materials feature | Polyolefin additives
Tepsa’s mussel platforms are made using HDPE from Repsol
marketing manager for energy and infrastructure. Meanwhile, Braskem of Brazil has developed a new
polyethylene with applications for pipes and water mains. The grade was developed at its Technology and
Innovation Centre in Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul. Around R$16 million (US$7m) was invested in testing at the company’s pilot plants and in adapting its industrial facilities to prepare them to start production of the resin. The new system employed in the process increased
the product’s performance, with durability now calcu- lated at 100 years for tubes under pressure, compared to 50 years for the previous resin, says the company. The improvements in mechanical properties – in-
cluding creep (cold deformation under load), impact strength and rapid crack propagation – ensure that the new resin will meet all of the required standards in this segment (ISO, DIN, EN and NBR). “In addition to PAC2 [the government’s economic
stimulus measures], the growing demand for this type of resin is also being driven by the government’s programme to promote universal access to basic sanitation – which seeks to improve public health conditions by reducing the country’s deficit in water and sewerage services,” said Marcos Celestino, an applica- tion engineer at Braskem. The resin’s main uses include pipes for water and
natural gas distribution networks, pipelines to transport ore slurry and oil, sewage networks and water mains. Braskem’s main clients using the resin to make pipes are Tigre, FGS, Kanaflex, Majestic and Polierg.
Mussel platform Spanish plastics extruder Tepsa is using HDPE from Repsol to make a range of mussel platforms.
20 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | March/April 2014
Last year, it installed the second such platform – un-
der its Flotar brand – in the Muros-Noia estuary in Spain. The platform consists of profiles and other components made by Tepsa. Because the beams in the platform are no longer
made from large eucalyptus trees, this helps to preserve the local landscape. Also, the visual impact of the platform is minimal, in comparison with a traditional one. HDPE is resistant to salt water corrosion, tempera-
ture, tension, compression and traction – and is also very flexible, allowing the platform to adapt to the movement of the sea. This helps to overcome the physical effect of the waves – as is the case with traditional wooden platforms. This means that there is a lower impact of the farmed species on the ecosystem, as well as a reduction of seabed parasite predators and an improved fish farming return, say the companies. The Flotar platform costs around 20% more than a
traditional wooden platform, but due to lower mainte- nance costs it becomes a good investment after about four years. Repsol says that the platforms offer savings in the medium and long term, because they do not need to be replaced as often as traditional ones. The platforms can be put together quickly and easily by the mussel farmers themselves.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.aquatherm.com ❙
www.norner.no ❙
www.lyondellbasell.com ❙
www.borealisgroup.com ❙
www.braskem.com.br ❙
www.e-tepsa.com ❙
www.quimica.repsol.com
www.pipeandprofile.com
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