Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2012 Barcelona
Carl F. Baker
The performance requirements for flexible polyolefin potable water piping systems in North America are quite different than those in other areas of the world. PolyEthylene – Raised Temperature (PE-RT) products were developed in Western Europe in the early 1980’s and since that time have evolved into the high performance products in use today as defined in the International Standards Organization (ISO) standards.
Many countries have adopted the ISO standards for PE-RT products around the world but in the United States the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards are utilized. Canada uses the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards which closely mirror the ASTM standards. A CSA standard is in development but currently there is no CSA standard for PE-RT products. An ASTM standard for PE-RT potable water plumbing applications was introduced in 2009 as ASTM F2769. The performance requirements for PE-RT in ASTM F2769 are the same as those found in ASTM F876 for Crosslinked Polyethylene (PEX) tube.
In addition, the fittings standards specified for PEX tube are shared with PE-RT in most cases. ASTM F2769 has been incorporated into the 2012 version of the national building codes in the United States. The differences between the ISO and ASTM standards for PE-RT are quite extensive. One obvious difference is in tubing size where ISO standards utilize metric units and ASTM specifies English units and is based on Copper Tube Size (CTS). Another major difference is the oxidative stability requirement in the ASTM standard.
This requirement will be highlighted and discussed. There are other less obvious differences including hydrostatic ratings, slow crack growth resistance, fitting qualification, malfunction requirements, and others. Each of these will be discussed as it relates to product design.
Related papers
Author(s) : Andreas Frank, Isabelle J. Berger, Mario Messiha, Carl-Gustaf Ek, Norbert Schuler, Jens-Martin Storheil, Erwin Mayrbäurl, Steve Heeley, Frank Krause, Lodewijk Niemöller, Philippe Gabriëls, Yogesh S. Deshmukh, Florian Arbeiter, Thomas Koch, Gerald Pinter
In order to improve the circular economy of polymers in terms of sustainability and reduced carbon footprint, the increased use of recyclates has become a topic of major importance. Due to their long design lifetimes, pipe applications represent an excellent opportunity to create added value to non-virgin polymers. In...
Author(s) : Dane Chang, Carl Baker
Due to its flexibility, toughness, and good resistance to corrosion and abrasion, polyethylene pressure pipe has been widely used for several decades in a variety of applications, including gas and water distribution, oil and gas gathering, and many industrial pipe segments. A significant limitation for polyethylene...
Author(s) : Wes Long, Carl F. Baker
Canfor’s Prince George Pulp & Paper Mill in Prince George, BC, Canada operates a bleach plant effluent system for the production of Bleached Kraft Pulp. The original underground fiberglass reinforced pipe (FRP) presents an elevated risk to both environment and production targets. Over the past five years there have...
Author(s) : Carl F. Baker
The performance of HDPE resins with regards to slow crack growth has increased dramatically over the past two decades. The most common test method for pipe products is ASTM F1473, Standard test Method for Notch Tensile Test to measure the resistance to Slow Crack Growth of Polyethylene Pipes and Resins (PENT). Results...
Author(s) : Martin Lackner and Carl-Gustaf Ek
Key words : Polypropylene, Sewage, Sustainability, Durability, High-modulus Polypropylene has an excellent track record after more than 30 years of service for nonpressure sewage and drainage applications. The inherent material properties and their development, energy and cost efficiency, pipe design and ease of...
Author(s) : STEPHEN W. BAKER
Corrugated polyethylene drainage pipe has been used for agricultural drainage in the Midwestern United States for approximately forty years. The increased worldwide demand for corn and soybeans has triggered an increased use of fertilizers and drainage systems by the producer. This combination of these two yield...
Members of the Association
