegaWrap repair calculator determined the number of wraps required to adequately reinforce the repair, and Allan Edwards quickly provided a quote to the customer the next morning.

An Impressive Turnaround Time

Once approved, all repair details were sent to an Allan Edwards repair technician already on site in the Port Allen, Louisiana area. This technician possessed an on-hand stock of the OmegaWrap EG system, eliminating the need to coordinate shipping to the repair site. The technician promptly set out for the valve station, arriving with the necessary repair equipment early Friday afternoon. The Allan Edwards technician supervised the installation of the composite wrap by a certified crew, and the job was finished within a couple of hours.

Less than 24 hours elapsed from the time the incident occurred until the completion of the repair. Thanks to a quick-thinking customer and a responsive and prepared Allan Edwards team, a seamless repair was made possible, and the customer was able to avoid a costly shutdown and the resulting loss in productivity.
OmegaWrap® EG Composite Repair