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Note From The Editor |
Greetings,
Polyethylene (PE) pipe is not a new product in the United States, or even the rest of the world. In Europe, it is the piping material of choice for water, sewer and gas distribution systems. In the United States, about 90 percent of new gas distribution installations are made with PE pipe. The pipe’s notoriety has been growing domestically in the sewer and potable water markets as well. In the last 50 years alone, PE pipe has been used extensively in industrial markets, for use in mining, dredging, landfills, chemical plants, bypass systems and other functions. The more demanding the application, the more PE pipe gets selected for the job.
The nuclear power industry has been using the pipe material in non-safety related service water applications for a few years. Some of the inherent features of PE pipe are paramount to the success of the nuclear plant’s operation, including PE’s resistance to chemicals, corrosion and its ability to create a leak-free system. Lately, a code case was submitted and published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Section (N755) for the use of PE piping systems in “safety-related” service water applications. One of America’s power plants has already put in 45,000 feet of 36-inch DR17 non-safety related service water piping and has begun safety-related installations with 2,000 feet of 36-inch DR9 pipe. The plant is in the process of replacing most of their existing service water piping systems with PE. Another nuclear plant has 20,000 feet of non-safety related service water piping installed and is in process of adding safety-related water piping.
The water used on a nuclear power plant site has several different uses. For instance, the safety-related service water system supplies cooling water to systems and components necessary for the plant’s safety during normal operation and under accident conditions, should they occur. The system’s safety components have to meet the demand of strenuous design codes, the possibility of seismic activity and other considerations. As for the non-safety service water systems, a nuclear plant must engineer a piping system that supplies water for various cooling functions, including cooling for the main generator, main generator hydrogen coolers, various chiller units and other parts of the cooling process.
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To understand why the nuclear power industry is moving to PE pipe for their safety-related and non-safety piping needs, it is important to review and understand why PE is the pipe material of choice for many industries.
PE pipe is joined by heat fusion - Pipe fusion is a widely accepted process that joins two pieces of thermoplastic pipe together with heat and pressure. The butt fusion process starts by “facing” or shaving the pipe ends simultaneously so that they can be joined together with heat to create a continuous, sealed pipeline. The fusing of the pipes is accomplished by using a heater in contact with the pipe ends, which heats the plastic to a molten state. Then, after its removal, the ends are pressed together under a controlled force to form a joint that is as strong as or stronger than the pipe itself. The process eliminates potential leak points every 10 to 20 feet, which is sometimes associated with the bell and spigot connections used in other piping materials.
PE pipe is flexible and fatigue resistant – PE pipe is capable of bending to a radius 25 times the pipe’s diameter. This eliminates many fittings required for directional changes in piping systems where fittings and thrust blocks or restraints are required with other piping materials. The flexibility of the pipe material makes it suited for areas with dynamic soil change, such as earthquake-prone areas. Also, the pipe can accept repetitive pressure surges that significantly exceed the pressure rating of the pipe.
PE pipe is corrosion and chemical resistant – PE pipe will not corrode, tuberculate or support biological growth. It’s because of that superior corrosion and chemical resistance that PE is becoming the pipe of choice in harsh chemical environments. While plastic pipes often share these qualities over their metal piping material counterparts, PE is the only plastic pipe material that uniquely combines these attributes with the aforementioned characteristics.
PE pipe has construction advantages – PE pipes’ flexibility and leak-free joint characteristics allow for unique, cost-effective installation methods that rigid piping materials simply can’t perform. Methods such as horizontal directional drilling, pipe bursting, sliplining, plow and plant, and submerging pipe save organizations considerable time and money. Ordering pipe for an application also offers options with pipe available in 50-foot straight lengths or coiled lengths of 1,000 feet on pipe up to 6 inches in diameter. Also, PE is one-eighth the density of steel, often requiring no heavy-lifting equipment to maneuver around a jobsite.
PE pipe is cost-effective and a permanent solution – Since PE pipe is leak-free, more savings are realized when resources are not lost through leaks. According to a study performed by Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), PE piping systems have the lowest life-cycle cost for potable water systems when compared to conventional piping materials.
PE pipe flow capacity doesn’t change – PE pipe has a smooth inner diameter that does not corrode or tuberculate over time. This helps the pipe maintain its flow capacity, which is a negative characteristic of some metal piping material.
With an industry as demanding as nuclear power accepting PE pipe, it is a wonder why more water systems across all industries are not looking at these same advantages to preserve critical natural resources. PE pipe’s installation advantages paired with no-leak characteristics, longer life-cycle and low maintenance costs make for a “green” piping system that is suited to not only nuclear power applications, but many of our water distribution problems in municipalities today. The PE pipe industry is ready and available to help the water market with pilot projects to prove PE pipe’s usefulness and resourcefulness.
Sincerely,
Jim Craig, P.E.
jcraig@mcelroy.com
About the Author…
Jim Craig, P.E., is the industry relations manager at McElroy Manufacturing. During his 35 years with McElroy, he has been involved in the design of pipe fusion equipment, training operators to use those products and developing industry standards for PE fusion.
P.S. – Do you have an interesting jobsite that you would like to share? McElroy is always looking for fusion websites where HDPE is being used and fused to solve an infrastructure problem. Contact Tyler Henning, public relations specialist at (918) 831-9286 or by email at thenning@mcelroy.com
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| Road Show Update |
The 2009 McElroy Road Show kicks off this month. McElroy will be visiting the following locations to show off our latest products. Discover new products that can improve your capabilities, and your bottom line. All events are scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Tuesday, April 21
2441 Mathis Road
Mansfield, TX 76063 |
Wednesday, April 22
2524 Minnis Drive
Haltom City, TX 76117 |
Friday, April 24
8181 Airport Blvd.
Houston, TX |
Monday, April 27
194 Hurricane Shoals
Lawrenceville, GA 30045 |
Wednesday, April 29
3839 Don Emerson Drive
Lakeland, FL |
Friday, May 1
8419 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC |
Monday, May 4
305 1st Street
Charleroi, PA 15022 |
Tuesday, May 5
1217 Salt Springs Road
Mineral Ridge, OH 44440 |
Thursday, May 7
4545-4549 Wetzel Road
Liverpool, NY |
Friday, May 8
23 Central Street
Moravia, NY 13118 |
Monday, May 11
66 Adams Blvd
Brantford, Ontario |
Tuesday, May 12
1150 Victory Drive
Howell, MI 48843 |
Wednesday, May 13
529-32nd Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49548 |
Friday, May 15
2702 N. Tibbs Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46222-2131 |
Monday, May 18
450 Fenton, Suite 902
West Chicago, IL 60185 |
Tuesday, May 19
W194 N11811 McCormick Drive
Germantown, WI 53022 |
Friday, May 22
9530 Fallen Ave. NE
Monticello, MN 55362 |
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If you would like to attend any of these road show stops, please visit www.mcelroy.com/roadshow to register online. |
| House passes water bill with billions for states |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill on Thursday that would dedicate $19.4 billion to water and wastewater infrastructure, including $13.8 billion for state's water funds over five years.
The legislation, which passed 317 to 101, also contains $2.5 billion in grants for addressing sewer overflows, $250 million for alternative water source projects, and $750 million for combating water pollution in the Great Lakes.
The bill would require states to provide principal forgiveness and negative-interest loans for water projects to low income communities.
The Senate must now take up the bill, which is a combination of five pieces of legislation that passed the House last year but stalled in the Senate.
Click here to read the entire story. |
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Dry Taps in Mexico City: A Water Crisis Gets Worse |
By Ioan Grillo
The reek of unwashed toilets spilled into the street in the neighborhood of unpainted cinder block houses. Out on the main road, hundreds of residents banged plastic buckets and blocked the path of irate drivers while children scoured the surrounding area for government trucks. Finally, the impatient crowd launched into a high-pitched chant, repeating one word at fever pitch: "Water, Water, Water!"
About five million people, or a quarter of the population of Mexico City's urban sprawl, woke up Thursday with dry taps. The drought was caused by the biggest stoppage in the city's main reservoir system in recent years to ration its depleting supplies. Government officials hope this and four other stoppages will keep water flowing until the summer rainy season fills the basins back up. But they warn that the Mexican capital needs to seriously overhaul its water system to stop an unfathomable disaster in the future.
Click here to read the entire story. |
| The Red Sea might save the Dead Sea |
By Douglas Hamilton
JERUSALEM, (Reuters) - Abundant water from the Red Sea could replenish the shrinking Dead Sea if Jordan, Israel and the Palestinians decide to commission a tunnel north through the Jordanian desert from the Gulf of Aqaba.
The Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance project would supply the biggest desalination plant in the world, running on its own hydro-electric power and providing Jordan with enough water for the next 40-50 years. Israel and the Palestinian West Bank would also benefit.
A decision on whether to go ahead could come by the end of next year and the likely cost would be in the region of 7 billion dollars.
"The idea of linking the Red Sea and the Dead Sea was first suggested by a British military engineer in the 1880s. That was for hydro-power. But the drivers today are water supply and saving the Dead Sea," said engineer David Meehan, who leads the study team for French consultants Coyne et Bellier.
Click here to read the entire story.
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| Copper prices have plumbers thinking plastic |
By Rosie Romero, Tucson Citizen
A few years ago, most of the plumbers I know would have recommended copper pipes for your home's plumbing because they're long-lasting and durable. Today, plenty of plumbers still swear by copper, and it's still the choice among homeowners and plumbers for about 85 percent of new home construction.
But it's not your only choice.
Plastic tubing is nipping at copper's heels as a plumbing favorite because copper has gotten so expensive. The price of lightweight plastic pipe, which includes an alphabet soup of variations, including PVC (polyvinyl chloride), ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) PE (polyethylene) and PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) is relatively stable. Plus it resists corrosion and is easy to work with.
Click here to read the entire story.
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| Earth Day Special |
In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we are highlighting two recent articles where HDPE was used to help the environment in unique ways. Although we know the benefits of HDPE on water infrastructure, HDPE pipe works wonders in landfills (collecting methane gas) and in geothermal heat exchange (HVAC use). Both of these uses benefit the environment and encourage a greener planet.
Earth's constant temperature another natural resource
By Bob Challinor, Desert Valley Times
The earth absorbs nearly half of the sun’s energy and is a storehouse that can be tapped for that renewable resource through a geo-exchange system.
A geo-exchange system draws stored energy from underground where the temperature is nearly constant – 69 degrees in Mesquite – to provide heating, cooling and hot water for homes and commercial buildings.
Dave and Kelly Charlton from Santa Clara-based Paxman Heating and Cooling taught Mesquite Energy Fair Subcommittee members the basics of geo-exchange systems Tuesday morning at city hall.
Click here to read the entire story.
One man’s trash, another’s energy
By Shari Sanger
By the end of the year, that bag of trash you put out on the curb could find its way back into your home — in the form of electricity.
Alliance Sanitary Landfill in Taylor and Ransom Township is partnering with UGI/Penn Natural Gas and PEI Power Corp. to convert methane gas from decomposing garbage into electricity to power 20,000 homes a year — a move lauded by government officials and environmental organizations.
Neither side would disclose how much they are investing in the project or discuss the financial agreements in place.
The state Department of Environmental Protection approved the plans on Thursday for the landfill to build a compressor and filtering station on-site to cleanse the gas and pump it into a 19-mile pipeline, which will stretch underground from the landfill to PEI Power’s co-generation plant in Archbald.
Click here to read the entire story.
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Alliance for PE Pipe |
The Alliance for PE Pipe is composed of leaders in the PE pipe industry who are committed to the advancement of polyethylene pipe in the municipal water industry. Their goal is to help the world realize the environmental benefits and long-term cost-effectiveness of using PE pipe. They are concerned over the state of water in the United States and want the industry to realize that PE pipe is the best choice for conserving water and protecting the environment.
The Alliance formed when it was realized that something had to be done about water loss and America’s failing water infrastructure. The Alliance for PE pipe is committed to a quality product that can help our people and our planet at the same time. When the going gets tough, the Alliance gets going.
Click here to visit the Alliance for PE Pipe. |
| Oil of the 21st Century |
As climate changes, is water the new oil?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If water is the new oil, is blue the new green?
Translation: if water is now the kind of precious commodity that oil became in the 20th century, can delivery of clean water to those who need it be the same sort of powerful force as the environmental movement in an age of climate change?
And, in another sense of green, is there money to be made in a time of water scarcity?
The answer to both questions, according to environmental activists watching a global forum on water, is yes.
The week-long meeting in Istanbul ends Sunday, which is International World Water Day, an annual United Nations event that began in 1993 to focus attention on sustainable management of fresh water resources.
Click here to read the entire story. |
US high-tech water future hinges on cost, politics
LOS ANGELES - Anyone who has visited Disneyland recently and taken a sip from a drinking fountain there may have unknowingly sampled a taste of the future -- a small quantity of water that once flowed through a sewer.
Orange County Water District officials say that's a good thing -- the result of a successful, year-old project to purify wastewater and pump it into the ground to help restore depleted aquifers that provide most of the local water supply.
The $481 million recycling plant, the world's largest of its kind, uses microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light and hydrogen peroxide disinfection to treat 70 million gallons (265 million liters) of sewer water a day, enough to meet the drinking needs of 500,000 people.
Click here to read the entire story. |
U.N. report predicts worsening freshwater supplies
Population growth, climate change and demand for greater food and energy supplies are squeezing global water supplies, according to a new U.N. report.
Water problems are often worst in developing countries, where water availability and prosperity are closely linked, says the report produced by 24 U.N. agencies and scheduled for official release.
The report warns that mismanagement of water supplies has created problems that are "enormous ... but not insurmountable" -- if major policy shifts are made.
Click here to read the entire story.
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European water outlook is dry
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK — In many parts of Europe, water use is unsustainable and drought conditions are likely to worsen, intensifying water stress, according to a new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
The report, Water Resources Across Europe —Confronting Water Scarcity and Drought, confirms that while the worst water scarcity problems are in southern Europe, water stress is growing in the north, too, according to a March 17 EEA press release on PR Newswire.
Click here to read the entire story. |
Mayor Sanders releases plan for major water-use cuts
SAN DIEGO — A plan unveiled Friday morning by Mayor Jerry Sanders would force single-and multi-family customers to cut their outdoor water use by 45 percent and their indoor water use by 5 percent starting as soon as July 1.
Commercial customers will face 45 percent cutbacks outside and 3 percent cuts inside, a strategy designed to acknowledge the economic importance of businesses and the difficulty of trimming water use inside many companies.
The combination would save the city 42,000 acre-feet of water, roughly 20 percent of its total demand. Conservation targets will rise if the drought worsens, and they would decrease if water supplies grow in coming weeks.
Click here to read the entire story. |
McElroy Connections welcomes your feedback, story ideas, tips, or anything else related to PE Pipe and Pipe fusion. Please email your comments and story ideas to:
FOR NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS: To subscribe, visit http://www.mcelroy.com/fusion/forms/newsletter.htm
McElroy Connections is published by McElroy Manufacturing Inc. The information contained within each issue is meant as a service to our customers, distributors, and those involved with Polyethylene Pipe applications.
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