The Sustainable PE Life Cycle: How to Improve PE Longevity

Session 2A
2:20

Magali Rozental
Dominique Geoffray
SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, France

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT has demonstrated that the longevity of potable water connections using HDPE (blue stripes or black) is significantly shortened under the cumulative action of the 3 following factors:
- high water temperature
- disinfectant type and concentration (chlorine or chlorine dioxide)
- high pressure (including pressures that are lower than the working pressure)

To these 3 criteria, we also need to add the non-negligible effect of installation conditions and of the quality of the materials selected. Consequently, estimating a polyethylene network’s longevity cannot be reduced to providing a 50-year guarantee at 20°C if we take into account the impact of and differences in these parameters from one project to the next.

In this context, SUEZ-ENVIRONNEMENT has defined the SUSTAINABLE POLYETHYLENE LIFE CYCLE as a suitable approach to ensuring the best asset management according to each local set of conditions. As these conditions are specific to each contract, a risk level approach has been developed to very quickly provide information on the system’s condition by means of new tools and methods.

Based on the results obtained with its own accelerated ageing bench and after nearly 4 years of testing, this paper will show the first trends and recommendations regarding the use and the performance of polyethylene pipes for drinking water applications.

Even if, under certain operating conditions, longevity can be significantly shortened, polyethylene is still a reliable and cost effective material that is easy to install and that can be used in most cases providing that each link in the life cycle has been optimized accordingly.

Magali ROZENTAL, Material Expert
Dominique GEOFFRAY, Asset Management Product Manager

SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT