HDPE has long virtually unbranched polymer chains which makes them really dense and thus, stronger and thicker than PET.HDPE is commonly used as a grocery bag, opaque milk, juice container, shampoo bottles, and medicine bottles, and plastic pipes and tubes. Overall HDPE is a favoured material in the food industry due to the fact it is 100% BPA-free. HDPE is relatively more stable than PET and is recyclable. It is promoted as a safer option for food and drinks use.
Hdpe has properties that reflect toughness and resistance to chemicals of polyethylene, as well as the corrosion resistance and low weight have contributed to its growing use in situations where cost-effective and durable fluid and gas piping systems are required. The Plastics Pipe Institute, advised "PE piping has been used for water and other fluids in Europe and America since the 1950s due to its durability, leak-free joints, resistance to corrosion, and long-term cost-effectiveness.
HDPE pipe can be joined by butt welding, electrofusion welding, socket welding, or extrusion welding. These joints heat the pipe during the joining process, creating a completely homogenous joint so the weld becomes as strong, or stronger than the existing pipe on either side of the weld. There is no need to use rubber seals or jointing chemicals, as is used for joining PVC pipe, which cause environmental health issues and increase the chance of failure over time. PE is less likely to have problems with root intrusion, and provides integrity for the pipeline, even when installed in unstable soils. When compared with PVC, HDPE is often selected for industrial work as it has 250% greater thickness than PVC as a general rule of thumb.
HDPE communications conduit pipe being installed by directional drilling in Perth, Western Australia. Due to the fusion welding system, the need for anchors or thrust restraint blocks are eliminated, as the joints become fully end load resistant, reducing costs for material and installation time. This also allows for safer excavation close to the pipeline in future, which is particularly important for high pressure gas pipelines. Coils of PE Pipe make trench-less installation safer and less intrusive on the surrounding environment.
HDPE Uses
HDPE Pipe Systems are available for many applications, providing for standard trenching of water mains, fire ring mains, sewer mains, and gas mains pipelines, as well as horizontal drilling for electrical and telecommunications conduits. HDPE can also be run above ground in low pressure environments to transfer water for irrigation. Companies that manufacture HDPE, advise that HDPE systems are cost-effective to install and have long-term maintenance cost savings, and also allow for cheaper installation methods, such as HDD (horizontal directional drilling), sliplining, pipe bursting, floating, and submerged pipe. For pipe systems that have been correctly manufactured and installed, the actual life cannot be predicted but can be expected to be over 100 years until major rehabilitation is needed.
Specialised Pipe and Water Solutions offer a wide range of HDPE pipe and fittings. Contact us to find out more information.
