Investigation of Polyethylene Pipeline Behavior after 30 Years of Use in Gas Distribution Network
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JMEPEG https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-05118-9
Investigation of Polyethylene Pipeline Behavior after 30 Years of Use in Gas Distribution Network Taous Bachir-Bey and Naima Belhaneche-Bensemra (Submitted March 19, 2020; in revised form August 19, 2020) Polyethylene (PE) gas pipes are introduced in Algeria in 1978 to substitute the old pipelines made by copper, steel and cast iron. These later were used for the distribution of natural gas with medium working pressure of four bars. In this study, the polyethylene pipes were extracted from the Algerian distribution gas network in order to study their characteristics after more than 30 years of use. Two different pipe diameters (Ø63 and Ø125) with different ages of use were characterized according to the specifications on the EN1555-2 standard. The dimensional, physical and mechanical tests were performed with the same parameters as a newly produced pipe. The results showed that most of the characteristics are still fitting the EN 1555-2 specifications except for the density and the oxidative induction time. These two later will be considered as two basic parameters for the future studies of the polyethylene aging. Keywords
aging, distribution gas network, pipes, polyethylene
1. Introduction During the last four decades, the plastics pipe systems are widely used in the gas distribution network all around the world. They are well suited for use in underground pipe-work due to their flexibility to soil movements and their corrosion resistance (Ref 1). Among the many available polymeric materials, high density polyethylene (HDPE) is a natural choice due to its good properties, availability and cost (Ref 2, 3). Polyethylene pipes are widely used all over the world due to their best characteristics compared to the conventional ones made from steel and cast iron. The PE pipes among many other advantages are characterized by their high flexibility, lightweight, strainability, ease of pipes connection and mainly the reduced cost of installation. The large magnitude of polyethylene pipes in the gas distribution system is undeniable. The low life cycle cost and reliability will continue to encourage the installation of polyethylene mains and services (Ref 4). The first polyethylene pipes were introduced in the Algerian gas network at the end of the 70th. Their high performance encouraged the substitution of the conventional metallic pipes and the widening of the gas distribution network in order to provide gas to the majority of the inhabitants. Currently, the PE pipes represent more than 80% of the total Algerian gas distribution network. This later reached about 100,818 km length and supplies gas to 52% of the Algerian population (Ref 5). As known, Algeria is a large country with different regions and different nature of soils. It is the tenth-largest country in the Taous Bachir-Bey and Naima Belhaneche-Bensemra, Laboratoire des Sciences et Techniques de lÕEnvironnement, Ecole Nationale Polytechnique, BP 182 El-Harrach, Alger, Algeria. Contact e-mail: [email protected]
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