Melbourne Water recently announced the preferred contractors that will play a significant role in delivering its capital water projects, involving several significant water supply projects over the next five years. The projects see a significant shift away from large-infrastructure projects to a focus on renewing ageing infrastructure and maintaining an expanded asset base.

PVC pipes should be considered for water supply pipeline projects because they outperform alternative materials in performance and cost effectiveness. Their smooth bore allows high flow rates. They are corrosion proof and easy to handle, transport and install. PVC pipes have a proven track record of excellent long-term performance and offer extended, trouble free service life.

PVC pipes save water and sewer utilities substantial amounts by reducing water loss and ingress into sewer systems. Gasket joints provided with PVC pipes are manufactured and tested to perform without any leakage. The zero-leakage PVC joints enable sewer utilities to dramatically reduce wet weather inflows and avoid unnecessary treatment costs. Studies from both Australia and overseas have consistently shown that PVC pipes have the lowest failure rates of all pipe types. Similarly, water utilities have reported much lower unaccounted for water losses where systems comprised of PVC pipes.

Using trenchless PVC pipelines to rejuvenate aging water pipe infrastructure
Construction in densely populated urban settings significantly increases real construction costs while greatly impacting the indirect social costs that are associated with interruptions to the flow of traffic and obstacles to both businesses and the public.

The construction of new underground infrastructure, or the rehabilitation of old infrastructure, presents engineers and contractors with the challenge of minimising the impact of these disruptions on the surface, while making these needed improvements underground.

Trenchless technology has the advantage of minimising or eliminating excavations with the overall installation being completed using pre-drilled holes or by bursting or relining an existing pipeline. Trenchless technology also makes it possible to rehabilitate aging pipelines without digging up the entire pipe system, often restoring both the structural integrity and improving the pipeline fluid velocity, thus greatly minimising the social costs associated with the disruption to traffic, pedestrians, businesses and customers.

PVC pipes offer installers of trenchless pipelines the widest range of options in trenchless technology including fusible PVC, restraint joint, close fit liners, spiral winding and jacking pipe.

In September 2012, I had the privilege of attending and presenting at the international Plastic Pipes XVI Conference in Barcelona. 

One of key subjects for discussion at the conference was PVC-O pipes with six key presentations on PVC-O. What these presentation again reconfirmed is that it is abundantly clear that PVC-O pipe, when properly produced and installed, is unmatched by any alternative pressure pipe type in performance, environmental impact and, importantly, installed cost.

I have put together a summary of the presentation of PVC-O from the conference and included local Australian information on the use of PVC-O pipes.

Executive Summary
PVC has a number of inherent advantages as a material for water pipe over alternatives products. The advent of PVC-O pipe enhanced these advantages, but also importantly enhanced the environmental benefits of PVC pipe.
Numerous studies from Australia and overseas have demonstrated the superior environmental properties and benefits of PVC-O pipe compared to all other pressure pipe options.

The reduction in wall thickness of PVC-O means the pipe will have a significantly larger bore for a given external diameter. This enables PVC-O pipe to have the highest flow capacity of all pressure pipes, allowing it to move more water, faster than the alternatives.

The orientation process in PVC-O significantly improves the impact and crack propagation resistance of the pipe. This laminate structure makes PVC-O pipe virtually notch insensitive. PVC-O pipe is therefore less sensitive to scratching or other surface damage that may happen during installation.

PVC-O pipe has a number of technical, performance, commercial and environmental advantages over competing pressure pipes such as ductile iron and PE.

 Ozwater’13 is Australia’s largest and leading water conference and exhibition and is the ‘must attend’ event for those working or interested in the water industry across the globe. 

OzWater '13 is being held in Perth 7 - 9 May 2013.

• Warranties voided if non-compliant fittings are used

• Imported products may not meet Australian Standards strength requirements

2013 sees the completion of to date the largest stock and domestic supply pipeline project in Australia. The project was commissioned in 2010 and has been supplying the community of the Wimmera Mallee very successfully since that time.

 The project involves replacing 17,000km of wasteful open channels with around 9,000km of pressure pipeline. Something over 8,500km of this was plastics pipe -the majority being PVC and the rest PE. 

Many people forget that PVC pipe and conduit has been around since 1960 in Australia. The origins of Vinidex and Iplex also date back to the early 60’s. Electrical conduits, then sewer pipes were made using PVC followed in the mid 60’s by pressure pipe. The regional infrastructure projects of Victoria and NSW were the first to take advantage of this great new pipe system. The gas industry also used PVC in WA, Victoria and NSW.

There was spectacular growth in PVC in the 70’s led by the household drainage and sewer applications. By the mid 70’s PVC was accepted for pressure water infrastructure and so began the rise to prominence of PVC in this application.

A new bulletin out today from John F. Houle P.E, the Techincal Director of Uni-Bell PVC Pipe Association demonstrates the difference and clear superiority of PVC pressure pipe over Ductile Iron for water mains. The bulletin included a two page report that directly compares the two pipes across a range of areas including potability, pipe stiffness, hydraulics and fittings to name a few. The report show the differences in the pipe types and the benefits of using PVC pipe vs Ductile Iron.

Download PVC vs Ductile Iron Report

With the assistance of Iplex fusible PVC pipe, a New Zealand distance record for a continuous directionally drilled shot has been was set.

The Auckland suburb of Birkdale had been prone to wastewater overflow during heavy rain, leaving residential properties and streets flooded with wastewater. To alleviate the flooding, the North Shore City Council near Auckland established Project Care, which included a new large diameter pipeline under densely populated urban areas.

Fusible PVC pipe benefits
Although originally a 630 mm polyethylene pipe was specified, Pipeworks, the awarded contractor, believed a number of technical difficulties could be minimised by using a 550 mm fusible PVC pipe. This was the first application of Fusible PVC in the Australasian region.

The superior tensile strength and hydraulic capacity of relatively thin-walled Fusible PVC pipe reduced construction risks and provided economic benefits. Because Fusible PVC requires a small diameter bore, the pulling force necessary to complete the task was reduced, and drilling mud usage and spoil disposal was minimised.

The construction contract included a continuous 1,030 m section of pipe installed at a depth of up to 30 m. Drilling commenced in February 2010 and was successfully completed in December the same year. This was the first time an installation in a single shot greater than 1,000 m had been achieved in New Zealand.

Challenges to Overcome
Along the way to this record, numerous challenges were faced and overcome, including a very shallow gradient (as low as 0.5 per cent), a highly-curved alignment and difficult soil conditions (alternating between soft clay and sandstone) all through an exceptionally sensitive environment.

Pipeworks opted to use a Paratrack system to track the pilot bore drill head. The combination of a mud motor and the novel Paratrack system had never been attempted before in New Zealand, but proved highly successful. The drill head was tracked with surgical precision and the deviation in alignment over the 1,030 m in length at up to 30 m depth was never more than 100 mm.

In a new research paper now available leading Australian industry experts review PVC and its over 40 years of application in Australia for sewer and sanitary drainage pipes is examined and compared to alternative products.

This paper examines its long history and many key benefits of PVC pipes over alternatives such as longevity, resistance to tree root intrusion, structural performance and material efficiency.

We couldn't include a Retrospective of 2012 without looking at predictions and trends for the PVC pipe industry in 2013

Fusible PVC pipes
Fusible PVC Pipe projects have been carried out overseas with the US recently reporting the world’s longest trenchless PVC pipeline - 7,400 feet (2.25km) of PVC pipeline in the City of Napa, California.

In Australia, Trenchless PVC pipe systems are starting to gain attention and in 2013, we expect to see projects choosing the Novafuse Fusible PVC Pipe system from Iplex Pipelines to install continuous, monolithic, seal-ring free PVC pipe, capable of use in numerous trenchless or conventional “open cut” installations.

For engineers facing the constant challenge of rehabilitating dated infrastructure or constructing new projects in busy community areas, trenchless PVC pipelines are an excellent way to minimise impact disruptions while executing a seamless project on time and within budget. Read more about Fusible PVC Pipes

With 2012 all but over, I wanted to share a quick look back at some of the issues in the PVC pipe industry for 2012

I recently came across an Australian paper which looks at the impact of concrete pipes and PVC pipes on the chemistry of different water types and what changes were made to the quality of the water. The paper, Impact of concrete and PVC pipes on urban chemistry by PJ Davies, I.A Wright, O.J Jonasson and S.J Finlay, was first released in 2010 and is still highly relevant today given the continued use of concrete pipes for urban water infrastructure.

This study was one of the first in Australia that looked at not only the change in water chemistry based on the water collection, but also the in-transport processes of pipes and how they can impact on water chemistry. Missing in any previous discussion or study to date is the role of the drainage network itself with respect to contributing to the in-transport pollution load and also the natural ionic balance and how this may impact on ecological health.

1. PVC-O pipe has been in use since the mid 1970’s,however its usage increased significantly over the past decade with the adoption of national and international standards and advances in manufacturing technology.
    
2. PVC-O pipe offers significant benefits to water utilities and contractors. It maintains the excellent properties of PVC-U pipe whilst greatly increasing the strength, impact and crack resistance, ensuring the long term performance of the pipe.The robustness, light weight and flexibility of PVC-O pipes increase the speed of installation and limit the amount of ancillary equipment required to perform the installation.
    
3. Because of the high strength of the material, PVC-O pipe uses less raw material for transporting potable water or other fluids than all other pressure pipe types. This results in a larger bore for the same outer diameter, potentially enabling the use of smaller diameter pipes and fittings and/or lowering operational (pumping) costs, giving a lower total life cycle cost and the most sustainable outcome.
    
4. PVC-O pipes do not corrode and have proven longevity. They also possess excellent resistance to disinfectant chemicals, making them the ideal solution for water infrastructure.
    
5. Experience with the use of PVC-O pipes around the world has yielded good reliable and sound experience that confirms the above advantages are recognised and appreciated by the users.

Reference - PVC-O PIPES FOR WATER AND WASTE WATER APPLICATIONS: STANDARDISATION, QUALITY AND APPLICATIONS, Frans Alferink and Jos Oosterik

Today in Glen Waverley, Melbourne a burst pipeline sent residents scrambling from their homes as water was sent shooting up into the sky an estimate up to 80m. Roofs collapsed and extensive property and cars were damaged.  The main supplies water from Silvan Reservoir to more than 100,000 homes and businesses in Melbourne's southeast.

Reports estimate that 2 million litres of water was washed away in the incident.

PVC pipes are truly a product of modern technology, being used in the developed world for over 50 years and with proven benefits in water infrastructure the main of which being it is Corrosion Free - Download Free Report - When Water Quality Matters, Corrosion is Not Sustainable.

A recent report from US City North Tonawanda, New York, again demonstrates that city's and water utilities are slow to change to PVC piping even though it far exceeds the life expectancy of previously used pipe materials - Ductile and Cast Iron as well as having the obvious advantages of cost savings over the life time of the infrastructure and lower maintenance requirements. 

The BPF Vinyls group from the UK have just released a new study into the achievable cost savings of using PVC products over alternatives.

In this quick animated video, the BPF Vinyls Group demonstrates that PVC reduces costs as well as helps develop better housing with improved comfort and insulation.

In this third part in our debate about some of the claims of the benefits of Ductile Iron over PVC, we compare the durability of pipes as well as the quality of the pipes.

CLAIM 1 - Utilities throughout the US know that property designed modern ductile iron pipe will serve in excess of 105 to 120 years

This second part in our debate about some claims of the benefits of Ductile Iron over PVC, we look at total lifecycle and sustainability of the product.

CLAIM  - Ductile iron is a recycled and recyclable product that requires less pumping energy than alternatives (generating fewer greenhouse gases)...

The US is currently going through a major period of infrastructure debate with old systems now in desperate need of repairs / replacement. One particular lobby group is heavily involved in pushing Government bodies and local authorities to replace outdated pipe systems with old technology Ductile Iron pipes. This lobby group is actively pushing claims of Ductile Iron being superior to PVC Pipes. 

My esteemed US colleague, Greg Baird, Aging Water Infrastructure Consulting LLC has spent some time reviewing these facts and offers some well researched and proven truths. In a series of blogs, we’ll look at some of the claims and give you the well researched, well proven facts on Ductile Iron vs PVC for pipes.

Water week recently announced Federal funding for stormwater and reuse projects, allocating more than $42million in funding for nine innovative and sustainable stormwater harvesting and re-use projects to help secure was supplies in urban areas across Australia. (WaterWeek.com.au 22 August 2012

PVC pipes are the most environmentally sustainable pipe option for these projects, providing water infrastructure a resilient and high-quality option, making it ideal for long term asset management. 

Escalating deterioration of water and sewer systems due to corrosion, leaks and breaks in old-technology pipe materials threaten our ability to provide safe drinking water and essential sanitation services both today and in future generations. PVC pipe have a wide range of benefits over alternative pipes for any water projects.

We've compiled a Top 5 Why PVC Pipes are best use for Water Projects:

Saving Energy
PVC pipe manufacturing is extremely efficient, with virtually 100% of the compound being used during the production of PVC and its conversion into finished products.

It takes four times less energy to make than concrete pipe, and half that used for iron pipe. (www.uni-bell.org/sustainable_cities.html)

My esteemed colleague in the US Bruce Hollands, Executive Director of the PVC Pipe Association recently posted an article about Co-Founder and Former Leader of Greenpeace, Dr Patrick Moore speaking out on the benefits of PVC Pipe.  Greenpeace are long time critics of PVC so it’s an important statement that Dr Moore has come out in PVCs defence. View the full interview here. 

It’s a real testament of forward thinking councils and government bodies who are recognising the benefits of trenchless pipelines project over slower and potentially more costly trenched pipelines.

A recent PVC pipeline project in City of Napa, California including 7,400 feet of PVC pipeline installed using trenchless technology – a record in the distance a PVC trenchless project has travelled.

Earlier this month Julia Gillard, Australian Prime Minister told an international summit that Australia needed to capitalise on the soaring regional need for food in the same way it currently did with resources.

"Just as we have become a minerals and energy giant, Australia can be a great provider of reliable, high-quality food to meet Asia's growing needs," she said.

"In doing this, we are not just an exporter of commodities but a partner in growing international markets and a provider of higher value products and services for the global food industry."

She says Australia needs to become a leader in the area of food production.

To make this achievable, the country is going to need to significantly improve the efficiency and modernise our water infrastructure. A lot of water will have to be moved to the regions where the food can be grown. We can't afford to continue to do this by using open channel irrigation, where up to 90% of the water is lost. Pipeline schemes such as the Wimmera Mallee pipeline system need to be constructed, which will require large volumes of PVC pipe.

PVC pipe will be an essential part of the country’s infrastructure looking ahead if we are to achieve this aim.

I recently attended the Annual Conference for the Uni-Bell Pipe Association in the US, the largest gathering of PVC pipe and fitting manufacturers in the world. At the conference I met with Dr  Steven Folkman who recently released a highly detailed, researched and comprehensive study on water main breaks for the US and Canada. His most recent report, Water Main Break Rates In the USA and Canada: A Comprehensive Study April 2012, gave some staggering figures into the cost of corrosion in terms of water quality and failure rates of iron, cement and steel water pipes and the impact and cost of this onto the US and Canadian economy.  In our own Australian industry, with many water pipelines being cast or ductile iron and having been in service for 50 years or more in many cases, I would expect these results would be similar in our local market. 

The major finding of the study is that PVC pipe has the lowest overall failure rate when compared to cast iron, ductile iron, concrete, steel and asbestos cement pipes. Another major finding concludes corrosion is a major cause of water main breaks: 75% of all utilities have corrosive soil conditions and combined with a high portion of old cast iron and ductile iron pipes, corrosion is ranked the second highest reason for water main pipe failure. When comparing between older cast iron and newer ductile iron, the thinner-walled ductile iron is experiencing failures more rapidly. The study determined that the majority of ductile iron pipe failures occur between 21 and 40 years after installation, whilst concluding that PVC pipes are expected to last for over 110 years.

This International World Water Day sparked much needed debate in the US over the cost of the aging water infrastructure and the resistance from government and authorities to stop using outdated, non-corrosion resistant materials – such as Iron – and look to new technologies which has seen the development of corrosion proof materials such as PVC pipes that is cited as one of the top 20 engineering advancements of the 20th century and has a proven performance record of over 50 years in Australia, while overseas studies show the life expectancy of PVC pipes to be over 110 years.

A new report just out in the US, titled Fixing America's Crumbling Underground Water Infrastructure: Competitive Bidding Offers a Way Out, has detailed the major issues facing the US with an aging underground water infrastructure and shows how cities that have embraced the use of PVC Pipes have benefited.