Repair of 48-Inch Sewage Outfall Using Novel Grout Mixture and Remotely-Operated Vehicle with Integral Form

Work in early 2005 by ASI Group Ltd. (ASI) focused on developing and implementing an effective repair method to seal leaking joints in the Ponce Deep Sea Outfall, Ponce, Puerto Rico. The options for repairs to the deepwater section of the pipe were limited since the farthest leaking joint was 940 feet from the nearest manhole, in a water depth of 388 feet and inaccessible from the outside since they were covered by grout mattresses.In-house development and testing of novel grout mixtures was accompanied by the design, fabrication and testing of an adapted removable grout form that was fitted around a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) to set up, deliver and monitor the application of the new grouting material. ASI completed bench, pilot and full-scale systems tests prior to successfully completing the repair of the leaking outfall pipe.Treated effluent discharges through a series of deepwater diffuser ports, terminating 3.58 miles offshore in a water depth of 400 feet.