Papers
Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2018 Las-Vegas
Ali Al Hammadi, Shane R. Schuessler, Mohamed Ali Awadh Jaber
This paper presents the advancements of HDPE piping materials, design and installation for use in ASME Class 3 piping systems at nuclear power plants. The paper will specifically introduce details of the first ever ASME Class III nuclear new build use of Class 3 HDPE pipe and fittings at the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (ENEC) Barakah Nuclear Power Plant near Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
Global nuclear power plants have relied on buried metallic piping systems since the first commercial plants built in the 1950’s. Corrosion, leaks, and expensive replacement has been the eminent path for many of these metallic piping systems. In the early 2000’s, several nuclear power plant owners decided to alter the buried pipe paradigm by considering plastic pipe as an alternative to metallic piping systems. Their goal was to reduce piping material and installation costs while ensuring safety and performance for the operating life of the plants. Since the HDPE piping systems would be installed in nuclear safety-related systems, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) formed committees to develop rules for installing high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe in ASME BPVC Section III (new build) and Section XI (repair/replacement) Class 3 piping systems.
Three nuclear power plants have used HDPE in ASME Class 3 piping systems where the most recent project took place at the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation’s Barakah Nuclear Power Plant located in the United Arab Emirates. This paper will provide an overview of the procurement requirements and installation for this project’s Essential Service Water Discharge system consisting of 21,000 feet (6,480 meters) of 36-inch HDPE pipe. Discussion topics include:
- HDPE source material (pre-compounded PE100/PE4710 resin) requirements including testing for slow crack growth resistance, HDPE's primary failure mechanism
- Design and installation challenges faced due to the extreme desert conditions
- Fusion joint welding highlighting the joint integrity validation methods used specific to the project including ultrasonic non-destructive examination.
This paper will conclude with a brief synopsis of the evolution of HDPE pipe within the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, which now provides nuclear power plant owners around the world with a clear path to installing safety-related HDPE piping systems.
Related papers
Author(s) : Ajay Taraiya, Peter Degenhart, Mark Boerakker
In PPXX, a technology was presented for the first time that could bi-axially orient polyolefin pipes. With this technology, it is possible to prepare pipes that have a performance far beyond the standard ones. One approach to achieving this performance is via a continuous in-line process. To optimize the in-line...
Author(s) : Olivera Bilic, Vivek Rohatgi, Brody Peterson, David Hukill
Demand for conduit pipe is expected to surge globally due to rapid industrialization and urbanization in residential and commercial sectors. Just in the U.S., according to Market Research analysis, expected growth of the plastic conduit pipe market is at a CAGR of more than 5% over the next ten years. In response to...
Author(s) : Yi Zhong, Qianshi Ma, Haihua Yu
BSTRACT The residential district adopts central heating for low temperature radiators system. Due to the disrepair of the secondary heating pipe network that pipe from heat exchange station to user entrance, the running, leaking, dripping and leakage are serious, and the accidents occur frequently. The heat...
Author(s) : Shawn R Coombs, PE
Pipelines through embankments should be designed to withstand extreme weather-related events and everyday stressors. As extreme weather-related events are on the rise because of climate change, it is important to ensure proper design, construction, and inspection practices are understood and executed. This paper...
Author(s) : Amster Howard
This paper explores the use of a composite soil stiffness as a valuable design tool to consider when a pipeline traverses through poor soil conditions. Thermoplastic pipe are flexible pipe and require good soil support at the sides of the pipe to minimize deflection. However, sometimes the trench walls are weak soils...
Author(s) : Michael O’Rourke
The required wall thickness for a fully fused HDPE water main subject to an earthquake induced lateral spread is addressed in this paper. The water main is assumed to be buried via cut and cover (i.e., open cut with typical burial depths in the 2 to 15 feet range) procedures and any laterals have small diameters. For...
Author(s) : James F. Mason, Akshay Ponda, Hermann van Laak, Tobias Bauer
The long-term strength of unplasticized polyamide 12 (PA-U12) has been characterized using standard methods for plastic pressure pipe during the qualification process for use in buried piping systems for natural gas delivery operating at low ambient temperatures, usually less than 20 to 30°C at pressures...
Author(s) : Sunwoong Choi, Robert Stakenborghs , Pyeongan Lee, Byoungho Choi
This work developed a hydro-axial tension (HAT) test as a whole pipe axial tensile test and applied to evaluate the polyethylene (PE) pipe and fusion joints containing various flaws. HAT test was designed to utilize hydrostatic pressure to cause axial tension in pipes. The experimental and numerical analysis was...
Author(s) : Norbert Jansen
A practical requirement of temperature resistance of minimum 50 years at 70°C was established for the extra high voltage (EHV) corridor projects in Germany. Experts have debated what tests are best suited to prove the suitability of a pipe resin for cable protection pipes which may be installed hastily and under...
Author(s) : Jacob John, Suresh Shenoy, Patrik Roseen
Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipes continue to gain popularity in plumbing and indoor climate applications around the globe. This study focuses on increasing the sustainability of PEX pipes by utilizing recycled PEX and production waste streams into PEX production. Different methods available for recycling and the...
Author(s) : Aisha Khaleel, Suleyman Deveci, Sulistiyanto Nugroho, Fatima AlHameli
The use of polyethylene pipes in transportation networks of pressurized water and gas have shown superb performance over the history. High density, high-molecular-weight, and bi-modal polyethylene materials, known as PE80, PE100 and PE100RC, have successfully served the market for many years in standard applications....
Author(s) : Jiyong Park, JaeHyuck Han, YoungGu Kim, Eunjin Park
This study investigates the influence of various parameters on polymer design to determine the slow crack growth. HDPE(High Density Polyethylene) materials with different molecular weight distribution and comonomer content for PE100-RC pipe were investigated with cracked round bar test. The cracked round bar test...
Author(s) : Michael Pluimer, Christian Herrild, Patrick Vibien
With enhanced interest in a circular economy and the potential use of recycled HDPE within HDPE conduit, a research project was undertaken to investigate the necessary technical requirements when using recycled HDPE. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) conduit is a durable product designed to protect cables...
Author(s) : Mitsuaki TOKIYOSHI, Yutaka SAWADA, Yasuhiko OTSUKI, Kensei INOUE, Takashi KURIYAMA, Toshinori KAWABATA
Polyethylene reinforced with short glass fibres (PE-sGF) pipe, manufactured by combining short fiber glass (sGF) with PE100 as a reinforcing material, has a higher pipe rigidity in the pipe circumferential direction than that of PE100 because of the reinforcing effect of the reinforcing material and a performance...
Author(s) : Kevin White, Shad Sargand
The current standard of practice for the installation of agricultural mains is in accordance with ASTM F449, Standard Practice for Subsurface Installation of Corrugated Polyethylene Pipe for Agricultural Drainage or Water Table Control. ASTM F449 has several limitations. Currently, the allowable maximum height of...
Author(s) : Rafael A. García-Muñoz, Rafael Juan, Mónica de la Cruz, Beatriz Paredes, Carlos Domínguez
Plastics are widely used in various industries, resulting in the generation of significant amounts of plastic waste, which causes environmental and economic problems. Although mechanical recycling is the most commonly employed technology, the resulting recyclates often suffer from degradation and contamination. This...
Author(s) : Carine Lacroix, Philippe Louvel, Danielle Mark, Dominique Gueugnaut
A test program was carried out on two Polyamide resins, Polyamide 11 (PA11) and Polyamide 12 (PA12), both certified for gas networks. Polyamide’s advantage lies in its implementation, similar to that of polyethylene, and its properties allowing it to operate at up to 18 bar for gas, all other conditions being equal....
Author(s) : Shane Schuessler, Richard Coombs, Mohamed Hageb, Abdullah Saber, Grigorios Vigellis, Chandra Basavaraju
Bordered by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo sits Lake Kivu, an African Great Lake formed along the East African Rift. Lake Kivu is one of the world’s deepest freshwater lakes and contains enormous quantities of dissolved carbon dioxide and methane gas held at depths greater than 1100 feet (350 meters)....
Author(s) : Nayib Joussef, Chris Zenthoefer, Sergio Vaccaro
Butt fusion of HDPE pipe has long been shown to be an extremely beneficial process in producing leak-free, monolithic piping systems. Continued growth of the Chilean mining sector has necessitated a substantial increase in polyethylene pipe sizes and wall thicknesses, with diameters well beyond 630 mm up to 2m...
Author(s) : Chantz Denowh, Robert Stakenborghs, Liang Yu
The use of spoolable reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) technologies in the onshore oil and gas industry has expanded significantly over the past decade. It is anticipated that interest will only continue to grow as oil and gas operators transition to transporting alternative fuels such as hydrogen and carbon...
Members of the Association
