Infrastructure pipe | processing


Plastic pipe continues to displace other


materials in infrastructure projects – with new materials such as PVC-O helping to accelerate that trend. Lou Reade reports


Buried treasure: plastic pipes in infrastructure


Delegates at the recent Plastic Pipes in Infrastructure conference in London, organised by Applied Market Information, learnt about everything from water leakage rates to an enormous gas installation project – as well as details of some emerging pipe technolo- gies. Steve Kaye, head of innovation at Anglian Water


Services in the UK, told delegates that plastic pipe had to compete with other materials – such as epoxy-coated carbon steel – in order to meet the company’s needs, one of which was a goal to reduce pipe leakage to zero. Targets set by the regulator must be met, he said – otherwise fines are levied. “If an average of 192m litres/day is not met – on a


rolling three-year basis – we receive a penalty of up to £28 million,” he said.


www.pipeandprofile.com Since 1990, he said the company had reduced


leakage rates from around 300m litres/day to below 200m litres/day.


And he was serious about one day hitting ‘zero


leakage’ – but for now, it is setting its sights on achieving 172m litres/day by 2020, for which it would receive a £32m reward. If that were to be achieved as a three-year average, the reward would be boosted by another £10m.


He added that his company has begun looking into the use of oriented PVC (PVC-O) as a potential replace- ment for conventional PVC pipes – as it was more resistant to embrittlement, and far less likely to undergo catastrophic bursting. It can also better cope with surge pressures. Other challenges include attack from hydrogen


June 2017 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 17


Main image: Plastics


infrastructure pipe is growing in popularity


PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK


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