Plastic pipe for natural gas distribution is usually high density polyethylene, but in Henderson, Ky., Teel Plastics Inc. extruded nylon 12 gas pipe to replace steel.
This month, Best Practices brings you something new in gas distribution pipe.
Teel President Tom Thompson this was the first installation of nylon 12 pipe for gas distribution.
Thompson said nylon can handle pipe up to 250 psi of pressure, while HDPE is used up to 125 psi. Thompson said codes for the expanded use of nylon gas distribution pipe were officially approved in January 2019. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's Mega Rule approved greater use of plastic pipe in high-pressure applications, including HDPE and nylon 11, which already were in use, and allowing nylon 12 for the first time.
Evonik Industries supplied the nylon 12 resin.
McElroy Manufacturing Inc., which makes fusion machines for joining pipe in the field, publicized the news.
Teel provided more than 2,800 feet of 200 psi nylon 12 pipe for the project.
Owen Reeves, gas system director for Henderson Municipal Gas, said he and his department were mainly drawn to using nylon 12 for its ease of installation compared to steel. And the city was looking at a tough installation job: running the gas pipe through an industrial section of Henderson.
To minimize disruption, the city installed the pipe under driveways and roads using horizontal drilling. Crews pulled the pipe through the bored holes and then fused the sections together.