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.


New Opportunities for New Pipes

 

New Products

Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 1995 Edinburgh

Stafford

This paper is conceived as a review of current trends in the market and in the technology for thermoplastic pressure pipes. The application of any technical development depends on that subtle combination of the pull of needs and the push of new ideas. For more than 25 years British Gas has been actively involved in both - as a specifier and large scale purchaser it has exerted considerable pull on this industry and, through its R&T work it has pushed many new developments to fruition. The company was one of the first to wholeheartedly embrace the use of polyethylene for renewal and extension of its low pressure distribution network. From that position of leadership it is now in a primary position to recognise the maturity of this technology and face the reduction of market opportunity that must occur as it begins to consolidate and complete the modernisation of its pipeline system. Such market maturity is inevitable and only the timing of changes in product demand is an issue. The restructuring of the UK gas industry, in response to regulatory pressure, has coincided with a pre-existing trend for plastic gas pipe usage to plateau and then down-turn. Whilst there is some growth potential in the UK water pipe market and enormous growth potential in infrastructural developments of gas and water supplies world-wide, it is perhaps not too soon for marketeers and research workers to look beyond present techno-economic horizons and attempt to anticipate new areas of application and the technologies they will demand. 

A further objective of this paper is to stimulate the technical contributors within the plastics pipes community to address problems beyond the use of conventional PE or PVC pressure pipe. The "Plastics Pipes" series of conferences continues to attract high quality papers and presentations reflecting the strengths of, and the support for, research and development. However, in comparing the more recent conferences with the earlier ones it is possible to trace some narrowing of research interests into topics dominated by the high investment of the gas and water utilities. This is a natural result of their position as major customers and their generous sponsorship of R&D but this focused interest ought not to risk neglecting the seed corn of newer and wider applications. The tendency is also reflected in the on-going efforts that are being committed to securing European and International Standards. Surely there is no historic parallel with the scale of international technical co-operation devoted to the creation, consideration, and  review of standards literature, that has been operating for the last five years or so. In the past, standards documentation evolved slowly as a natural adjunct to trade. Now, practically every technically capable contributor in Europe seems to be enmeshed in standards generation. The work is necessary and, eventually, much benefit will accrue from the free, competitive markets made possible; but there is a price consequent upon the deflection of effort away from new materials and product development. Standards, by their nature, defend a technological status quo and so we should also take steps to encourage fertile minds to think beyond such confines, in the interest of longer term progress. 

Please note that the whole article content is available on PPCA website only :

Related papers

2016 Berlin : Asset management of polyethylene gas networks

Author(s) : Ian Aldridge, Declan Robinson, Dave Smart, Chris Reed, Martyn, Greig, Trevor Stafford, David Christie-Lowe, Alec Erskine

For the UK polyethylene (PE) gas pipe network, the first installations now exceed 40 years in the ground, with an original design life of 50 years. It was thus timely to review the current condition and performance history of these first generation PE materials. A major 4 year project was started in 2010 to examine...

2006 Washington DC : A Novel Approach to PE Pipe Insertion Using Four-Lobe Vacuum Collapse

Author(s) : Ewing, Greig, Stafford

Funded by a UK government “Smart” Award, the authors have researched, and partially developed, a novel concept for temporarily reducing the external diameter of a PE pipe and then allowing recovery to full diameter as a close fit within a host main. The novelty lies in the four-lobed collapsed pipe geometry, which...

2006 Washington DC : Development of Large Diameter Multi-Pipe Bundles for Long Distance No-Dig Installations

Author(s) : Bircumshaw, Orchard, Kenworthy, Stafford

Funded by a UK government “SMART” award, the authors have explored the design options and practical solutions for installing large diameter multiple pipe ducts over very long distances. The work has involved consideration of the groundwork problems of microtunnelling or directional drilling at up to 1.5m (60ins)...

2001 Munich : The Challenge and Opportunity of High Voltage Cable Pipes

Author(s) : Stafford, Bircumshaw

The very high costs of underground electrical power transmission preclude its widespread usage even where social and environmental concerns make it highly desirable. This paper examines the technologies of below ground alternatives to overhead power lines and identifies the opportunities for introducing pipeline...

1995 Edinburgh : Fusion Welding of Crosslinked PE

Author(s) : Ovington, Stafford

This paper summarises a comprehensive study examining the factors which influence the weldability of crosslinked polyethylene W E ) whilst gaining an understanding of the nature ofjoints at a molecular level. Butt welding of XLPE to XLPE was investigated using both chemical @eroxide)and radiation crosslinked PE. The...

1985 York : PE Jointing Techniques

Author(s) : Maine, Stafford

Since 1969, when polyethylene pipe systems were first used to distribute gas in the U.K., the vast majority of joints have been constructed using heated tool fusion techniques. The jointing processes involved require a high level of operator participation. The paper describes the development of fusion jointing...

In Field Quality Control of Fusion Jointing Methods

Author(s) : Stafford, Maine

Members of the Association

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