TPi January 2016

products & developments Demand for plastic pipe to reach 19.3bn metres in 2019

trends are presented in World Plastic Pipe , a new study from The Freedonia Group industry research firm. Although construction spending will decelerate in China, the world’s largest plastic pipe market, demand for plastic pipe in the country will still rise over nine per cent annually through to 2019. In the USA, the world’s second largest market, continuing recovery in construction spending and housing completions will support rapid advances for plastic pipe demand. Growth in plastic pipe demand will also be robust in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and South America due to efforts to expand access to potable water and sewage systems. According to analyst Mariel Behnke, “The market opportunity for water

and sewer systems is large, as a considerable share of the population in these regions does not have reliable access to drinking water supply or improved sanitation.” The comparatively low cost and ease of installation of plastic pipe gives it advantages over other pipe materials in these regions. Advances in plastic pipe demand in the more developed regions of Eastern and Western Europe are expected to accelerate through to 2019, supported by recovering construction spending. Demand in both regions contracted following the global economic recession, but began to recover in 2013. The Freedonia Group, Inc – USA info@freedoniagroup.com www.freedoniagroup.com

World demand for plastic pipe is projected to rise 6.7 per cent per annum though to 2019, to 19.3bn metres. Strong construction activity, particularly in the large markets of China and the USA, will boost demand as plastic pipe sees intensive use in both building and non-building construction applications. Plastic’s performance, cost and installation advantages will also spur its increasing use over competing pipe materials such as concrete, copper and steel. PVC is the leading resin used in plastic pipe. The energy, agriculture and industrial sectors tend to be less intensive users of plastic pipe than construction. However, improvements in technology and plastic materials have helped plastic pipe increase its share in many of these markets. These and other

The use of exotic piping materials

In the mining industry, erosion and corrosion are troublesome factors leading to unplanned shutdowns, production loss and frequent unexpected replacement of materials, particularly piping and fittings. The use of exotic piping materials in place of the relatively low-cost carbon steel, regardless of the much higher cost involved in procuring and installing such materials, is an efficient solution to overcome such erosion/corrosion problems, by reducing down time and processed material loss along with reducing maintenance, manpower and equipment utilisation, and increasing the duration between planned maintenance. High alloys such as Monel, Incoloy and super duplex are used. Mechanical Engineers & Contractors’ experience with mining companies is that slurries would always cause high erosion to carbon steel, and in the presence of elevated temperatures the erosion rate will dramatically increase. The use of different types of internal coatings did not prove to be effective or efficient. However, the use of internal rubber lining, where piping size permits, is more effective than coating, and also for vessels such as crystallisers, agitators and tanks. Mechanical Engineers & Contractors (MEC) – Jordan info@mecjo.com www.mecjo.com

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Tube Products International January 2016

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