Papers
Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2014 Chicago
Doug Seargeant, P. Eng.
Many utilities experience problems related to corrosion of buried metallic components of their water distribution systems. In seeking non-metallic alternatives to solve these problems, questions concerning the life expectancy of these alternatives are often raised. This paper describes testing of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) pipe material after being in service for more than 25 years in Edmonton. The first use of PVC water main pipe manufactured to AWWA C900 in the City of Edmonton occurred in 1977. The increasing rate of water main failure in the cast iron water main material used previously in the distribution system led the water utility to seek a non-metallic alternative. This initial installation in 1977 quickly led to PVC becoming the material of choice for water distribution piping used for replacement of the deteriorating cast iron piping system as well as for installations in newly developing areas of the city. By the end of 2013, the length of PVC pipe in the City of Edmonton water distribution system was over 1, 600 kilometres (1,000 miles) representing 47% of the total length of pipe in the water distribution system. In 1994, a study was undertaken to review the City of Edmonton’s experience with respect to the performance of PVC pipe over time and to assess the integrity of material which had been in service for 17 years. In 2005, the decision was made to revisit the methodology used in the 1994 study and look at PVC pipe that had been in service for at least 25 years. This paper summarizes the findings in those studies and provides additional information on EPCOR’s water distribution system in Edmonton.
Related papers
Author(s) : Donald Swen, Leanne Pichay, Nicholas Vallin, Alice Wu, Jim Johnston
In the rural commune of Ait Bayoud, Morocco, two of the most remote villages in the area, Ilguiloda and Izgouaren, live with water scarcity. To meet their water needs, women and children walk several kilometers to the nearest spring each day, often multiple times a day. Consequently, children cannot attend school...
Author(s) : Andreas Moerman, Flip van der Valk, Mirjam Blokker KWR, Tjakko Haaijer, Jan Vreeburg,
Drinking water companies with ageing networks are facing vast amounts of drinking water network reconstructions during the coming decades. This development coincides with the energy transition, which puts pressure on the available space underground. These external drivers give drinking water companies an opportunity...
Author(s) : Bruce Mowry, PhD, P.E., Brian Dorwart, P.G., P.E., David Mancini, Bryan Fletcher, Roger Williams, P.E., Rene Brito, EIT, Arnelio Alfonso, P.E .
The City of Miami Beach owns and operates a 54-inch sanitary sewage PCCP force main (FM) that was built in 1977. This FM is the only transmission pipeline for conveying about 22 million gallons per day (MGD) of raw sewage to the wastewater treatment plant. In 2012, the City identified structural deficiencies in the...
Author(s) : Paul J. Freudenthaler, Joerg Fischer, Mathias Eder, Reinhold W. Lang
For controlled water disinfection, typically chlorine is used and preliminary studies demonstrate its aging and crack growth acceleration effects on polyolefin pipe materials [1, 2]. Although the use of recycled plastics is not prohibited in some ISO standards for polyolefin piping systems [3–5], only small amounts...
Author(s) : Greg Scoby, PE
This paper will detail the steps taken during adoption of HDPE for potable water systems improvements including material justification, creation of related specifications, investigation of available piping components, qualification of contractors and the construction/inspection of related systems. The City of...
Author(s) : Eng. Grigorios Vigellis, Eng. Mohamed Hageb
Continuous development and innovation in the production of plastic pipes made by high density polyethylene (HDPE) has enabled the industry to produce much larger diameter systems than ever believed possible. The enablers for production of such large plastic pipes are three main pillars: continuous innovation...
Author(s) : Jennifer Ravereau, Jose Teixeira Pinto, Malena Bernabeu, Jose Alacid, Jean-Philippe Le Goff, Frederic Mohier, Benjamin Rabaud
Drinking water network fittings such as valves are made of brass materials known to be robust over long periods. Due to the gradual inflation metallic raw material costs, composite plastic valves have grown in market share. Uncertainties remain, however, on their long-term reliability. The aim of this work is to...
Author(s) : C. Losher and P.V. Mercea
In the framework of the German Environmental Agency (UBA) requirements of plastic articles in contact with drinking water (KTW-BWGL-guideline), the compliance is verified by comparing so-called “expected concentrations at tap”, C tap , of substances contained in the plastics with specific limits in drinking water...
Author(s) : Lukas Travnicek, Pavel Hutar, Jan Poduska, Andreas Frank, Florian Arbeiter, Jaroslav Kucera, Jiri Sadilek, Gerald Pinter, Lubos Nahlik
The application of recycled material in pressure piping systems has been considered lately – it was suggested, that the recycled polyethylene could be used as a part of a multilayer pipe together with virgin material. This type of pressure pipes is not availableon the market yet, so their properties can be only...
Author(s) : Yoshikatsu NISHIDA, Yukihisa YAMADA, Masaya IWASAKI, Masaru TOMOBE, Yuichi KOUGA
By using polyethylene as the main material for this fire extinguishing device pipe, a resin-made fire extinguishing device is developed that is maintenance-free for eight years and can cope with the abnormal heat generation of lithium ion batteries. In order to prevent the internal extinguishant from permeating and...
Author(s) : Alex Stolarz, Klaus Grønnegaard Lauridsen
Low temperature District Heating – COOL DH – addresses the challenges of the upcoming decades in the energy sector for new housing developments. Energy efficiency is an important aspect of modern building construction. Improved building insulation and other technologies result in lower heat demand and enable new...
Author(s) : Ulrich Schulte, Dr. -Ing. Joachim Hessel
In order to protect the Austrian lakes effectively against the discharge of effluent, a 13 km long pressure pipeline made of high density polyethylene was laid on the bottom of Lake Ossiach back in 1971. The DN355 to DN200 pipes were produced from a first generation HDPE-compound. The classification would have been...
Author(s) : Xinwen Yu, Aimin Xiang, Dongyu Fang, Peck Tze Kang, Jinghui Li
The Chinese PE water pipe market has developed significantly in recent years and particularly over the last 12 months. Against a background of water scarcity and growing urbanization, this evolving market has grown significantly in both size and quality awareness. On the back of past experiences, a fundamental...
Author(s) : Dr Ruediger Liske, Dr Tobias Eltze, Dr Tania Weyland, Marie-Laure Bertet
The migration of NIAS (Non-Intentionally Added Substances) into potable water is a recurring topic for the distribution of cold and warm drinking water and related materialsindustry. These substances are chemical compounds that are present in drinking water contact materials but have not been added during the...
Author(s) : Amster Howard
Deeper pipe burial, less expensive and environmentally friendly backfill, uniform language for contractors and inspectors, simplified installations for smaller pipe, and allowable construction in poor soil conditions are highlights in the latest edition of AWWA M55 and all benefit the users of HDPE pressure pipe. This...
Author(s) : Steven Folkman
A recent survey again confirms that PVC pipe has the lowest break rate when compared with break rates of ductile and cast iron, asbestos cement, steel, and concrete pipe. Other results of interest to water utilities and engineers are discussed. During 2017, Utah State University conducted a survey of utilities across...
Author(s) : Davidovski Zoran
To get a deeper insight in why plastic pipes systems in some cases are deselected by designers, installers and users, European Plastics Pipes and Fittings Association (TEPPFA) initiated a research including interviews in four pilot countries: Poland, France, Germany and the UK. The first phase was concentrating on...
Author(s) : Joerg Fischer, Paul J. Freudenthaler, Patrick R. Bradler, Reinhold W. Lang, Susan C. Mantell
This research addresses the effect of nucleation on the global aging behavior and the fatigue crack growth (FCG) resistance of commercial alpha- and beta-nucleated polypropylene random copolymer pipe grades (PP-R) when exposed to chlorinated water (5 mg/l free chlorine) at an elevated temperature of 60°C. Comparing...
Author(s) : Joerg Fischer, Patrick R. Bradler, Reinhold W. Lang
In the present paper, a novel test system for conducting fatigue crack growth (FCG) experiments under superimposed mechanical-environmental conditions is presented. FCG experiments were performed on a polypropylene (PP) grade and a short-glass fiber reinforced polyamide 66 (PA-GF) grade as model materials. The...
Author(s) : Ilari Aho, Volker Meyer, Peter Sejersen
The lack of a cross-border acceptance of the approval of the hygienic requirements for plastic pipes systems is inefficient and expensive for the industry. The costs for testing of a pipe system range from a few thousand Euro to more than €30k /reference 3, 4/. The European Plastic Pipe and Fitting Association...