An exclusive Australian distributor of France’s Pronal Group lifting cushions, Air Springs was contracted by a major pipeline specialist company for the delicate project.
Five Pronal CLP 67 air bags with gauges and valving were used for the job along with a diesel 180 cubic feet per minute compressor and load sensors.
The bags are capable of lifting 67 tonnes each in a highly controlled manner.
“It was a very sensitive application, it was a live gas line,” Air Springs general manager Simon Agar said.
“They didn’t want to use anything that offered a point load and that’s where these bags come into their own.”
Agar said the area was excavated so the pipes could be moved laterally. Then the air bags were used to vertically raise the pipe and also to move it sideways by forcing against the trench wall, which relieved pressure within the pipeline.
He was pleased with the bag’s performance for the successful task.
“They are mobile, they are easily moved into position, they are very simple to use and the key is they offer infinite control of a lift, because they are cradling whatever you are lifting and you are actually controlling the whole process with a very wide footprint.”
Airbags are already used for emergency response in underground coal mines, but the need for this equipment was further highlighted by Queensland’s coronial inquest into the death of Jason Blee who was crushed between a shuttle car and the rib at a bord and pillar section of Moranbah North in 2007.
The mine has since included a second set of airbags in its emergency response trailer and developed a new procedure for the operation of an airbag system.
Hunter Valley’s Mines Rescue Station also used airbags to move two large VW beetle-sized boulders to rescue Scooby, the deaf eight-year-old cavalier King Charles spaniel, from a cave in September, in front of television crews.
While Air Springs has worked above ground, especially with the pipeline industry, it is currently investigating the approvals process for allowing Pronal’s airbags to be used underground in Australia.
Coming in the CLP and more recent CLT generation, Pronal’s high-pressure range of bags can handle up to 8 bar inflation pressure.
Agar said a 900mm by 900mm bag will lift 65 tonnes at minimum height unrestricted, meaning not clamped between two fixed points.
The supplier also has Pronal’s CPB Maxi-Lift cushions which cover greater surface areas at a much higher stroke but with a lower force capability.
Agar said the bags could be used to raise a car’s roof that had been in a crash, and have a bigger volume and a lower pressure base at only fractions of one bar.
While not as well known in Australia, Pronal has an established presence in Europe with its inflatable containers used to help lift artefacts from the Titanic several years ago.
Agar said in 12 years of experience with Pronal’s products he’d not had any issues or negative feedback.
“The finish on it is superb, Pronal really do pride themselves on that, and the experience bears that out, they are pretty much the higher echelons of industry in terms of elastomer engineering.”
