The Man-Made River Project (MMRA) is one of the largest water projects in the world. It consists of 4,000 km of mainly 4-m (158-in.) diameter prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) with other various diameters as well (1.60, 2.00, 2.80, and 3.60 m). The system can convey over 6million cubic meters of water per day from well fields deep in the Sahara Desert to the populated areas on the coast and is divided into four main phases. In August 2020, a leak was observed on one of the main branches between Ajdabiya and Benghazi of MMRA Phase One. This segment has a total length of 150 km, and the leakage was near to the Omar Almokhtar grand reservoir. After many preventive measures were taken to stop the leakage, operations were stopped on the line and the pipeline was dewatered between two stations in the area. An internal visual and sounding inspection was carried out to find the cause of the leakage. Two damaged PCCP pipes were found during the internal inspection, but immediate replacement was not possible due to a lack of available resources and specialized equipment. A new temporary method was developed by lining the total length of the inner concrete core with multiple metal welded bell ring segments. After installation, the rings were used to support the PCCP to handle the working pressure and external loads during refill and operation of the pipeline for several weeks. This temporary repair was meant to compensate for the shortage in water supply to the city of Benghazi and to complete the logistical preparations with replacement work. This paper will discuss and analyze the collected data to evaluate how the new temporary lining repair works were conducted and applied, until MMRA could renew and replace the selected defective sections of PCCP with new sections.


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The Man-Made River Project (MMRA) is one of the largest water projects in the world. It consists of 4,000 km of mainly 4-m (158-in.) diameter prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) with other various diameters as well (1.60, 2.00, 2.80, and 3.60 m). The system can convey over 6million cubic meters of water per day from well fields deep in the Sahara Desert to the populated areas on the coast and is divided into four main phases. In August 2020, a leak was observed on one of the main branches between Ajdabiya and Benghazi of MMRA Phase One. This segment has a total length of 150 km, and the leakage was near to the Omar Almokhtar grand reservoir. After many preventive measures were taken to stop the leakage, operations were stopped on the line and the pipeline was dewatered between two stations in the area. An internal visual and sounding inspection was carried out to find the cause of the leakage. Two damaged PCCP pipes were found during the internal inspection, but immediate replacement was not possible due to a lack of available resources and specialized equipment. A new temporary method was developed by lining the total length of the inner concrete core with multiple metal welded bell ring segments. After installation, the rings were used to support the PCCP to handle the working pressure and external loads during refill and operation of the pipeline for several weeks. This temporary repair was meant to compensate for the shortage in water supply to the city of Benghazi and to complete the logistical preparations with replacement work. This paper will discuss and analyze the collected data to evaluate how the new temporary lining repair works were conducted and applied, until MMRA could renew and replace the selected defective sections of PCCP with new sections.


[Access the Conference Proceedings Paper on ASCE Library](https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/9780784483626.042) 

Evaluating the New Temporary Lining Repair of Four Meter Diameter PCCP to Improve MMRA Phase I Pipeline Integrity

Papers from sessions of Pipelines 2021, held virtually August 3–6, 2021. Sponsored by the Utility Engineering and Surveying Institute of ASCE. The conference provides a forum for pipeline engineers and practitioners from all around the world to share their experiences in meeting the challenges of today's pipeline infrastructure. This premier industry event has become the conference of choice for utility and pipeline owners, design and consulting engineers, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, students, educators, researchers, and pipeline professionals. The conference includes surveying as it relates to pipeline and utility projects. This event will provide a dynamic and inspiring venue for participants to share and gain valuable knowledge related to planning, designing, constructing, renewing, operating, managing and maintaining the pipeline assets.

[Paper Proceedings](https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483602)

Conference DOI: https://doi.org/10.26226/m.6454f875c8d4320012b71046