Polyolefins Technical Information
The Polyolefins Technical Committee of PIPA provides on this page general and technical information on polyolefin pipeline systems and a list of articles which can be read on the screen or printed for future reference.
The Polyolefins Technical Committee of PIPA have produced two brochures, which are available from the PIPA office or can be viewed from the Applications page.
- Polypropylene (PP) material for pipe applications
- Making it Happen with Polyethylene
Industry Guidelines are listed on this web site on the Guidelines page.
On this page:
a Polyethylene Pipe Seminars
a Introduction to PE 100+ Association
a PE Pipe System Maintenance Guide
a Horizontal Directional Drilling
a Polyethylene Compressed Air Pipe Guidance Note
a Life Expectancy for Plastics Pipes
a Weathering of PE Pipes
a AS/NZS 4130 Commentary
a Field Butt Welding
a Field Pressure Testing
a Electrofusion jointing of Polyethylene (PE) pipe and fittings for
pressure applications
a Polyethylene - The Optimum Gas Pipe Material?
a Explanation of Material / SDR relationship
Polyolefins are polymers, namely
polyethylene,
polypropylene
and polybutylene,
used extensively in the pipeline systems industry.
Polyethylenes are characterised by toughness, near-zero moisture absorption, excellent chemical resistance, excellent electrical insulating properties, low coefficient of friction, and ease of processing. Polyethylene pipe offers many advantages including high ductility, corrosion resistence, flexibility, coilability, light weight and reduced installation costs as well as excellent long term performance as pressure pipes.
Like other polyolefins, polypropylenes have excellent resistence to solutions, such as salt and acid solutions that are destructive to some metals. They are also resistant to organic solvents and alkalis. Polypropylenes have better resistence to heat and resist more chemicals than do other thermoplastic materials, and are used for fittings and for hot water pipes.
Polybutylene products have good moisture barrier properties, excellent electrical insulation characteristics and resistance to most chemical environments and to environmental stress cracking. Polybutylene is widely used in plumbing pipe and large-diameter pipe is used for transporting abrasive fluids.
PIPA, together with Vinidex Pty Ltd, Borouge Pte, Iplex Pipelines Aust Pty Ltd and PPI Corporation Pty Ltd, organised a series of seminars in September/October 2007 held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth. The topic at hand was PE pipeline systems, especially large diameter pipe applications.
PIPA wishes to acknowledge the efforts of the presenters and the four presentations have been reproduced in PDF format, as have some of the supporting reference papers. Go to the Polyethylene Pipeline Systems 2007 paper for details.
Introduction to PE 100+ Association:
PIPA has established a working relationship with the PE 100+ Association in Europe. The association was formed in 1999 by a number of polyethylene manufacturers with the objective to promote consistent quality at the highest level in the production and the use of polyethylene for PE100 pipes.
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By monitoring the most critical properties of enhanced requirements, the PE 100+ Association is able to issue a PE 100+ Quality Materials list on a regular basis. The current positive list is published on the PE 100+ Association's web site directly as "Quality Materials list" |
PE Pipe System Maintenance Guide
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Polyethylene pipe forms the basis of Australia’s gas reticulation network, is widely used in the mining and irrigation industries and is used for the supply of water and disposal of wastewater in new and existing networks. PE pipe systems are also particularly suited for trenchless technology applications. With this increasing use there is a need to ensure that there are a suitable range of fittings which are readily available to allow changes to the pipeline systems and to carry out maintenance or repairs. This guide has been developed by PIPA to summarise the products that are readily available to the Australian market primarily for maintenance purposes. This Technical Manual is available here in PDF format |
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Horizontal Directional Drilling
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One such paper deals with Polyethylene Pipe For Horizontal Directional Drilling, reproduced here in PDF format, by the kind permission of PPI. |
Polyethylene Compressed Air Pipe Guidance Note
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Polyethylene Compressed Air Pipe Guidance Note summarises the issues and relevant references related to the use of polyethylene (PE) pipe for compressed air applications. PE is an excellent pipe material for compressed air applications but there is some important information you need to understand before ordering or specifying your pipe. |
Life Expectancy for Plastics Pipes
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This technical note on life expectancy for plastics pipes dismisses the myth that plastics pipe systems have a life expectancy of 50 years. In reality, such systems can reasonably be expected to last 100 years or more. Provided that PE pipeline system components are appraised and supplied to nominated industry standards under third-party product certification systems, and provided pipelines are designed and constructed correctly, then the likelihood of failure is minimised. |
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This Technical Note addresses end-user performance requirements for short and long term exposure of PE pipes and the means of optimising compound performance. Protective additives such as carbon black and hindered amine light stabilisers (HALS) are used in order to minimise degradation. The use of carbon black optimises UV stabilisation and thus black pipes dominate general usage. |
AS/NZS 4130 Polyethylene (PE) pipes for pressure applications Commentary
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Simple butt welders are now being offered to the farming market to weld rural or thin wall metric poly pipe and offer the promise of reducing the expenses associated with purchasing mechanical joiners/couplers. These butt welders run the risk of producing welds which may fail prematurely. Polyethylene pipe appears to be a very forgiving material initially, however, any polyethylene system is only as good as the joints. If the joints are not made with the correct equipment and procedures the joints have a much higher chance of premature failure. |
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It has long been recognised that for field pressure testing of PE pipelines it may be necessary to provide allowance for the fact that polyethylene pipes expand under pressure and are subject to creep. The Polyolefins Technical Committee has prepared a summary of recommended procedures for field pressure testing, as agreed by Standards Committee PL/6, for pipelines where visual inspection of joints is not practicable, for long pipelines, or for larger diameters. |
ELECTROFUSION JOINTING OF POLYETHYLENE (PE)PIPE AND FITTINGS FOR PRESSURE APPLICATIONS
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With electrofusion jointing, an electrical resistance element is incorporated in the socket of the fitting which, when connected to an appropriate power supply, melts and fuses the materials of the pipe and fitting together. The Polyolefins Technical Committee has prepared a summary note on electrofusion jointing for PE pipe for pressure applications. |
POLYETHYLENE - The Optimum Gas Pipe Material?
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Developments in polyethylene pipe and fitting materials continue to improve already outstanding properties and afford the asset owner confidence in long term durability and system life. AGA and PIPA members are at the forefront of technology in this area and continue to enable access to the latest developments and resulting economic efficiencies. |
Explanation of Material / SDR relationship
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To meet Contractors request for published explanation of PE pipe and SDR relationship, the Polyolefins Technical Committee has prepared a brief note on the subject. |
Plastics Industry Pipe Association of Australia Limited
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