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The Path to Proper Pipe SelectionResponsible Water System Designers and Owners Follow BestManagement Practices BY CAMILLE RUBEIZ — FEB 24, 2014

Pipe selection is a key component, if not the keystone in this decision making process. Done incorrectly, theramifications can be catastrophic. Pipe selection must be based on ‘best practices’ using industry standards such asASTM and AWWA design, installation and inspection methods and performance. The goal is to install a system thatcan deliver 100­year design life with reduced lifecycle costs, water loss and failure rates. High­density polyethylene(HDPE) pipe has been proven to deliver all these hallmarks.

HDPE pipe’s combination of flexibility and leak­free, fully restrained fused joints makes it ideal for undergroundinstallation methods such as open cut and trenchless construction. Because heat­fused HDPE pipe joints are asstrong as the pipe itself, sections can be confidently joined into long runs by following various industry guidelines andprocedures such as ASTM F2620, PPI TR­33, PPI TN­34, PPI TN­41 and PPI TN­42.

Numerous life prediction studies have been conducted on HDPE and can be found at Plasticpipe.org. HDPE materialsare predicted to last a minimum of 100 years in most environmental situations prevalent within U.S. and Canadianwater systems. Since HDPE is a highly ductile material and has exceptional impact strength, it provides a pipe systemthat offers the lowest susceptibility to damage during regular operation and natural disasters such as earthquakes,hurricanes and tsunamis.

Evolving StandardsToday’s newer, high­performance resins such as PE 4710, allow forhigher pressures and greater hydraulic capacities (increase in thepipe ID) due to its greater resistance to slow crack growth and otherrequirements as defined in PPI TR­3. PE 4710 pipes are designed forwater and wastewater applications meeting AWWA C901, AWWAC906 or ASTM F714 standards and others. On July 30, 2013, theAWWA Executive Committee completed its comprehensive review ofall the technical and procedural appeals and unanimously approvedthe C906­12 revisions as was previously approved by the AWWAStandards Council.

The intent of the revisions to the AWWA C906 standard is to enable users to take advantage of the enhancedperformance properties of PE 4710 materials and increase the design and operating safety of water pipelines. TheSafety Factors of PE 4710 relative to multiple conditions exceed 2.0 as demonstrated to the AWWA ExecutiveCommittee. For example, the Safety Factors for PE 4710 exceed 10 for predicted lifetime relative to 100­year servicelife and is 3.6 for yield stress (3,625 psi) relative to hydrostatic design stress (1,000 psi). In addition, a properlydesigned HDPE system that includes criteria such as pressure, recurring and occasional water hammer and 100­yearfatigue life, results in a larger pipe ID, higher DR and longer fatigue life than PVC, as calculated in industry softwareprograms such as PPI PACE.

Also for the long­term, HDPE pipe provides and maintains therequired flow rates over the lifespan of the system. HDPE pipe has aHazen Williams C factor of 150 which does not change over time. It istypical, unfortunately, for this factor to be diminished in other pipesystems due to corrosion and tuberculation, which does not occur inHDPE pipes.

Cost EffectivenessCost and performance should always be prime drivers whenconsidering infrastructure projects, and HDPE pipe offers severaladvantages. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial ResearchOrganisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency, is one ofthe largest and most diverse research agencies in the world.According to CSIRO, in its Life Cycle Analysis of Water Networks,“polyethylene networks show significantly lower costs throughout theirlifetime, and the combined benefits of low failure and water loss ratescan potentially result in long term cost savings.”

If the decision process is solely based on the purchased price of thepipe materials, then money is being wasted. The project cost analysisalso needs to include the installed cost and long­term performanceconsiderations. On a typical pipeline project, pipe material costs areabout 15 percent of the total job costs associated with installation.Basing a decision solely on the purchase price of materials representspoor engineering and business practice. It is also alarming since thewater industry ranked water infrastructure, capital costs andavailability of funds among the top current industry concerns. Projectplanners need to consider the total cost and performance over theentire lifetime of the pipe system. This will ensure efficient use of fundsand proper selection of materials that have at least a 100­year designlife and furnish a leak­free system.

According to Professor Stewart Burn, a leading scientist with CSIRO, “The United States’ preference to look strictly atlowest bid price could lead to serious consequences in the future with (water pipe) networks experiencing higher costsfor repair and water loss and requiring faster renewal frequency…as a result of the lowest upfront price approach.”

Design Tools and ResourcesBy using industry­authoritative sources such as the free PPI PACE software program that was developed by expertsfrom the University of Waterloo, engineers and industry professionals can easily perform plastic pressure pipe designcalculations in accordance with current published AWWA and ASTM industry standards. The web­based programassists professionals in the selection of appropriate pipe class for the required design life by providing an easy­to­usetool that is consistent with those existing standards and practices. For flow analysis, it also calculates the properselection of pipe ID, fatigue and design life.

PPI PACE can be used with the PPI Design and Engineering Calculator, another tool that assists in greaterunderstanding of HDPE pipe capabilities. The calculator will assist a design engineer in performing multiplecomputations relating to internal and external pressure ratings, pressure and gravity water flow, water hammer andlow pressure, plus automates other assessments for above and underground systems. For using horizontal directionaldrilling (HDD), there is the PPI­BoreAid program.

InstallationBecause HDPE pipe is flexible, reliable, highly ductile and durable, it is the product of choice for trenchlessapplications. The survey in Trenchless Technology magazine (Aug. 2012) showed that HDPE was used in 66 percentof water pipe trenchless construction. When compared to open cut, HDD and trenchless methods will also significantlyreduce cost and interruption to residents and business.

In addition, HDPE has an exceptional bending radius (11.2 x outside diameter for DR 13.5; refer to PPI PE Handbook,Chapter 10, Table 3) that allows it to adapt to challenging site conditions. HDPE can be installed per AWWA M55,ASTM F2620 (for butt fusion), ASTM F1962 (for Horizontal Directional Drilling), PPI PE Handbook Chapter 7 forsliplining and Chapter 16 for pipe bursting. Besides HDPE, none of the previously listed materials have ASTM

standard methods for pipe fusion and/or directional drilling.

Pipe selection is critically affected by multiple factors, foremost of which is material application. Properly designedand installed PE 4710 pipe systems require minimal maintenance and can provide 100­plus years of service life usingsuperior fused joints to produce a monolithic pipeline that protects our water resources, resists earthquakes,hurricanes and fatigue, prolongs water supply and extends system service life. HDPE pipe offers low initial and overalllife cycle costs and has a low failure rate among pipe materials.

HDPE water pipe systems have been in use for numerous years globally and have been studied, tested, analyzed,and evaluated in the lab and in the field. The Plastics Pipe Institute has technical reports, third­party evaluations,manuals and tools including software and calculators for proper design and installation of HDPE water pipe systems toachieve optimal performance and an extensive life. All PPI design and installation tools can be found on the institute’swebsite, www.plasticpipe.org.

Camille Rubeiz is director of the engineering, municipal and industrial division for the Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI).

This article was originally published in UIM: Water Utility Infrastructure Management and is being republished withpermission.

McElroy QuickCamp™McElroy announces the launch of the new QuickCamp System — a lighted, insulated and climate­controlled shelterthat allows operators to fuse pipe from 8” IPS to 36” OD (225mm to 900mm) day or night under all weather conditions.

A single operator can load and align pipe by remote control from inside the shelter with the MegaMc® PolyHorse®allowing for increased productivity even in bad weather.

The QuickCamp System includes the QuickCamp Shelter housing a 1236/900 or 824/630 fusion carriage, theMegaMc® PolyHorse® and MegaMc Rollers pipe handling systems, and two pipe supports stands.

The QuickCamp Shelter ships as a 20' by 8’ cargo container and is easily deployed by 2 people into a 21’8” by 24’7”shelter. The carriage can be moved by 18” so that the pipe ends can be adjusted for proper face­off when pulling pipethrough the shelter.

The heated and air­conditioned QuickCamp Shelter protects the fusion joint from the elements and keeps the operatorcomfortable and focused on the work at hand.

The QuickCamp Shelter can also be sold separately.

FEATURES

Shelter folds into standard ISO, 20’ by 8’ cargo container for shipping

Folded shelter contains fusion machine carriageCarriage can slide out of shelter for in­ditch use or fusing stub ends and fittingsAmple space for an office, breakroom or storage of extra gearElectrical outlets to power personal equipmentHydraulic Power Unit powers fusion carriage with customer­furnished generatorOne­size­fits­all pipe sealsIncluded heating and air­conditioning units fit into fold­out shelves

Click here to view the spec sheet.

New on April 15: Wireless Uploading for DataLogger®Joint DataIn the United States, April 15 is known as Tax Day. It’s a day we usuallydon’t get excited about, but this year you can all celebrate, regardless ofwhere you are in the world. On this day McElroy will officially releaseone of the most anticipated features in the history of the DataLogger® —wireless uploading of joint data to the DataLogger® Vault™ using theDataLogger 5.

Previously, you had to first connect your DataLogger to a PC todownload the data which often meant waiting until the job was doneand the device was back at the office or shop before you could analyzethe data. Now you have the potential to upload joint data in real timedirectly from the field. That means an operator can be fusing pipe in onelocation while an inspector is reviewing joint records in a differentlocation. Among other things, this means that joint data can be fullyreviewed before the pipe is buried.

The wireless uploading can be done via a Wi­Fi connection or throughcellular service using AT&T, T­Mobile or any other compatible carrier.

You can obtain this new version of the DataLogger software from ourwebsite at /fusion/support on April 15. You will also be able to find moredetails about wireless uploading as well as other features that will beincluded in this latest release.

As always, if you have questions or comments, feel free to contact us atany time at (918) 831­9224 or techsupport@mcelroy.com.

Upcoming TradeshowsPlease come see us at one of our trade shows where a variety of our equipment will be on display. Here’s ourschedule for the rest of 2014:

INDOWATER (Stall CB03)May 7­9, Surabaya, IndonesiaSingapore International Water Week (Stall B2­C28)June 1­5, SingaporeAWWA ACE14 (Booth 514)

June 8­12, BostonMEA Operations SummitAugust 12­14, Rochester, Minn.NRWA Water Pro ConferenceOct. 6­8, Seattle, Wash.M&E IndonesiaOct. 29­31, Jakarta, Indonesia

Our jobsite pictures this month come from the city of Bixby, Okla., a suburb of Tulsa, where Underground Solutions wasfusing 18” Fusible PVC™ with McElroy’s TracStar® 900 for a sanitary sewer project. The contractor, McGuire Brothers,will use directional boring to pull the 2,350­foot line under the Arkansas River bed to a water treatment facility on theother side.

See how quick & easy it is to set up McElroy's new QuickCamp™ shelter for fusing pipe in all weatherconditions. http://ow.ly/vzOGN Apr 9th2014 marks McElroy's 60th Anniversary! And we're celebrating all year long!Apr 8thRecord GPS coordinates for each fusion joint on your jobsite with the new DataLogger® 5. Learnmore: http://goo.gl/tLvSDMMar 25thAre you collecting fusion joint data? See the benefits the DataLogger 5 & DataLogger Vault can bring to yourjobsite http://goo.gl/3aucOU Mar 20th

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