Plastics Pipe Institute’s Handbook Updated for High-Density Polyethylene Pipe Projects
HDPE pipelines can be heat fused on land, ballasted with concrete weights, then floated to the site and submerged on the desired alignment quickly and with minimal heavy equipment. © Plastics Pipe Institute
For a submerged 11,000 foot, 42-inch diameter HDPE wastewater pipeline in Oregon, engineers designed it to allow for 14-foot expansions and contractions during temperature changes. To allow for these shifts, the pipeline was formed in "S-Curves" to limit horizontal movement. © Plastics Pipe Institute
The Marine Installations chapter of the Plastics Pipe Institute’s Handbook of Polyethylene Pipe has been updated to include more technical information and guidance for the use of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe.
“This revision significantly expands the technical depth and practical guidance for marine HDPE pipeline projects,” explained Alex LeBon, P.E., Marine Pipelines Division Manager for Makai Ocean Engineering (Hawaii). LeBon served as the primary author.
“Our group made several key additions to the chapter such as Survey & Shoreline: Typical survey requirements and shoreline crossing options; Viscoelasticity: Critical considerations during the installation phase; Ballast Weights: Expanded design guidance, including new examples; Bend Limits: Updated recommended limits for safer installations; plus, new visuals and photos that showcase real-world projects.
”Our goal was to provide clearer design guidance, practical field insight, and applied engineering experience to support safer and more reliable marine installations.”
“Polyethylene pipe is becoming increasingly popular with owners and contractors due to its long life, lower cost, an ease of installation,” LeBon added. “For marine applications, polyethylene pipe is now the standard material of choice because of its resistance to corrosion, and its light weight and flexibility, which allows it to be installed using the float-and-sink method. This installation method is fast and requires a minimum amount of heavy equipment, resulting in significant costs savings. The flexibility and ductility of PE allow it to adapt to the varied conditions typically found in marine environment, including unconsolidated river and sea bottoms, unsupported spans, and forces resulting from strong currents and waves. Chapter 10 of the handbook discusses all the major items that a marine PE pipe designer should consider, and provides the necessary recommendations and formulas.”
Chapter 10, as well as the entire 600-page handbook, is available here, or by scanning the QR Code.
