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The Acquarius provides us with insights we need

Customer

Noblesse Proteins processes offal into high-quality proteins and fats from category 3 poultry offal, which can be used as resources for animal feed.

Challenge

Providing a clear picture of the state of a sewer pipeline with a length of over 4000 metres, in order to find out if it can be acquired.

Solution

Through the use of our Acquarius inspection tool, we performed a condition assessment to find out the current state of the pipeline. Based on these results, we were able to provide good advice that enabled Noblesse Proteins to decide whether or not to acquire the sewer pipeline.

Noblesse Proteins
Noblesse Proteins is a supplier of ingredients for the animal feed, biofuel and fertilizer industries. Products at Noblesse Proteins are made of offal from major abattoirs. Processing this offal requires large amounts of water. The wastewater produced by this process needs to be drained and ends up at a water purification plant through the sewer system. This wastewater can be pumped directly to the purification plant through a dedicated drainage pipe which can be purchased. It is possible for Noblesse Proteins to acquire an existing pipeline. The challenge: gain insight in the pipeline’s status. This knowledge can help in investigating whether acquiring this pipeline is the right decision. The inspection tool Acquarius was vital in gaining the correct information.

Knowledge helps with deciding

With the insights gained in the status of this pipeline, Noblesse Proteins is able to make a substantiated decision in its purchase. Raul Luciana, Manager Technical Services, explains: ‘The pipeline is over four kilometres long. The inspection tools known to us have a maximum operating range of 200 metres. This gave us the challenge of finding the right partner to inspect the pipeline. A former Noblesse Proteins employee mentioned the name of Acquaint to us. Through the use of their Acquarius inspection tool, they were able to provide us with the insights we needed’.

Comply with regulations

Luciana says: ‘When you’re in possession of a sewer pipeline, you’re required to comply with all manner of regulations. Because of this, it was important for us to know the current state of these pipelines. If you discover major malfunctions after its acquirement, you’re suddenly dealing with massive expenses and a non-functioning pipeline. You’ll want to avoid that at all costs’.

All inspections were performed in January 2022. The inspected pipeline has a diameter of 250 millimetres and is over four kilometres long. During the inspection with the Acquarius its wall thickness, overall state and position were assessed. Furthermore, possible malfunctions such as ovality and the presence of metals surrounding the connections were also investigated.

Unexpected findings

During the inspections, several unexpected findings were made. There was no knowledge of the presence of a pressure retaining valve. This resulted in an unsuccessful first test. After Acquaint disabled this valve, the test could be resumed the next day and was performed successfully. Luciana: ‘Acquaint responded to problems well. They knew right away how to shift focus in those situations. This made us feel confident as a customer’.

Acquaint knew right away how to shift focus. This made us feel confident as a customer.

Report

All gained insights were provided in the form of a report. Luciana: ‘The report was very clear, with schematics and graphs that represented all the findings. The investigation showed a few small concerns that needed to be looked at. Based on this information, we were able to come to a grounded decision’.

Reassuring answers

‘The report pointed out a small part of the pipeline that was not in the location that was documented. Acquaint’s scan revealed that the distance to its original location deviated over two metres. This was a valuable piece of insight, which naturally brought with it some questions, for example: ‘how to deal with this?’. Proper and clear advice from Acquaint made the impact of this deviation immediately apparent’, Luciana explains.

Confident feeling

This was a unique project for Noblesse Proteins. Luciana: ‘For us, this was a one-off project. Working together with Acquaint was a positive experience. This makes us feel confident in an unknown situation such as this. If we come to face a similar challenge, we’ll surely appeal once more to the expertise Acquaint provides’.

Want to learn about the Acquarius in greater detail? Arrange for a demo today.

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