Paul van Doesburg, Berend Stel, Rob Spekreijse
Papers # 2016 Berlin
PVC-O is the accepted pipe solution for the future. Worldwide, more and more countries go in the direction of PVC-O. The main applications for PVC-O at this moment are potable water, wastewater, irrigation and gas.
PVC-O is produced for many years from the 80’s until 2007 the sizes were in majority small (mainly 90-315 mm), the couplers were iron based and the pressure classes were PN 10- PN16. Especially the last 5 years developments are changing this. The pressure class 25 becomes more common, the sizes go standard up to 630 mm (24”) and couplers, bends and fittings are developed in PVC-O to get “all-PVC-O” solutions, necessary in certain countries and markets. Also the lengths of the individual pipe increases to get less couplers, bends preventing possible leakage but most important, longer pipes result in much lower installation costs. Some of these developments make the replacement from steel by PVC-O more attractive. The steel pipe industry standards can be met by the higher pressure class PN 25, bigger sizes fit the installed DI and CI pipe sizes 200 -630 mm (8-24”) and longer pipe because the installed pipe lengths of steel are mostly to the steel standard of 12 or 20 meters and there is a preference in that length size by the installers.
Using PVC-O now for many decades, it is known what are the major possible problems installing PVC-O pipe. We have to prevent these issues attacking the DI en CI steel pipe business at this moment. The DI and CI steel market is well developed and no mistakes can be made. For that reason strength, specification, quality must be guaranteed in the production of PVC-O pipe as well as the quality of the couplers, bends and fittings.
At this moment PVC-O is accepted in the America’s, some European countries, some Asian Countries and Australia. Rule of thumb is almost in all these countries that when you have more than 2 suppliers of PVC-O pipe, the market will be developed. Reason is the larger infrastructural projects, controlled by local or national governments. That are the projects, the steel pipe market looks into and we can help PVC-O develop in that direction..
