Martin Lackner and Carl-Gustaf Ek
Papers # 2012 Barcelona
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 manufacture and installation have contributed to this success. The traditional cornerstones of the requirements profile such as impact resistance, stiffness and chemical resistance are increasingly being supplemented by demands for purity, sustainability and recyclability. Consequently, the continuous development seen in both material and pipe design has brought additional benefits to the members of the value chain and to a sustainable society. The first generation of PP with higher modulus PP was introduced in 1998 and provided a major step forward with an optimized balance of the stiffness-impact properties. A few years later, this product was improved and an E-modulus of 1700 MPa was achieved, representing the first PP-HM to meet the requirements set in the modified EN1852 standard in 2002 (which was adjusted based on the development of this new class of polypropylenes). The journey has continued and this paper reflects on the recently introduced next generation PP for underground drainage and sewage. It presents the first PP-HM with an E-modulus of above 2000 MPa, achieved without the use of fillers, meeting and exceeding the requirements set in the recently - again - modified EN1852. Recent developments of PP for non-pressure pipe applications are reviewed demonstrating the contribution of PP systems to sustainable waste water management and to the reduction of material and energy consumption throughout the various stages of production, transportation and use. Is this the end of polypropylene development for sustainable underground sewage and drainage or just the beginning? An outlook on the next development steps for PP is presented.
Related papers
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) : Sverre Tragethon, Martin Andersson
Global mega trends push for investments in sewage treatment capacity & efficiency. A trend is to go for central regional treatment sites, typically remotely located from dense populated cities. This calls for high capacity pressure sewage transmission pipelines. Reliable operation is of course of paramount importance...
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) : Florian Arbeiter, Martin Ševčík, Gerald Pinter, Frank Andreas, Pavel Hutař
Multi-layer pipes made from polypropylene have been widely used in sewerage applications for several years. Due to good material properties and generally low mechanical loads not many critical failures occur. Aim of this work is to determine, whether slow crack growth, consisting of crack initiation and crack growth,...
Author(s) : 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...
Author(s) : Pavel Hutař, Martin Ševčík, Jaroslav Kučera, Michal Zouhar, Robin Luky, Luboš Náhlík
Using linear elastic fracture mechanics a new methodology for a lifetime assessment of internally pressurized polymer pipes was developed. The concept is based on the numerical calculation of stress intensity factors for pipes under different loading conditions in combination with experimentally determined creep crack...
Author(s) : Benjamin Baudrit, Dietmar Kraft, Martin Bastian and Peter Heidemeyer
In 2008, the Sueddeutsche Kunststoff-Zentrum (SKZ), a testing and R&D plastics institute based in Wuerzburg (Germany), began in cooperation with the company WIDOS, a welding machine manufacturer based in Ditzingen (Germany), to develop a testing device for establishing the mechanical properties of joints executed by...
Author(s) : Barresi, Ek
The underground installation in Canicattì Municipality in Sicily is a combined sewerage and rainwater system of a very specific design. The complete system is manufactured by Simplast using a new generation PP material and the Weholite spiral wound pipe solution licensed from KWH Pipe. The design meets the range of...
Author(s) : Scheelen, Tauber, Berndtson, Lackner, Bertrand, Bilda
Founded on February 24, 1999, the PE100+ Association is an industry organisation of several polyethylene (PE) manufacturers whose objective is to guarantee consistent quality at the highest level in the production and use of PE 100 pipe material. The authors describe the current situation in terms of European...
Author(s) : Berthold, Boehm, Enderle, Lackner, Lilge, Schulte
The new generation pipe materials PE 100 are now well positioned in the market because of their unusual combination of mechanical properties. Major advantages are high resistance versus slow crack growth combined with superior stiffness. These new PE 100 resins show very high long term hydrostatic strength for...
Author(s) : EK
The new generation PP-B (Stiff PP), first introduced in 1998 for underground drainage and sewerage, is primarily based on a combination of a unique stiffness/impact property balance, low specific weight, good long-term properties and excellent chemical resistance. This paper gives the status of what has been achieved...
Author(s) : Martin Deters
Members of the Association
