I have to fill 11.6 miles of 6" pipeline with some sort of flowable/pumpable fill.  The problem is that the line is not easily accessed at regular intervals.  I will excavate and install 4" vent pipes to use down the length of the run, but some of the runs will be in excess of 3,000 feet between excavations.  Does anyone have any experience with pumping these distances?  What type of material should I be looking to use and what type of pump would polssibly work.  The fill material does not have to  offer a lot of mechanical strength.  600-800 psi would be plenty.  I have seen a video where a member in Australia pumped 500 meters through 5" pipe with no problem, but I dont know what fill material he was using and what kind of pump was pushing it.  Thanks for your help.

check your box sent you a pm

WOW!

but why pump it?

and why you get a PM reply? top secret?

interesting!!!

Venting it as much as you can say, is it all fairly flat I and pump up hill, have them put 1,000 lbs of flyash per yard.

Hi Mate,

Specialised Concrete Pumping in Australia recently completed a job pumping 1.2km through high pressure 5" line, I personally was not on the project so I don’t know too much about the finer details, but I am sure someone at SCP would be willing to give some advice. http://www.concretepumping.net.au/index.html

 I’m with jaybee on this one (WOW) 11.6miles or 18.6km. please keep us informed on the job progress niceunit, got to be some sort of record in this one?

I have pumped 1.5 miles from one hook up, 80 yards.  Have a special mix with a strength of 250 psi.

I would think you would need more than one pump for that.  I once watched one maco ball valve pump into another maco ball valve about 150 feet away to make it to the footer 200 feet, from the first pump, away.  I know the specs on my little Reed says its just shy of 1000 feet horzantal.  Even the Flowable fill, 28" slump, would not go that much farther.  If its not too much yardage, why not mix it by hand?

read the headline goose he is filling it not pumping to place it. cheaper to fill it then to dig it up and remove it

What did you use?  I am considering using a SIKA flowable fill admixture called "Lightcrete Powder". 

Is the pipe dry?  If so I suggest pumping water ahead.  You will need a rich flowable fill since the lubrication to flow is provided by water and cement.  If the pipe is dry you won't get very far before you plug up. 

Yeah I apperently read that wrong.  Here is a thought.  Maybe try some grout, the stuff they hold block and brick together with, not the stuff we put in the block.  Make it really wet and mix in some diesel or oil, or maybe somthing nontoxic, like a body lube.....

I have filled pipe with just Fly Ash and Cement.Works great,wear a raincoat.Depending on the pump you have,is the distance.Just make sure you got good mud sevice and no breaks in trucks.

you have to remember all the psi you are gonna create. you go 3000ft you might blow the pipe and either pump the road up or ground where u dont want it (it wil break concrete ,ashalt )

sorry goose hat to correct you again but the grout (mortar) holds brick/block apart from each other

We had pumped (2)  3900' x 10" pipe about 6 months ago. Went like clock work. Didnt pressure out until it got to the end.  Nice unit, do you have a contact # I can call you some time to let you know how we did it. Might have a few suggestion.

Somebody will have mapped the pipe. Local water board, or gas board or whoever put the pipe in there in the first place. Correct?

So somebody knows if the pipe is absolutely 100% horizontal (gas pipe) or on a grade (water pipe).

If you hit lucky, the pipe is going downhill from the access point. Then you need a 3 or 4 hour retaerded mix, with PFA like the guys say, and then just let the stuff slop down there.  air escapes aok.

If the pipe is going uphill from the access point, change access points!!!!!!

That was my first question "why pump?"

let it just freeflow as long as it is retarded

OK, but you are backfilling / plugging the line to prevent surface subsidance. That's what I think.

No idea as to your mix, you will have to do tests anyway.

Main thing is you say "100% level" so you will have to create your own pressure head to get the stuff down there, otherwise you get only 1/2 pipe fill.

With a real sloppy wet retarded mix you need a pressure head somehow.

What you say is OK but makes things difficult.

First of all you need a pressure head.

I reckon you're a line pumper .... or are you a boom pumper?

If boom pumper, you can make your own pressure head. Boom up to 30 or 40 m and then hose down.

If line pumper, let as much flow into the pipe that it will take. Then you need to get a tremmie or something, but not bolted to the "pipe" because air muist come out.

With a 20 m tremmie in a crane (or whatever) you pump into the tremmie and let the stuff go and air can vent out.

You know that a 6" pipe, 12 miles long (18 km) needs about 450 m3 or about 600 yds backfill stuff.

On a real horizonjtal line, your problem will be how to let the air bleed.

YOU need mor information on the mate.

Using boom truck.  Will excavate and vent with 4" stem.