Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2012 Barcelona
Francis R. Costa, Christophe Salles, Anh Tuan Tran, Jeroen Oderkerk and Thomas Hjertberg
Over the years polyethylene has gained preference as the material of choice for water distribution pipes due to its long successful track record offering comparatively lower frequency of leakage, corrosion resistance, flexibility, light weight, easy installation, etc. However, in recent years, there have been growing concerns over the influence of water disinfectants (mainly chlorine, Cl and chlorine dioxide, ClO2) on the life time of polyethylene pipes, especially when operating conditions, like high concentration of disinfectant, highly aggressive disinfectant, high temperature, etc are employed. Industries, research and test institutes are working for thoroughly understanding the topic. Attempts are being made both in developing a comprehensive test method for life time prediction or material evaluation and also in finding superior material solution that can be commercialised. It is now well known how chlorine and chlorine dioxide interact with polyethylene pipe. Though several parameters, such as operating and installation conditions, quality of pipe extrusion, etc can play significant roles, the prerequisite of a good performance is the polyethylene composition that has inherently high resistance against these disinfectants, i.e. against the direct chemical attack caused by them and the processes, like crack formation, crack propagation, etc followed afterwards. In the present paper, we highlight the evolution of polyethylene compounds with time when exposed to such disinfectants, especially how the stabilizing chemicals make a significant difference in overall performance. Keywords : Water disinfectant, chlorine dioxide, chlorine, additive, polyethylene pipe
Related papers
Author(s) : Ernst van der Stok, Mirko Wenzel, Thomas Kratochvilla, Kurt Engelsing, Werner Weßing, Britta Gerets
It has not been possible to derive an accelerated procedure for the Point Load Test (PLT) as a pipe test before now. Further research and testing were therefore needed to establish appropriate requirements for standards including EN 1555-1 to rule out uncertainty in the market. The PLT is a central product test for...
Author(s) : Simona Africano, Emanuele Burgin, Thomas Boehm
Since the ‘80s, Polypropylene-Random (PP-R) has been a material of choice for producing plastic pipes for Hot & Cold water installations. Compared to other polyolefins, PP-R has higher stiffness and higher temperature resistance, along with the typical advantages of plastic pipes such as light weight, fast and...
Author(s) : Thomas R. Kratochvilla, Patrick Grünbeck, Christoph Bruckner, Raimund Eremiasch, Harald Wilhelm, Mario Vukelja
In the last decades pipe dimensions of extruded PE pipes have reached new orders of size. Today, PE pipes with outer diameters of up to DN/OD 3500 mm are produced and used for pressure pipe applications like seawater intake/discharge, outfall, sewage and industrial process piping systems. To test the long-term...
Author(s) : Andreas Frank, Mario Messiha, Günter Dreiling, Norbert Schuler, Jens-Martin Storheil, Erwin Mayrbäurl, Stuart Ramella, Frank Krause, Rudi Berning, Philippe Gabriëls, Alpay Aydemir, Thomas Koch, Florian Arbeiter, Gerald Pinter
The Cyclic Cracked Round Bar (CRB) Test has been applied to study the slow crack growth (SCG) resistance of virgin, recycled, and reprocessed PVC-U. This fracture mechanical test allows a quick ranking of the SCG resistance of PVC-U. A clear correlation between the K-value and the SCG resistance has been elaborated....
Author(s) : Hermann van Laak, Jan Heimink, Mario Messiha, Andreas Frank, Christoph Bruckner, Thomas Kratochvilla
For high pressure pipes above maximum operation pressure of 10 bar, this paper emphasizes PA-U12 as the easy to install alternative to steel. It underlines the superb performance of PA-U12 pipes for alternative installation techniques without need for a separate mechanical protection. An unplasticized polyamide 12...
Author(s) : Thomas R. Kratochvilla, Raimund Eremiasch, Christoph Bruckner
In the last years effort has been made to develop and standardise new accelerated test methods to evaluate PE 100-RC materials in short times in form of test bars. The two most important developments, the cracked round bar test (CRB test) and the strain hardening test (SH test) were published as final ISO standards...
Author(s) : Michael Pluimer, Richard Thomas
Over the past decade, there have been several key research projects to evaluate the performance of corrugated HDPE pipes manufactured with post-consumer and postindustrial recycled materials for highway and railroad drainage applications. Three of these projects were recently completed and published (NCHRP Project...
Author(s) : Richard St-Aubin, Dr. Thomas O’Rourke, Dr. Brad Wham, Blake Berger
Molecularly oriented polyvinyl chloride (PVC-O) pipe has been found to withstand large ground deformation during seismic events without damage. The properties of PVC-O pipe that support this performance have been investigated in a multi-year testing program undertaken at the Geotechnical Lifelines Large Scale Testing...
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....
Author(s) : Lonnie Corley, Dane Chang, Harvey Svetlik, Matt Brandes, Thomas Musto, Frank Schaaf, David Fink
This paper presents a brief overview of a challenging project at the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant where HDPE was utilized to replace degraded steel buried piping in a Safety Related water system. Callaway was the first Nuclear Power plant to obtain NRC approval and successfully place the HDPE piping system into...
Author(s) : Francis Reny Costa, Anh Tuan Tran, Jeroen Oderkerk, Thomas Hjertberg, Christophe Salles, Ulf W. Gedde, Benjamin Rabaud, Flavia Zraick
The premature failure of polyethylene pipes in contact with high chlorine and chlorine dioxide, used as residual disinfectants in drinking water distribution, remains an area of concern for water companies particularly in regions where temperatures are regularly or seasonally high. Multiple factors can amplify the...
Author(s) : René Hermkens, Ernst van der Stok, Johannes de Bruin, Jeroen Weller
The replacement of fossil fuels like natural gas by sustainable gases such as biogas and hydrogen can mitigate global warming. There has been some debate about the impact of sustainable gases on the materials used in the gas grid. An extensive study of the behaviour of PE, PVC, POM and rubber materials was therefore...
Author(s) : Jeroen Wassenaar
The environmental impact in terms of global warming potentials (GWP) and nonrenewable energy demand (NRED) of sewerage & drainage pipes based on PP-MD, PP-HM, PP-B, and concrete has been assessed using life cycle analysis methodology. It can be concluded that PP-MD and PP-HM materials are able to significantly lower...
Author(s) : Thomas C. Pedersen, Robert R. Kwapisz
This paper presents rheological data on simple rigid PVC compositions lubricated paraffin wax, calcium stearate, and oxidized polyethylene wax. These three materials comprise the most widely used lubricant system for rigid PVC in North America. The influence of certain paraffin wax characteristics will be discussed....
Author(s) : Stefan Kremling, Thomas Hochrein, Peter Heidemeyer
In plastics industry, the use of terahertz technology opens up opportunities for novel non-destructive and contactless testing applications. For example, the thickness of individual layers of a foamed multilayered plastic pipe can be monitored contactless and continuously during the extrusion process. Furthermore,...
Author(s) : Michael Pluimer, Rick Thomas
A new test method was developed to evaluate the stress crack resistance of HDPE materials containing recycled content. The method involves testing un-notched specimens in an elevated temperature bath under a specified stress. The new test method was published in March of 2016 as ASTM F3181, Standard Test Method for...
Author(s) : Ernst van der Stok, Jeroen Weller, Frans Scholten
This paper describes falling-weight tests as a first step towards determining the effect of residual stresses on the fracture behaviour of old PVC-U gas pipes at impact. Results showed that the level of surrounding pipe support, the quality of the material and the diameter of the striker had a major effect on the...
Author(s) : Tomas Helenius, Karin Jacobson, Thomas Blomfeldt
Polyethylene is the leading material for new installation of drinking water pipes in Sweden. The material is recognized by the market as a flexible, light weight and an inexpensive solution. The material is ideal for water piping, however the lifetime is only guaranteed for 50 years. This is a problematic limitation...
Author(s) : Bill R. Vanhoose, Jarrett A. Nelson, Christa K. McNish, Richard W. Thomas
The Stepped Isothermal Method (SIM) is a form of Time-Temperature Superpositioning (TTS) that involves measuring the creep rate of a sample while it is subjected to a series of isothermal temperature steps. The accelerated temperature results can then be shifted back to room temperature to produce a master-curve....
Author(s) : S H Beech, P Belloir, C Salles
Plastics piping systems are specified against a relevant standard, giving dimensions, essential performance requirements, the design basis for pressure rating, and testing to prove fitness for purpose, giving the end user the confidence to use these systems. The plastics pipes industry has successfully developed...
Members of the Association
