Light-rail system construction relies on the Denso Petrolatum Tape System

Denso products are contributing to the construction of the iOn light-rail transit system in the Region of Waterloo.

The Region of Waterloo, Ont. has been building a new light-rail transit system for the neighbouring cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge since Aug. 2014, and the system is expected to be operational by the end of this year. One necessary task of this construction project is protecting underground ductile pipes and fittings from corrosion. For this, the company in charge of the project puts its trust in Denso North America’s Petrolatum Tape System.

Environmentally sustainable mass transit

The iON rapid-transit system is being built by Grandlinq, which owns several construction subsidiaries, such as Meridiam Infrastructure Waterloo, Mass Electric Construction Canada, STV Canada Construction, and many others. When completed, the system will consist of 14 electrically powered rail cars running over 37 kilometres of routes with 19 stations. iON will connect three Ontario communities with more than 500,000 people, with environmentally sustainable mass transit that connects with GO, VIA Rail, and other systems.

One of the key challenges that Grandlinq is facing is the risk of corrosion damage to buried ductile pipes and fittings. The project requires workers to replace many kilometres of water pipes and install new valves and fittings with sizes in the 600-millimetre range. But excavations have revealed contaminated soil that could pose a hazard to PVC piping, forcing the company to work with hundreds of metres of ductile iron pipes on top of many metal fittings. To deal with potential corrosion, Grandlinq has turned to the Denso Petrolatum Tape System.

The process starts with application of a protective coat of Denso Paste by hand to the substrate, as the first layer of protection. Workers also fill voids and awkward angles on valves with Denso Profiling Mastic. Finally, they wrap the piping, fittings, and valves with Denso Petrolatum Tape for full protection. The Petrolatum Tape System will protect all pipes and fittings, whether they are directly buried or within chambers.

Facing a cost of more than $790 million, the Region of Waterloo expects the iON system to last and be sustainable. With Denso’s help, this system should transport people for many years.

To learn more, contact Denso.

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