Institute honors pipe projects for saving water, energy

When leaks and breaks kept plaguing a 39-inch prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) transmitting water along a narrow section of road in League City, Texas, local officials determined the best fix would be to give it a structural overhaul with a high density polyethylene (HDPE) liner fabricated by Isco Industries.

The Louisville, Ky.-based company's product was installed with a trench-less method called Swagelining, which landed the pipe rehabilitation project on this year's award list of the Plastic Pipe Institute (PPI).

Swagelining has been used in Europe but is considered an emerging trench-less technology in North America. The method calls for using a liner that has a slightly larger outside diameter than the pipe to be renewed. The liner is pulled through a single reduction die to temporarily reduce its diameter before it enters the host pipe. Once inserted, the liner reverts to its original size, expanding until it is stopped by the walls of the host pipe for a very tight fit.

About 1.2 miles of PCCP was lined with HDPE pipe for the city and the Gulf Coast Water Authority. The project involved four pulls ranging from 1,250 feet to 2,100 feet in length.

The limited number of fused sections should eliminate the potential for future leaks, according to the PPI, which recognized the project in its municipal and industrial division.

Other PPI member companies and individuals given awards for industry contributions and professional achievement include:

• Rehau of Leesburg, Va., for maximizing heating and air conditioning efficiency at a school in Brampton, Ontario, with a cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe network installed in the floors of the facility. The radiant slab heating and cooling system consisted of 104,700 feet of pipe installed in a counter-flow spiral pattern to provide even surface temperatures. The school also reduced noise and increased space by eliminating bulky convectors and ductwork.

• Uponor of Apple Valley, Minn., also for a PEX pipe in-slab radiant heating and cooling system. More than 14 miles of PEX tubing was installed on three floors of the student union at San Diego State University, consuming 40 percent less energy than other systems. That helped the construction project meet platinum requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, which is administered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

• Southwire Co., of Carrolton, Ga., for a cable-in-conduit project that connects more than 19,000 solar panels at Ameren's O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center. The flexible HDPE cable helped speed installation by eliminating the need for a complex arrangement of elbows, sweeps and connectors compared to traditional pipe and wire installations.

• Prinsco Inc. of Willmar, Minn. for a corrugated HDPE pipe water management system at ConAgra Foods dry food distribution center. The project engineer specified concrete pipe but a contractor proposed design changes to cut costs by 8 percent.

• Arkema Inc. of King of Prussia, Pa., for a landfill gas project that uses a 3-mile nylon 11 piping system. The project connects landfill gas to the local gas distribution system operated by Douglas County in Omaha, Neb. Steel had been considered but nylon proved to be more economical. Georg Fischer Central Plastics LLC of Shawnee, Okla., supplied the fittings and transitions.

• Yonas Kebede of Formosa Plastics, Livingston, N.J.; Michael Pluimer of Crossroads Engineering Services, Breezy Point, Minn.; and White Jee of Sasol USA, Houston, Texas,  for contributing their time and expertise to the advancement and technical documentation of thermoplastic pipe.