Our site uses cookies necessary for its proper functioning. To improve your experience, other cookies may be used: you can choose to disable them. This can be changed at any time via the Cookies link at the bottom of the page.


PE technical guidance
HDPE Pipe technical guidance (High quality Polyethylene Pipes)
 
Construction

What levels of productivity can be achieved in PE pipe installation?

Quick access

PE can normally be installed much more quickly than most other pipe materials.

The productivity of laying PE, from excavation to reinstatement and commissioning, depends on a number of factors; environment (urban or rural), ground type and condition, surface reinstatement (road or unpaved), etc. The most important influence is the installation technique employed;trenchless techniques and chain trenching in particular can increase productivity significantly.

Factors that improve productivity are:

  • Ease of site handling of PE pipe due to its flexibility and low weight
  • Use ofcoils andlong lengths of pipe, minimising the number of joints
  • Ease of jointing bybutt fusion or electrofusion
  • Ability of pipe to be jointed above ground to provide long pipe strings
  • Use of narrow trench techniques
  • Use of trenchless or minimum excavation techniques

In urban environments using conventional open cut techniques, laying rates (excavation to reinstatement and commissioning) are typically in the following ranges:

  • 100m per week per installation team for larger diameters
  • 200m per week per installation team for smaller diameters.

The equivalent rate for Ductile Iron or Steel in similar circumstances is typically 60m per week per installation team. Generally for open cut installation there is at least a 50% increase in installation productivity for PE compared with Ductile iron or Steel for the equivalent pipe sizes and environments.

Using alternative installation techniques, for example trenchless techniques and chain trenching, which are ideally suited to PE pipes, the laying rates can be significantly increased with up to 500m per week per installation team easily achievable in certain conditions.

The increased productivity also leads to lower cost of installation. This cost advantage of PE is more significant at smaller diameters.

Estimated installation cost for water pipe

Related keywords : pipe installation, pipe installation methods, hdpe pipe installation cost, hdpe pipe above ground installation, reinstatement in piping, rural poly pipe sizes, hdpe pipe rates, hdpe pipe laying, ductile pipe installation, pipe rate

Last update Thursday 31 May 2018

Members of the Association

BOREALISBOROUGEFormosa Plastics CorporationHanwha TotalEnergiesINEOS O&PIRPCKorea Petrochemical IND. Co., LTD (KPIC)LyondellBasellPetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical CompanyPRIME POLYMERSABICSCG Chemicals & Thai PolyethyleneSinopecTASNEE
TOP