History of Plastics Pipe Systems in Australia

PIPA has released a Technical paper, History of Plastics Pipe Systems in Australia, which is a brief history of the development of plastics pipe materials in Australia with the emphasis on the two main materials Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) and Polyethylene (PE). There are many other common plastics pipe materials including Polypropylene (PP), Cross linked Polyethylene (PEX), Polybutylene (PB) and to a lesser extent Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and Polyamide (PA or better known as Nylon).

More details are available in the technical paper.

PIPA Technical Forums and Seminars

Technical Forums 2008
During 2008 PIPA held a number of technical forums in four major state capital cities. The objective was to give members an opportunity to interact with PIPA staff on technical issues of concern to the plastics pipeline systems industry. The forums consist of brief presentations on topical subjects followed by discussions.

The forums were scheduled for:

Sydney on 5 March, 2008
Perth on 1 July, 2008
Brisbane on 30 September, 2008
Melbourne on 3 December, 2008

The four PIPA Technical Forum details can be found in PIPA Technical Forum 2008.

Polyethylene Pipe Seminars
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.

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Pipeline Design Software

This design program enables the user to undertake the structural design of a flexible pipeline in accordance to Australian/New Zealand Standard 2566.1.1998. Available from Iplex Pipelines.

Iplex pipeline design tools can be accessed on the Iplex Website.

• Iplex Structural Design Tool is a program which enables the user to undertake the structural design of a flexible pipeline.

• Hydraulic Flow Calculator is a program which can be used by designers of water supply, sewerage, irrigation or industrial pipelines, and has been made available as an alternative to using Flow Resistance Charts.

• Chemical Resistance Guide is for information on chemical resistance properties for Iplex pipe products.

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Polyolefins Technical Committee

The Polyolefins Technical Committee of PIPA provides general and technical information on polyolefin pipeline systems. They 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

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.

Polyethylene Pipeline Code

Reference can be made to the Codes of Practice produced by WSAA. The code for polyethylene, WSA 01 - 2004, provides a guide for water industry practitioners towards best practice in the use of polyethylene pipeline systems in water and sewer pressure pipelines, non-pressure wastewater reticulation pipelines, pipe relining using polyethylene and requirements for training programs. It also contains several construction drawings specific to polyethylene. PIPA members may obtain a copy through the PIPA office.

A Technical Note (WSA TN1) on squeeze-off of polyethylene pipe is also published to provide additional guidance to maintenance managers responsible for property service connection pipes https://www.wsaa.asn.au/ under National Codes and Technical Notes. For further information on the Polyethylene Code contact David Cox on 02 9283 0725 or email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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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PVC Technical Committee

The PVC Technical Committee of PIPA provides test methods and technical reports on PVC pipeline systems. Because of its versatility and good balance of properties, PVC has found applications in many different markets. By far the largest of these is the building and construction market, with pipe being the largest single application.

	PVC tops pipe joint performance tests In tests conducted by the CSIRO Building, Construction and Engineering Division, to measure the performance of various Pipe materials to root penetration, PVC pipes came out with a perfect score in that there was nil root intrusion in any of the samples tested.
	Modified PVC Pressure Pipes Continuous effort into the research of the properties of PVC pipe has led to the development of Modified PVC-M pipe, which achieve the optimum combination of strength and ductility.

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