What is HDPE pipe?
HDPE stands for High Density Polyethylene (many times just referred to as PE), and is made from Ethylen, which can be derived from either crude oil or natural gas PE Pipe is extremely strong, durable, flexible, corrosion free and chemical resistant.
What makes PE unique?
PE Pipe is joined together through a unique heat fusion processe that creates a seal resulting in a strong leak-free system.
What are the advantages of PE pipe for municipal water and sewer use?
Other types of plastic and iron pipes require joints to turn and link the pipe. These joints tend to lose water as it flows through the pipe. PE Pipe is fused together so that the links are equally strong or stronger than the rest of the pipe, meaning that it holds much better than other types of pipe.
Why is a leak-free system such a big deal in Pakistan?
Water is a precious resource. Conservation has become a top priority for the country as provinces are fighting over their share of water. For drinking purposes, the current depth of bore for pumps has reached 500ft at the Lahore Airport. We need to shift to newer, more efficient, safer piping systems.
What can PE pipe carry?
PE Pipes transport potable water, wastewater, chemicals, pressurized water (for fire fighting)and compressed gases.
What other materials are used for potable water and sewer pipes?
There are basically two material majorly in use: Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), which is plastic, and ductile iron, which is a metal and includes iron, brass and copper.
Why is PE pipe better than metal pipe?
Unlike other materials, PE Pipes does not corrode over time and is not susceptible to chemical damage. It is also much more flexible and can move with different soil conditions and ground movement. Because it is light-weight, it is easier to handle, transport, and fix, which in turn reduces cost.
How does the leakage from PE pipe compare to metal and PVC pipe?
PE Pipe is joined by a heat fusion process that forms strong and leak-free pipe. The "allowable water leakage" rate of PE Pipe is zero. PVC and ductile iron installations have "allowable leakage rate" as high as 10%.
Are there certain soil requirements for PE pipe?
No. PE Pipe is known for its flexibility, toughness, and chemical resistance. PE Pipe can withstand great pressure changes due to its outstanding ductility and toughness. These performance characteristics make PE Pipe an excellent choice for dynamic soils and earthquake prone areas that require a strong, long-lasting adn corrosion-resistant pipe that is also flexible enough to be installed and assembled in harsh and challenging environments.
How do the failure rates of PE pipes compare to those of ductile iron and PVC?
In a nine year span between 1995 and 2003 in Europe, PE pipes averaged around four failures per 100Kms peryear, while ductile iron and PVC averaged around eight and nine failures per 100Kms peryear, respectively.
Why should we use Superflo PE Pipes?
Superflo Pipes are made from FDA Approved food grade polyethylene resin directly imported by Sun International Co. from world renoun resin manufacturers like Borouge and BP. The resin is processed in conditions compliant with the International Standards. In addition to the electronic quality controls, pipes are also physically inspected by quality control inspectors and pressure tested to ensure that they surpass the expected performance requirements.
Butt fused joints form a bead on the inner side of the pipe. Does that reduce the flow?
Yes, the bead reduces the flow of water through the pipe. It is for this reason that Butt Fusion is recommended for pipe sizes with outer diameters of 63mm and above. The approximate height of the bead is 2mm, which results in approximately 9.5% reduction in the crossectonal area of a 63mm pipe. As the pipe size increases the percentage reduction in the crossectional area decreases. Thus for larger sized pipes the reduction in flow becomes negligible.
How is the conversion from metal to PE performed in pipes?
If your existing pipeline is metallic then the conversion to PE will require the use of PE Stub-based flange adapters. These adapters are available from Sun International.
Are PE Pipes color coded?
Yes. Black pipe is typically used for water. Sometimes a blue line is used on the black pipe to represent water pipeline. Yellow PE Pipes are used for gas.
Can colored PE Pipes be used for water?
Black is the only safe color for pipes used in drinking water applications. Black is stablized against the harmful effects of ultra-violet radiation and also prevents sunlight from penetrating into the pipe and forming algae. Pipes that are not black tend to crack under sunlight over a certain period of time depending on the level of ultra violet radiation in the environment.
How much can we bend PE Pipes?
The minimum turning radius of a PE pipe is 20 times its outer diameter (20 x O.D). So for example, for a 50mm pipe, the minimum turning radius will be 1000mm.
Do PE Pipes carry more water than metal pipes?
Yes. The inner surface of PE Pipes is much smoother than ductile iron pipes resulting in lower coefficient of friction in PE Pipes. This results in less turbulence and allows more laminar flow - hence the volume of water flowing through an equivalent sized PE Pipe is approximately 20% more than that in an equivalent ductile iron pipe.
Do PE Pipes cost more than metal pipes or PVC pipes?
The cost per meter of PE pipes is less than metallic pipes but more than PVC pipes. However, PE pipes are coilable and require fewer transition fittings. Furthermore, the failure rates in PE are much less than PVC and metal pipes - thus there are virtually no maintenance costs. This results in the overall cost of the PE piping system to be less than PVC or metal piping systems.
