Australian Water Management Review Vol. 1 2014 | Page 22

MiniMising MAintenAnCe
And extending serviCe life
National Concrete Solutions Pty Ltd (NCS)
is a specialised contracting organisation
with a wealth of experience and knowledge
in concrete solutions for the commercial,
industrial and civil sectors, working
with stakeholders to reduce ongoing
maintenance costs and extend the service
life of assets that have been affected by
long term environmental impacts.
Replacement of infrastructure can be a costly exercise.
NCS General Manager, Lynn Butler, commented, “When
compared to the cost of replacement, remediation has
been shown to save up to 75% of costs. With the CSIRO
estimating the combined value of the existing urban
water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure assets
across Australia to be A$50 billion, and with many of
these critical assets in need of repair or replacement,
it is no wonder effective solutions for remediation
are increasingly required. Remediation rather than
replacement gives consideration to reduction, not
only in costs but provides an important environmental
consideration reducing the time these facilities are off
line or out of service.”
NCS’s capabilities include solutions for concrete
degradation, joint installation and rehabilitation,
protective coatings, concrete repair, rectification of
water ingress or egress, through to providing long term
maintenance plans. NCS has provided solutions for
structures including water treatment plants, spillways,
reservoirs, dams, irrigation channels and filtration
plants, by utilising a number of remediation systems to
undertake works in concrete construction and repair with
proven potential to extend the service life of assets.
“We are committed to providing our clientele with
cost effective and long term solutions that are backed
by leading manufacturers,” Butler added.
NCS was engaged by The Bloomfield Group to assess
the Rix’s Creek Coal Mine thickener tank facility and
to design a solution to stop all leaks, that will extend
the facility’s service life. Located 5km northwest of
Singleton in the Hunter Valley Coalfields, the mine has
been producing coal since 1990, and it continues to
produce both thermal coal and high quality semi-soft
coking coal for overseas and domestic customers.

The thickener tank that is servicing the Coal Handling and
Processing Plant (CHPP) was constructed approximately
20 years ago. The tank was built with a vortex concrete
base and steel walls being cast into an insitu concrete
apron, but little consideration was given to waterproofing
the joints. Over time, the tank deteriorated at the wall to
floor joints causing the tank to leak.
NCS, in conjunction with product manufacturers
Xypex and Peerless Epigen, designed a method and
remediation system that could be installed in the
minimal timeframe permitted. NCS also ensured the
extension of service life of the asset with a predicted
service extension of 20 years. With a large focus on
rehabilitation, NCS also managed to minimise any
detriment to the environment by removing the need
for any demolition.
The tank was sandblasted to expose spalling in the
concrete and deterioration of the steel walls. All
deteriorated steel was replaced and all surfaces were
primed and then recoated. The concrete spalling and
deteriorated joints were then repaired using Xypex
Megamix II, a high build repair mortar. Toppings

on the outside apron had lifted due to leaking at the
joints, and they were removed and repaired by Xypex
Megamix II. The 416 Lm of construction joints and
cracks were then cleaned out and the Peerless Epigen
KIS Elastomeric Joint & Crack Bridging Bandage
System was installed.
Xypex Megamix II was selected for its superior
bond strength, chemical resistance, potable water
certification and its unique crystalline technology,
while the Peerless Epigen KIS Elastomeric Joint
& Crack Bridging Bandage System was selected
because of its ability to enable the facility to resume
service in 24 hours.
NCS is a national organisation who service interstate
and regional locations. This is evidenced from recent
successful completion of projects located in Morwell
Vic, Chinchilla Qld, Bordertown SA and Cooma NSW
just to name a few.
For your next project, will you replace or renew?
Visit NCS’s website, www .ncsaustralia.com.au for
more information.

“remediaTion raTher Than rePlaCemenT is
Considered advanTageous, noT only as a
CosT saving, buT also an imPorTanT Time
saving, by reduCing The Time an ofTen
essenTial faCiliTy is off line or ouT of
serviCe.” – mrs buTler, gm nCs
16 | AustrAliAn water man age m e nt re v ie w