 Wonthaggi Desalination Plant Victoria, Australia |
Polywater to the rescue again ... this time caught on film in high definition. Drought-stricken Melbourne, Australia is one of the fastest-growing cities on an island nation two-thirds covered by an expanding desert. A source of fresh water more reliable than dwindling rainfall is vital for the 4 million inhabitants' survival. The solution? Build a $3.5 billion, 6-acre desalination plant--the largest in the southern hemisphere--to convert 9 million gallons of seawater into drinking water ... per hour. The plant requires power for more than lights and pumps; the desalination process itself consumes a massive amount of electricity. To power the facility, multiple ducts are buried 55 miles to the nearest power plant and massive 6" 220,000-volt "very expensive" cables are pulled through in 4,000-foot, astronomically heavy segments. The cables deliver the energy equivalent of a 125,000-resident city. Pulls of this magnitude are simply impossible without a highly engineered lubricant: Polywater J. Polywater's Charlie Cole and his local agent, Adapt Australia Pty. Ltd., made the sale. The Science Channel then picked up the story on "Build It Bigger", documenting critical construction phases in its "Drought-Proofing Australia" episode (Season 5, Ep. 4). Discussion of the electrical phase (500 on-site electricians working over 2 million manhours) begins at the 32-minute mark of the show, and includes a 5-minute explanation of the critical nature of friction reduction during cable pulls, with footage of Polywater J being applied. The foreman claims to have spent "very many sleepless nights worrying" about cable placement. At one point the host himself straddles the duct bank and applies hand-fulls of lube onto the slow-moving cable. The foreman tells him, "It's Polywater J lubricant. You want to get it all the way around, 360 degrees. We have to make sure we have plenty of lube." The host says, "We don't want to be shy with the lube, right?" The foreman says, "No, it's pretty critical." This is the best unsolicited Polywater testimonial ever. You're encouraged to see it. Unfortunately, copyright prevents us from sharing it with you. Watch for reruns or use one of many internet sites available (e.g., Amazon.com) to stream the show for a small fee. |
