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.


Plastic Interior Fuel Gas Piping Systems: Now or Never?

 

Posters

Plastic Pipes Conference Association # 2010 Vancouver

Robert Torbin

The home building industry has been focused on keeping the price of new housing “affordable” to the majority of American consumers. This market mantra has, to some degree, affected the quality of new construction. In the area of piping technology, there has been a notable movement away from metallic piping systems to either pure plastic or composite materials. This trend can be seen in the changes to the following piping systems :

• Sanitary drains: cast iron to plastic
• Plumbing vents: cast iron to plastic
• Potable water: copper to PEX
• Radiant heating: copper to PEX
• Underground natural gas service: steel to plastic

In a paper entitled “Reduction of the Installation Costs for Domestic Gas Appliances” [ref 1], the author attempts to establish a relationship between new energy efficiency standards and their impact on the number of gas appliances installed and the cost of installing the gas service. As the number of gas appliances (per living unit) declines and/or the amount of gas consumption declines (because of higher efficiencies), the cost of the piping installation becomes a major factor affecting the choice of fuel. In other words, if the cost of installing the gas piping is too high (compared to the operating savings of only a few natural gas appliances), the consumer will choose electricity over gas to reduce the initial cost of buying the home. The paper goes on to explore the cost benefits of replacing conventional steel or copper piping with PEX-AL-PEX tubing for the interior distribution of gas. The paper concludes that switching to non-metallic piping systems will help reduce the installation costs of future gas piping systems and should be actively considered for use (assuming that all safety issues can be satisfactorily addressed).

There are composite piping systems already commercially available that are being utilized in the global housing markets. These PEX-AL-PEX products are currently used in many North American homes for non-fuel gas applications such as water distribution. In addition, the use of composite tubing for fuel gas distribution in other countries may prompt these suppliers to consider expanding into the North American fuel gas market. However, there are many institutional obstacles that can significantly inhibit this process if not properly addressed through national codes and standards. This paper addresses the potential for and the institutional obstacles blocking the introduction of PEX-AL-PEX tubing products into the North American fuel gas market.

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

Related papers

2018 Las-Vegas : Polyolefin pipes in the middle east- today and tomorrow

Author(s) : Robert Lawrence, Mohana Murali

The paper covers the growth of the polyethylene pipe sector in the Middle East from the 90s to the present. The initial slow uptake was related to ignorance of the material properties from the end users through to designers and installers. Recently the Middle East has become a world leader in the use of ever larger...

2016 Berlin : 21 years of pipeline training - The lessons learnt

Author(s) : Robert LeHunt

Nationally moderated and approved competency training Units and Qualifications have been established in Australia for plastics pipes within an overall Plastics Industry Training Package. Delivery of such Units over a 21 year period has contributed to a greater understanding of various plastics pipes materials,...

2016 Berlin : Large diameter HDPE sliplining - where experience matters

Author(s) : Luis Aguiar, Rafael Ortega, Robert J. Card

With the infrastructure aging and having to be extended beyond its useful life, the need for municipalities and governmental agencies to do more with less funding is even greater! As such, over the last several years, the use of HDPE for sliplining has increased in its use. Most recently, the use of HDPE for...

2016 Berlin : Mechanical stabilization of rigid PVC compositions

Author(s) : Thomas C. Pedersen, Robert R. Kwapisz

This paper presents rheological data on simple rigid PVC compositions lubricated paraffin wax, calcium stearate, and oxidized polyethylene wax. These three materials comprise the most widely used lubricant system for rigid PVC in North America. The influence of certain paraffin wax characteristics will be discussed....

2014 Chicago : Easy Branches : Avoid Pressure Derating for Fabricated Tees in Your Pipe System

Author(s) : Robert Eckert

New types of saddle fittings enable convenient and economic ways of installing branches or vents on PE pipes. In conjunction with a gate valve, branches can even be installed without disrupting service, by "hot tapping" the main pipe. In addition, pipes with localized damage such as excessively deep scratches or...

2014 Chicago : Introducing PO Pipes into the Middle East – Rising to the Technical Challenges

Author(s) : Robert J Lawrence

In the Middle East the environment is exceptionally aggressive for all pipe systems due to the high temperatures, the high groundwater table and the very saline soils. This obviously makes metallic pipes and cement based pipes high risk options but it also poses challenges for polyolefin (PO). In this paper the...

2012 Barcelona : Jointing of large bore PE pipes

Author(s) : Eckert Robert

A New Generation of Electrofusion : A technical comparison between the new wedge coupler and the traditional cylindrical coupler for PE pipes d1000 (40”) and above. FRIATEC has developed a totally new concept of electrofusion jointing method for large bore PE pipes, d1000 mm (40”) and above. The new method completely...

Members of the Association

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