As cities and communities around the globe face increasingly complex (and severe) environmental conditions that can threaten critical underground lifelines including water main and liquid and gas fuel conduits, the solution-oriented engineers at SANEXEN WATER, Inc (“SANEXEN WATER”) believed their product, Aqua-Pipe could protect these lifelines from extreme seismic and flooding events.
Results confirm conclusively that Aqua-Pipe technology maintains its integrity and does not rupture during rigorous simulated in-ground earthquake scenarios. SANEXEN Environmental Services Inc. (“SANEXEN”), partnered with a group of North America’s leading environmental Public and Municipal Utility Services and the world-renowned research team at Cornell University’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, subjected Aqua-Pipe to a series of extreme seismic force testing at the university’s Geotechnical Lifelines Large-Scale Testing Facility in Ithaca, NY. This testing facility has no counterpart elsewhere in the world.
“These results far exceed what we had expected for Aqua-Pipe resilience through this testing,” explained Kevin Bourbonnais, President and CEO of LOGISTEC Environmental Services Inc. and SANEXEN, “and, most importantly, communities and cities now have a clear and proven solution that can protect and secure their underground lifelines with certainty for everyday use and in cases of extreme seismic activity.”
“The resilience achieved by the Aqua-Pipe technology has surpassed everything we have tested so far. This is the best result we have seen and actually achieved the maximum we could test. This new generation of Aqua-Pipe® performed extremely well under extreme seismic forces,.” said Thomas Denis O’Rourke, the Thomas R. Briggs Professor of Engineering in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University. Professor O’Rourke received a number of distinctions for his research and teaching, including the Stephen D. Bechtel Pipeline Engineering and Ralph B. Peck Awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers (“ASCE”). He served as President of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (“EERI”).
SANEXEN’s Innovation innovation team partnered with Cornell’s Lifeline Group to advance its unique seamless structural water technology through funding provided by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (“SDTC”) and Transition énergétique Québec (“TEQ”).
“This is a game changer for cities near fault lines along the west coast and earthquake sensitive regions throughout the U.S.A. and Canada. Aqua-Pipe® can transform our water main and gas lines infrastructure from being a liability during an earthquake, to a utility that can be counted upon during a time of need,” reinforces Madeleine Paquin, Chairman of SANEXEN and President and CEO, of LOGISTEC Corporation.
SANEXEN’s expertise and solution-oriented approach, with over 35 successful years in the Environmental environmental sector, is built on the use of leading-edge technology, resourcefulness and a focus on results for their customers. Our common-sense approach to tackling today’s complex environmental conditions through research, development, testing, pilot projects, challenging the status quo, has helped hundreds of municipalities face the daunting task of replacing or refurbishing their aging water main infrastructure. With the results of this testing, SANEXEN WATER is able now able to offer invaluable peace of mind with the additional protective and resilient qualities of Aqua-Pipe in cities facing seismic events and extreme weather conditions.
Next, the SANEXEN WATER team will continue to work closely with public and municipal utilities to plan the next generation of Aqua-Pipe installation throughout cities in North America working hand-in-hand with communities to ensure that their water main infrastructure is solid and that the people who live and work there are safe. SANEXEN’s engineers will continue to do what they do – they will leverage their deep expertise to discover new and innovative technologies to tackle today’s ever-changing environmental challenges head-on.
About LOGISTEC
LOGISTEC Corporation (“LOGISTEC”) is based in Montréal (QC) and provides specialized services in both the marine and environmental industries. Environmental services are offered through SANEXEN and FER-PAL Construction Ltd. Marine services are offered in the areas of bulk, break-bulk and container cargo handling in 37 34 ports and 61 60 terminals across North America. LOGISTEC also offers marine transportation services geared primarily to the Arctic coastal trade, as well as marine agency services to foreign shipowners and operators serving the Canadian market.
About SDTC
SDTC is a foundation created by the Government of Canada to advance clean technology innovation in Canada by funding and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises developing and demonstrating clean technology solutions.
About TEQ
TEQ is responsible for administering a number of energy conversion and energy efficiency programs intended for the general public, companies, organizations and institutions in the Province of Québec Canada. Its mission is to support, encourage, promote and ensure integrated stewardship of energy transition, innovation and efficiency. TEQ also coordinates the implementation of all the programs and measures required to meet and monitor the energy targets set out by the Government of Québec.
About Cornell University
Cornell University is a private, Ivy League university and the land-grant university for New York state. Cornell’s mission is to discover, preserve and disseminate knowledge, to educate the next generation of global citizens, and to promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell is helping the water industry to develop the next generation hazard resilient pipelines and underground infrastructure for enhanced performance after earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and events that cause ground deformation and undermining of buried water mains.
For further information: LOGISTEC Corporation, Marie-Chantal Savoy, Vice-President, Strategy and Communications, Phone: (514) 985-2337, [email protected]