Composite manhole covers used in national LUKOIL Bulgaria update program

Composite access covers, developed by Fibrelite, part of OPW and Dover (Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.), have been chosen for a national LUKOIL Bulgaria EOOD program to replace old, heavy-hinged cast iron access covers nationwide.

The project began in late 2015 and impacted 13 petrol stations across Bulgaria. LUKOIL’s previously-installed covers had become rusted over time, Fibrelite says, with hinge mechanisms beginning to fail and covers becoming unsafe for operators and site owners to remove and replace. The seals around the covers were also damaged, allowing water to get in.

Fibrelite provided LUKOIL with corrosion-free lightweight fiber-reinforced plastic composite access covers through their responsive local distribution network. Said to be watertight and able to be safely removed manually, these covers offered a solution to LUKOIL’s manual handling challenges. Fibrelite manhole and trench covers reportedly require minimal maintenance and perform for the life of the site.

The project was completed by SisCo-M Ltd., a Bulgarian supplier of Fibrelite and other OPW products.