Ice Pigging water pipes in Estonia

Saving time and energy cleaning Tallinn's drinking water pipes

Using our innovative technology we designed and built an ice generation system which produced ice slurry overnight ready for Watercom’s 5000 litre mobile ice delivery unit to take the ice and use it to clean drinking water pipe networks around the city.

With both Watercom and the local Tallinn drinking water provider having a focus on sustainable and innovative solutions, Watercom were pleased to be able to use their new Nivalis 5000 litre system to deliver and retrieve ice through existing hydrants throughout the pipe network. This process saves time and energy, and most importantly, maintains high drinking water quality standards.

The ice cleans the lines, ensuring that any contaminants are removed to a separate tanker which can then be sent for licensed waste disposal. By removing sedimentation, the clarity of water is improved and is less likely to contain any trace metals picked up from the older cast iron water networks.

To ensure all ice has been removed from the system at the end of the process, the water and ice passes through a Nivalis Flow Analysis System (FAS) which can also provide a ‘before and after’ snapshot of the flow conditions.

Developing this unique ice generation system has allowed Watercom to deliver Ice Pigging services every week since January 2023, ensuring the citizens of Tallinn have a clean and hygienic water system.

Baltic Water Works Conference 2023

Following this successful project we are very excited to be working in partnership with Watercom to help them prepare for their presentation at the Baltic Water Works Conference this week. Their presentation will focus on showcasing their experience of using Ice Pigging to improve water quality in Tallinn. More news about this exciting partnership to follow soon.

If you'd like to find out more about our work in Estonia and how Ice Pigging might be able to help you, please get in touch.