Fast Weld Field Trials, High Productivity Butt Fusion Jointing of PE Pipes [PE]

The Butt Fusion procedures used in the UK Water and Gas industries, which determine the total time taken to complete a successful joint, have remained largely unchanged since their harmonisation in 1990. The parameters evolved to suit manually operated Butt Fusion machines and reflected the fact that the minimum achievable heater plate removal time, for up to 250mm diameter, was between 6 and 8 seconds, during which the operator had to manually operate a hand pump to remove the heater. With standardisation of Automatic Butt Fusion, and typical heater plate removal times of 2 seconds, potential exists to considerably reduce on-site jointing time, and thus unlock substantial financial savings. produced with short heater-plate removal times. Until recently, the butt fusion welding profiles used throughout the PE pipeline industry have been specified by the appropriate governing body (e.g. British Gas, DVS, UK Water Industry, GPP etc). However, industry, evermore financially aware, is now more receptive to "fitness for purpose" products and projects such as "Fast Weld" are being encouraged. Tests detailed in this paper cover a selection of PE80 pipe sizes and SDR in the range 90mm to 400mm as a continuation of the work detailed in the paper titled "High Productivity Butt Fusion Joining of Polyethylene Pipes" 1995. Cartwright et a1 (5).