Polyolefin additives | materials feature Polyolefin perks
Polyolefins are highly adaptable materials, and can be used in a variety of industries – from brewing to aquaculture. Lou Reade reports
The ability to replace other materials is a commonly quoted advantage of plastics. And the most widely used plastics of all – polyolefins – have been used to take the place of everything from wood to copper. The Aardwolf Brewery in Jacksonville, Florida, for
example, chose Aquatherm Blue Pipe as the primary piping component in its fermentation process. The pipe is used to transfer a glycol/water mixture
from the chiller to the fermenting tanks and the cold-water storage tanks. Blue Pipe was the only piping option that met the demands of the operation: it needed to withstand the daily stresses of the low temperature glycol/water mixture for many years. “The glycol system is critical to the brewing process
because excessive temperatures during fermentation can be detrimental to the flavour of the beer,” said Michael Payne, co-owner and brewer for the company. The company considered copper, PVC, and CPVC
piping for the fermentation and cold storage processes, but ultimately they eliminated these for various reasons. Copper was too expensive, in terms of both materials and installation. (It was nearly twice the cost of the Aquatherm piping.) PVC and CPVC, though cheaper than copper, were less likely to endure low pro- cess temperatures over extended periods of time. “Many breweries use PVC for their glycol system head-
ers, but these have been known to fail catastrophically,” said Payne. While the investment in Aquatherm piping was
greater than for PVC or CPVC, it saved Aardwolf installation cost, says the company. When installed by a factory-certified installer,
www.pipeandprofile.com
Aquatherm pipe systems carry a 10-year warranty that covers tens of millions of dollars in damage to pipes, fittings, and any incidental damage caused by material failure from manufacturer defect. Aquatherm has also expanded the range of its Blue Pipe with a smaller diameter offering. The company now offers a 4in diameter version of Aquatherm Blue Pipe SDR 17.6 faser-composite. The pipe was initially introduced in 6-24in diameters but the company has now extended this, after customer demand for smaller diameter pipe for water mains applications and similar installations. The product allows for more cost effective installa- tion and increased efficiency in applications such as chilled water, geothermal, and condenser water, says the company.
Aquatherm manufactures pipe in standard dimen-
sion ratios (SDRs) of 7.4, 11 and 17.6. The SDR 17.6 pipe delivers around 20% higher flow volume than SDR 11 at a lower cost and reduces pipe weight by 35%. All Aquatherm PP-R pipe systems are connected using heat fusion. The faser-composite layer is Aquatherm’s proprietary blend of fibreglass and PP-R, which allows the pipe to remain rigid at higher tem- peratures and helps to limit expansion and contraction.
Measured aggression Norwegian polymer research establishment Norner has developed a new polypropylene (PP) material recipe that can withstand aggressive environments. The innovation has been created through develop- ment and testing of different additive recipes for PP in
March/April 2014 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 17
Aquatherm
offers a range of PP-based piping
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58