Water projects, storage, ice melting programs honored by PPI

Plastic pipe projects to restore drinking water, melt ice at a winter amusement park and store goods were among those recognized by the Irving, Texas-based Plastics Pipe Institute Inc. (PPI).

Every year the trade group's members review their products placement in five applications and honor the standouts for building and construction, drainage, energy piping systems, municipal and industrial, and power and communications.

The winning projects and the pipe producers are:

• This Is the Place Heritage Park, Salt Lake City, and Rehau Construction LLC in Leesburg, Va., for the building and construction category. More than 40,000 feet of Rehau Raupex pipe was used for the snow-and-ice melting (SIM) system at the park, which recreates the West as it was in the early settlement days of Utah. The park has rides, exhibits, meeting rooms and wedding venues. The hydronic SIM system that was installed under the nearly 30,000-square-foot walkway formed 165 loops to keep it clear and safe.

With $200 million in estimated annual sales, Rehau ranks in a tie for 22nd among pipe, profile and tubing extruders in North America, according to Plastics News' latest ranking.

• A Greencastle, Pa., warehouse distribution center and Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. (ADS) of Hilliard, Ohio, for the drainage division.

A new warehouse facility required a large amount of underground storage beneath the proposed loading and parking areas. Five retention beds — the largest being 24,500 feet, or 4.64 miles — were made from 60-inch-diameter corrugated high density polyethylene pipe. The project used more than 17 miles of ADS N-12-brand corrugated HDPE pipe as well as fittings, gaskets, Nyloplast drains/grates and FlexStorm inlet filters.

The pipe qualities met needs for an underground, watertight system in a karst geology, which is marked by sinkholes and caves.

With $2.1 billion in annual sales, up 40 percent from the previous year, ADS ranks third among pipe, profile and tubing extruders in North America, according to PN's latest ranking.

• Frontier Natural Gas of Elkin, N.C.; Performance Pipe of Plano, Texas; and Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Mich., for the piping systems division.

Frontier used more than 50,000 feet of new pipe in its 100-psi gas distribution system. Performance Pipe and Dow collaborated and expedited the commercialization of a solid yellow bimodal PE4710 option called the DriscoPlex 8400 series. The bimodal PE4710 pipe provided the improved physical properties Frontier needed.

With an estimated $485 million in annual sales, up 18 percent from the previous year, Performance Pipe ranks 11th, according to the updated ranking.

• Saving Texas Water Supply of Red River Basin and Aspermont, Texas; Dow Chemical; Pipeline Plastics LLC of Westlake, Texas; Modern Dispersions Inc. of Leominster, Mass.; and McElroy Manufacturing Inc. of Tulsa, Okla., for the municipal and industrial division.

Nearly 8 miles of HDPE PE4710 pipe was used to rebuild the potable lines for three rural Texas communities after Winter Storm Uri brought record cold temperatures to the state. Potable water lines froze and snapped, stopping water from flowing to the three communities of Carey, Northfield and Aspermont, southeast of Amarillo.

The problem was solved by the emergency efforts of a group of HDPE pipe companies and PPI. Dow donated the resin to make the pipe. Pipeline Plastics, which has several manufacturing plants in western Texas, contributed the manufacturing end. Modern Dispersions provided the carbon black, a key ingredient added to the resin, and McElroy Manufacturing, whose fusion equipment was used, provided the training for the Carey/Northfield project.

With $200 million in estimated annual sales, Pipeline Plastics ranks in a tie for 22nd among pipe, profile and tubing extruders in North America, according to PN's latest ranking.

• An unnamed data center in an undisclosed location and W.L. Plastics of Fort Worth, Texas, for the power and communications division.

Twenty-four individual strands of HDPE conduit were installed at the same time for a new data center. W.L. Plastics provided 165,000 feet of 4-inch-diameter DR 11 orange solid wall HDPE conduit that was installed by pulling 24 conduit strings at the same time in 400-foot segments using horizontally directional drilling (HDD). The HDD installation was possible due to the flexibility of the conduit and necessary because of the many environmental barriers and a very short installation time frame. The project demonstrated how multiple strands can be pulled at once, reducing disruptions to the environment, traffic, creek systems and life around the installation site.

With $460 million in estimated annual sales, up 12 percent from the prior year, W.L. Plastics ranks 15th among pipe, profile and tubing extruders in North America, according to PN's latest ranking.