Plast ic pipes
Polymers and pests
Polymers and plastics are widely used
and form the base of a host of materials.
Rodents are attracted by the sweet
smell of polymers and consequently
rodent damage is one of the most
widespread complaints from the pipe
industry.
Gas pipelines, drip irrigation pipelines,
and tubing for wires and cables are
some of the most-affected by pests.
Damage to gas pipelines can have
adverse consequences. Damage to
drip irrigation pipelines by rodents and
subterranean termites not only defeats
the purpose of water conservation
but it is also expensive to replace the
pipe. Damage to the tubing and wiring
harness of automobiles by rodents can
cause thousands of dollars in losses.
Conventional methods of rodent and
termite control fall short, as they do
not effectively control the pests. Also,
being toxic they cannot safely be used
in all applications. It is imperative to
effectively solve the problem of polymer
piping damage by pests and also to
provide a long-term solution. With this
aim, and keeping in mind environmental
and safety aspects, Rodrepel
®
™ and
Termirepel
®
™ were developed by C
Tech Corporation.
Rodrepel and Termirepel are patented
non-toxic,
non-hazardous
and
environmentally friendly aversives
specially developed as a master batch
for use in polymeric and coating
applications. The products are RoHS-
and REACH-compliant, and FIFRA
exempted.
They deter the pests by making use
of the sensory mechanisms. They do
not interfere with the properties of the
polymer and are completely inert within
the polymer matrix, apart from acting as
an aversive. Rodrepel and Termirepel do
not volatilise and are compatible with all
kinds of polymers.
They have undergone extensive testing
at testing institutes like the BAM Institute
in Germany and the Haffkine Institute in
India.
C Tech Corporation
– India
Application of high-pressure pipes
HexelOne
®
pipes, from German plastic
pipe system manufacturer egeplast, can
be installed by means of trenchless
installation.
The high-pressure pipes with protective
coating can be used for open trench
installation in a sand bed, open
installation without a sand bed, for
ploughing, milling, relining and HDD.
The high-pressure polyethylene pipe
can withstand pressure up to 32 bar
(water) and 16 bar (gas).
The use in alternative installation
techniques is made possible by a point
load resistant inner layer made from PE
100-RC and an additional protective
coating made from abrasion-resistant
polypropylene.
The pipes are supplied with transparent
outer layer, with silver-coloured
HexelOne pipe and coloured stripes on
the core pipe as media labelling. TÜV
certification has been granted.
The HexelOne pipes are also available
with diffusion barrier layers (SLA
®
),
conductive strips for position finding
(DCT
®
) and additional layers for leak
detection (3L
®
). The transparent coating
permits the integration of a readable
barcode label.
egeplast international GmbH
–
Germany
egeplast HexelOne high-pressure pipes can be used for alternative installation techniques
106
Tube Products International March 2014
