TPI January 2009

Gas products Water and

Seamless stainless steel pipes from Shanghai Shangshang

and other industrial purposes. Founded in 2001, the company owns factory buildings covering an area of more than 80,000m 2 , with total floor area as large as 50,000m 2 . Shanghai Shangshang Stainless Steel Pipe Co Ltd – China sale@shangshang.com.cn www.shangshang.com.cn

Shanghai Shangshang Stainless Steel Pipe Co Ltd is a civil joint-stock enterprise, jointly invested and founded by Zhejiang Yongshang Stainless Steel Industrial Co Ltd, along with other partners. Themanufacturer specialises in stainless steel seamless pipes and tubes, and special pipes for petroleum, natural gas

Cast iron drainage system used in student accommodation development The versatility of the Ensign cast iron drainage system from Saint-Gobain Pipelines has resulted in its specification for a major new student accommodation development in Manchester, UK.

Two 30kW high pressure pumps, plus S S control panel

feeding into a single manifold. Simple DOL or star-delta starting was out of the question, as a 20 second start-up period was necessary to enable the connecting pipe work to be monitored for minor leakages during start-up and to facilitate a rapid and controlled shut-down if necessary. To enable the necessary degree of control, SABSCO selected two Softstart 58-400-0-S soft- start units, which were used to control the two high pressure pumps. The pump system needed to be built as a portable rig due to the nature of the work undertaken. The soft-start units were supplied built into a control panel, also supplied by Softstart UK Ltd, which contained additional motor control equipment. According to Mr Smith, “I have used products from Softstart UK on many occasions over the past few years and knew they could deliver. The equipment has proved to be reliable and rugged, which is exactly what we need in the environments in which we work. Quality of service from enquiry to after- sales is very high on our list of priorities, and we continue to experience this from Softstart. This new and now proven technique has given us and our client clear schedule benefits.”

The Plymouth Grove development, built by Browns Construction in the city’s Longsight area, is home for up to 465 students in en suite rooms, in 10 blocks of up to 12 storeys each. Mechanical and electrical consultant firm Foreman Roberts was keen to ensure a robust drainage system that could not easily be damaged. A further consideration was the ‘pod’ style en suite bathrooms with the shower at the lowest point, which ideally needed a drainage system that could easily link to the outlet pipes from both the shower and the toilet.

Saint-Gobain’s Ensign drainage S S system features tail branches long enough to pass through floor slabs without connections

Foreman Roberts specified the Saint-Gobain Pipelines Ensign product – the only cast iron drainage system accredited to the BS EN 877 standard.

The range includes tail branches long enough to be passed through floor slabs without the need for connections, and with up to four boss connections to which both the shower and toilet outlet pipes could be fitted, making them suitable for the bathroom pods at Plymouth Grove. The installation, by Liverpool-based The Strong Group Ltd, took place over a period of nearly a year as the site developed. Ryan Spencer, associate director at The Strong Group, commented, “The Ensign range was perfect for this installation due to its robustness, durability, fire resistance and its flexibility to cope with the requirements of the bathroom pods, and the long tail branches with their choice of boss connections negated the need for joints in the floor slab. This project is an indication of how the sector sees cast iron as a high- quality, premium product offering performance and cost benefits over the competition.”

Softstart UK Ltd – UK sales@softstartuk.com www.softstartuk.com

Saint-Gobain Pipelines – UK sales.uk.pipelines@saint-gobain.com • www.saint-gobain-pipelines.co.uk

SABSCO Ltd – UK www.sabsco.com

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January 2009 Tube Products International