Jos Robeyns, Philippe Vanspeybroeck, Steve Sandstrum
Papers # 2010 Vancouver
ISO CD 29561 applies to glass fibre reinforced polyethylene pipes and fittings intended to be used for the conveyance of water under pressure for general purposes, as well as for the supply of drinking water. The pipeline may be buried, above ground, or outside buildings. The temperature of the medium to be transported shall not exceed 50°C. This standard specifies the required properties of glass fibre reinforced polyethylene pipes made by combining glass fibre reinforcement with polyethylene through extrusion technology, as well as the requirements for raw materials, marking, packing, storage and handling of the pipes. The glass fibres are used in the polyethylene matrix. This standard focuses on large size pressure pipes including electrofusion couplers and other required fittings. The reason for this development has been the continuously growing demand for a flexible pipe system for potable and raw water transportation, especially in areas where “clean” water is only limited available. The result is a production technology to produce pipes from an internal diameter of 500 mm up to diameter 4000 mm in a length of 6 m, with a standard working pressure of 10 bar. It is temporarily classified with a minimum required strength value (MRS) of 18 MPa, according to ISO 9080. The Flemish water company VMW, installed recently a supply line for potable water. From a depth of 120 m a high pressure pump conveys the raw water through the newly PE-Glass fibre reinforced pipe systems DN 400 – 10 bar to the purification installation, were the potable water is produced. The water pressure is 8 bar. Not only the pipes and the joints were tested but also the complete set of fittings. More recently, pilot projects involving the use of glass fibre reinforced HDPE have been installed in the United States. A brief summary of these projects will be included in this discussion.
