Project:
Toronto Hydro Specifies Beele Engineering NOFIRNO® Cable Sealing System for Cable Ducts in its vast Distribution Area.

About Toronto Hydro:
Toronto Hydro is the largest municipal electricity distribution company in Canada, serving approximately 756,000 customers in the city of Toronto. It distributes approximately 19% of the electricity consumed in the Canadian Province of Ontario. The population of Toronto is approximately 2.6 million people, and Toronto Hydro has been serving the city for over 100 years. The company distribution system consists of 176,500 poles, 15,560 kilometers of overhead wires, 12,920 kilometers of underground wires, 60,440 distribution transformers and 16,900 primary switches. In addition, there are 161 municipal substations, 34 terminal stations and 5 operations centers.

Project Overview:
Toronto Hydro has hundreds of cable ducts entering substations, manholes, terminal stations and other underground ingress/egress points. These cable duct openings are subject to water & gas ingress, and also can be a pathway to migration of fire. The utility has tried many different products and sealing methods over the years, most with little success.

Beele Engineering supplied Toronto Hydro with product information and substantial test data showing the product’s ability to withstand the harshest environments, and to provide a long-term sealing solution for the cable ducts in Toronto Hydro’s distribution system. In addition, many of the cable ducts in the system had water running through them on a regular basis, which creates a substantial challenge when it comes to installing a seal that withstand the test of time. In these cases, Beele Engineering introduced their AQUASTOP Rubber, which is a special hand-
moldable rubber that adheres well to all kinds of surfaces in the presence of water. With the installation of the AQUASTOP Rubber, the water is mitigated in order to install the NOFIRNO Sealing System in the proper manner.

Beele Engineering NOFIRNO® & AQUASTOP Products:

The NOFIRNO System is utilized for fire, water & gas tight sealing in cable and pipe penetrations worldwide – both for land-based applications (such as utilities, refineries, nuclear plants & water/wastewater plants), as well as for shipbuilding and offshore projects. The system consists of proprietary, high-grade rubber and silicone materials, and contains no metal parts which are subject to corrosion in these harsh environments. Installation is quick, simple and user friendly, and the end result is a seal that will withstand the test of time.

The AQUASTOP rubber is special hand-moldable that was initially developed for a water utility in the greater Boston (USA) area. The pump station was approximately 7 meters underground, and was leaking substantial amounts of water thru pipe penetrations initially sealed with a link-type pipe sealing system. The existing seals could not be removed, so Beele technicians developed the special rubber to apply directly over the existing seal to stop the water flow. Subsequently, the NOFIRNO sealant was applied over the AQUASTOP rubber in order to provide the strong, long-term seal.

The NOFIRNO product has been subjected to countless tests to prove its ability to withstand just about any situation, including shock (for US & UK Navies), jet fire, radiation, rodent protection, water & gas tightness, axial & radial movement (for seismic protection), UV, salt-spray and chemical resistance. In addition, the materials have been subjected to accelerated aging tests, proving the system’s ability to withstand a service life of 50+ years with no loss of properties or sealing integrity. 

Product Selection Criteria:
Some of the reasons that Toronto Hydro selected Beele products include:

• Products proven to withstand the harshest elements of fire, water and gas migration.
• Substantial test data available to prove the product capabilities.
• A company with over 50 years as a world leader in fire and water sealing.
• Systems and products that are user friendly and easy to install.
• Products that are maintenance free.
• Flexibility of products – standard kits provided that address most applications.
• Product support and installation training for field personnel.