History of glass Reinforced pipes
In view of the history, Fiberglass pipes and fiberglass accessories, pipes, beds, tees , nozzles etc. were introduced in 1944 in Europe. The earliest applications for fiberglass piping, and still one of the most widely used areas, is in the water and oil industry. Fiberglass pipe , accessories and specials were selected as a cost-effective, corrosion-resistant alternative to protected steel, stainless steel, and other more exotic metals. Product lines expanded to include increasingly high-pressure applications and down-hole tubing with threaded connections. In the late 1948s and due to the fast automation introduced to the production lines and machineries, larger diameters became easy to manufacture and available and fiberglass pipe was increasingly used in the chemical process industry because of the pipe’s inherent corrosion-resistant characteristics.
However, From the 1958s through the 1985s, fiberglass pipe products have been accepted in the municipal water and sewage markets in most of the developing countries. The performance of fiberglass pipe is recognized as combining the benefits of durability, strength, and corrosion resistance, thus eliminating the need for interior linings, exterior coatings, and/or cathodic protection. Fiberglass pipe systems offer great design flexibility with a wide range of standard pipe diameters and fittings available, as well as an inherent ability for custom fabrication to meet special needs. Fiberglass pipe is available in diameters ranging 25 mm through 4000 mm). Pressures run from gravity applications through several thousand psi.
In year 1973 there are few countries in the world where fiberglass pipe has not been used due to some required approvals and qualifications required to dump the product into markets.
In year 1995, the majority of existing markets approved the glass reinforced products and almost all countries around the world using this product for many industries and applications where in 2000 becomes the most used product around the world and for almost all applications.
Advantages of Fiberglass pipes.
Advantages of GRP pipes could be summarized as follows:
1. Long Life / Low Maintenance / Low Operating Cost
2. Design Versatility
3. Easy and Low Cost Installation
4. Hydraulic Savings
5. Quality Product
6. Flexibility in Design and Installation
Long Life:
• Tested for long term performance ‐ refer to Qualification Tests.
• Pipe is designed for a lifetime exceeding 50 years.
• Meets requirements of AWWA C 950, ASTM & BS.
• Unaffected by saltwater, ground water or corrosive soils.
• Not affected by electrolysis or stray electric currents.
• Protects valuable water from seepage through pipe leakage.
• Protects drinking water against infiltration of contaminants in the soils.
Low or Zero Maintenance:
• No need for protective exterior and interior coatings or linings.
• No need for expensive cathodic protection and the resulting maintenance & operations costs for these systems.
Low Operation Cost:
• No Concern for lining material flaking off & clogging the downstream equipment.
• Lower Friction factor resulting in lower pumping energy requirements. AWWA‐M45 Manual stipulates: ‐ Manning coefficient, n=0 .009 ‐ Hazen‐Williams coef., C = 150
• No deterioration of interior surface which results in a constant internal friction factor.
Design Versatility
• Wide range of products from elbows, tees, Y‐Branches & flanges for all diameters, pressure classes and stiffness classes available.
• Fittings & spools could be prefabricated in the factory as well as on site to any shape & site dimensions required.
• Built in GRP manways with GRP tight covers for cleaning purposes.
• Advise on proper supporting system in valve chambers & in above ground installations.
• Flexible conduit with an ability to absorb energy resulting in lower transient/surge pressures.
Easy & Low Cost Installation
• Light Weight: Weighs about 1/4 the weight of Ductile Iron Pipes & approximately 1/10 the weight of concrete pipes.
• Easy to handle with relatively low & medium weight equipment, reducing on the labor & equipment charges.
• Pipes are produced in standard 12 meters length, reducing on the pipe installation time.
• Coupling joints accommodate between 0.5 and 3.0 degrees angular changes in direction saving on the elbow’s quantity. (Angular changes depend upon the pipe diameter).
Hydraulic Savings
• Favorable flow coefficients compared to other piping materials.
• Less friction head loss to overcome, resulting in lower energy consumption over the project lifetime.
• Potential to use smaller pumps.
• Potential to use smaller Pipe diameters with the same end results.
• No foreign matters buildup on the pipe liner, thus keeping the friction factor constant with time.
• Double Bell Coupling joint is designed and long term tested to prevent any water leakage.
• GRP Pipes does not absorb water, which eliminates the water losses in the network.
Quality Product
• Tamdid Pipes® GRP Pipes & Coupling are produced on a highly computer controlled machine which ensures consistent uniform composition and strength.
• Meets requirements of AWWA C950, ASTM, BS and other international standards.
• ISO9001 and ISO14001 accreditation.
• Full back up from the “technical know‐how” suppliers on long term testing of pipes.
• Detailed Quality Plan.
• GRP does not corrode and is never affected by sewage gases and sulfates which attack other materials.
Flexibility in Design & Installation
A. Double Bell Coupling Joint
• Easy to assemble.
• Effective seal for positive & negative pressures.
• Flexibility of joints allows for expansion & contraction of the pipeline, which are due to temperature changes.
B. Butt Strap Joints (For special Applications)
• Rigidly connects pipes, allowing for axial load transfer along the line.
• Thrust restraints can be minimized or even omitted depending on the design.
• Possibility of installing GRP Pressure pipes above ground and inside chambers.
C. Flanges
• Availability of all diameters & pressure classes.
• Possibility of connecting to any other material or equipment.
• Possibility of drilling GRP flanges to any drilling pattern and standard.
• Light weight and easy to install.
D. Mechanical Couplings
• Possibility of joining GRP pipes with mechanical couplers.
E. Marine Harness Lugs
• Used to connect pipes for sub‐aqueous installations. |
