TPi January 2011

for tube making

Sustainability, performance and cost effectiveness in HDPE pipe applications

At the Plastic Pipes XV Conference, held in Vancouver, Canada in September, SABIC, a global plastics industry leader, introduced the new SABIC ® Vestolen A RELY family of tough, sustainable and cost-effective bimodal high-density polyethylene (HDPE) materials for pressure pipe applications. The SABIC Vestolen A RELY portfolio offers converters energy savings and enables environ- mentally responsible pipe installation. Further demonstrating its commitment to sustainable technologies, the company also presented its new Strain Hardening method, a fast and accurate method for evaluating the slow crack growth resistance behaviour of HDPE. This Strain Hardening method avoids the use of detergents, which can pose an environmental hazard, and avoids the use of valuable drinking water. Both announcements underscore SABIC’s increasing focus on the development of high-performance, sustainabletechnologies,anditsongoing investment in innovative materials and validation techniques to help converters, developers and builders leverage next- generation pressure pipe solutions. The term ‘RELY’ refers to the material’s reliability, which is critical for transporting potable water, gas and other valuable liquids. “Our new SABIC Vestolen A RELY products in combination with the Strain Hardening method – that measures their performance – are key deliverables in SABIC’s global strategy to supply the pressure pipe industry with breakthrough technologies,” saidJeanEngels, business manager HDPE SABIC. “SABIC takes

great pride in proactively developing materials and methodologies that meet current and emerging industry needs, particularly in the areas of sustainability and cost effectiveness. We also welcome new partners who can help us drive development of new pipe solutions utilising our high-performance HDPE materials and extensive technological resources and expertise.” The first two grades within the SABIC Vestolen A RELY portfolio – one designed for low sagging and the other engineered for high resistance to slow crack growth – contribute to the eco-responsible production and use of pressure pipe. With these materials, converters can reduce energy. Developers and contractors can select trenchless pipe installation such as guided boring and horizontal directional drilling that reduce impact on the environment. Both new materials are classified as PE100 grades, demonstrating compliance with the highest industry standards for HDPE pressure pipe. SABIC Vestolen A RELY 5924R delivers low sag performance for large diameter pipes and pressure pipes with a low standard dimension ratio (SDR). This grade has an internal pressure approval for PE 100 that complies with the EN12201 and EN1555 standards, underscoring its quality and performance for transporting potable water, gas, sewage and other liquids. It offers resistance to slow crack growth propagation in high-pressure pipe applications and can therefore be used with advanced trenchless pipe installation technologies such as re-lining, horizontal directional drilling

The RELY family is produced at SABIC’s state-of-the-art HDPE plant in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, which was designed to put less stress on the environment than traditional facilities. For example, SABIC’s plant cuts electricity usage by 8%, air emissions by 85% and sewage by 50%. The facility uses SABIC’s own proprietary catalyst technology. The primary slow crack growth resistance testing methods for HDPE for pressure pipes have had significant drawbacks, including high cost, long durations of a year or more and uncertain reliability. SABIC’s new Strain Hardening method correlates well to traditional methods that assess the slow crack growth behaviour of HDPE. This method is typically able to determine the intrinsic slow crack growth behaviour via a simple tensile test at 80°C. Advantages of this test method are very low measurement variation, absence of surfactants and notches, small amount of required testing material (<50g), and testing times of only a few hours. The Strain Hardening method can be easily implemented at accredited laboratories. The company states that this simple yet cutting-edge test fulfils an urgent and previously unmet market need. SABIC anticipates that the Strain Hardening method will become the standard for HDPE slow crack growth testing. SABIC Vestolen A RELY 5924R and SABIC Vestolen A RELY 5922R are available globally, with additional grades within the product line due for release in the near future. The businesses of SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) are grouped into chemicals, polymers, performance chemicals, fertilisers, metals and innovative plastics. The company has six dedicated technology and innovation centres in Saudi Arabia, Europe, the USA and India, and operates in more than 40 countries across the world. SABIC Europe – The Netherlands solange.schlosser@sabic-europe.com www.sabic-europe.com

and guided boring. Its resistance to slow crack growth is demonstrated by results of the FNCT (>8760h) and pipe notch test (>8760h, DIN and ISO 13479). This grade also has an internal pressure approval for PE 100, meeting EN12201 and EN1555 standards.

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Tube Products International January 2011

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