Our site uses cookies necessary for its proper functioning. To improve your experience, other cookies may be used: you can choose to disable them. This can be changed at any time via the Cookies link at the bottom of the page.


PE technical guidance
HDPE Pipe technical guidance (High quality Polyethylene Pipes)
 

What is the typical design life of PE pipe ?

Quick access

PE pipe systems are usually designed by our customers based on empirical and actual test data on the basis of a 50 year service life.
Under normal operating conditions the actual life is expected to be considerably greater.

Plastic pipes are made from visco-elastic material which means the tensile or hoop stress capacity varies with time. Long term strength is determined by the results of long-term pressure testing and performing regression analysis on the test data. This gives the design stress of the material for the service life, and hence maximum operating pressure. This method takes into account the creep of the material over its design life.

To obtain the regression curve, laboratory tests are normally carried out on pipe samples subjected to a range of internal pressures, and hence pipe stresses, at 20°C, 60°C and 80°C. The test regime is designed to obtain burst test results at intervals from one hour to more than 10,000 hours (approximately 14 months). Regression analysis is carried out on the test results to predict the long term strength at 50 years and 20°C.

The hydraulic test method for pipes is stipulated in ISO 1167-1/2:2006. The regression analysis should be in accordance with ISO 9080:2003

PE100 material has a 50 year Minimum Required Strength (MRS) of 10 MPa. In practice however the actual strength is greater than the design strength and hence the expected resulting service lifetimes are greatly in excess of the nominal 50-year requirement when the pipe is operating within its design envelope.

References

  • ISO 1167-1:2006, Thermoplastics pipes, fittings and assemblies for the conveyance of fluids - Determination of the resistance to internal pressure - Part 1: General method
  • ISO 1167-2:2006, Thermoplastics pipes, fittings and assemblies for the conveyance of fluids - Determination of the resistance to internal pressure - Part 2: Preparation of pipe test pieces
  • ISO 9080:2003 Plastic piping and ducting systems – Determination of the long-term hydrostatic strength of thermoplastic materials in pipe form by extrapolation
  • ISO 13761:1996 Plastics pipes and fittings - Pressure reduction factors for polyethylene pipeline systems for use at temperatures above 20° C

Related keywords : pe pipe, hdpe pipe life expectancy, design pipe, pipe life, polyethylene lifespan, pipelife fittings, hdpe life expectancy, pipe life expectancy, pipes design, pipe pe, design pipes

Last update Thursday 31 May 2018

What factors can influence the design or service lifetime?

The service lifetime is influenced by five factors: The pipe operating conditions (temperature and pressure) The pipe material used External pipe loading (traffic loading, high water table, etc.) The surrounding environment, including the chemical loading from, for example, contaminated soil. Installation conditions and methods As an example, for design purposes the MRS is specified at a nominal temperature of 20°C. Many buried pipelines, particularly in Europe, operate at temperatures...

What is the meaning of the designations PE80 and PE100?

PE80 and PE100 meaning The designations PE80 and PE100 are based on the long-term strength of the respective materials, known as the minimum required strength (MRS) in accordance with ISO 12162. The designations are: Material Designation Minimum Required Strength (MRS)MPa PE100 10.0 PE80 8.0 Minimum Required Strength (MRS) The MRS is determined by performing regression analysis in accordance with ISO 9080 on the test data from the results of long-term pressure testing. The regression analysis...


Members of the Association

BOREALISBOROUGEFormosa Plastics CorporationHanwha TotalEnergiesINEOS O&PIRPCKorea Petrochemical IND. Co., LTD (KPIC)LyondellBasellPetroChina Dushanzi Petrochemical CompanyPRIME POLYMERSABICSCG Chemicals & Thai PolyethyleneSinopecTASNEE
TOP