July August 2006

This issue of the newsletter features the marine and dredging, and industrial applications of high density
polyethylene (HDPE) pipes.

Marine and Dredging

Dredge Pipe
The leak free HDPE dredge pipe for the marine
and hydraulic dredging industries is well suited
for salt water environments with high levels of
chlorine. Polyethylene is inert to salt water and is
highly resistant to the chlorine that is frequently
added to water intake lines. Its flexibility and light
weight make it easy to handle and install in water
environments. If you are a marine or dredging
company that specializes in the development of
waterways, pond dredging, land reclamation,
sludge dewatering, trout ponds and the restoration
of lakes, ponds, rivers, marsh or swamp
environments, the HDPE dredge pipe could be the
answer you are looking for.
What is Dredging and Dredge Pipe?
Dredging is the process of removing material
(sludge, mud, sand, sediment and toxins) from the
bottom of lakes, rivers, lagoons, ponds and other
bodies of water. While most dredging is done to
maintain
or
deepen
navigation
channels,
environmental
dredging
tries
to
reduce
contaminants and the spread of these
contaminants to other bodies of water. There are
two methods of dredging. There is the
mechanical method where a closed bucket is used
to remove sediment from the water bottom. There
is the hydraulic method where a pump is used to
siphon material from the bottom of a harbor, pond
or lake into a pipeline and transfer it to another
location. A hydraulic dredge acts a lot like a
large vacuum cleaner. The dredging system
usually consists of a flexible pipe connected at
one end to a powerful suction pump. At the other
end is a device designed to break up the material
to be dredged. The open end of the pipe is
Duraline Pipes Newsletter

lowered to the bottom of the targeted area, where

the material to be dredged is mixed with water,
pumped up, and then discharged into a barge or
directly to a dewatering facility. There the heavy
material settles, and the surplus water is allowed
to overflow.
Why Choose Polyethylene as a Dredge Pipe
Material?
In recent years there has been a constant increase
in the number of dredges using HDPE pipe as a
discharge pipe. Its popularity as a dredge or
discharge pipe is mainly due to a unique
combination of material properties making it ideal
for hydraulic dredging applications. The piping
material that you choose for your dredging project
can have a significant impact on both the
performance and functional efficiency of the
hydraulic dredging process. In a typical dredging
pipe system, the dredged material is pumped
through the pipeline as slurry. The diameter of the
pipe has a direct impact on the efficiency of the
hydraulic transport process. While the material of
the pipe can vary from simple steel to
polyethylene and rubber, the flexibility of HDPE
pipe, its flow rates, overall toughness, corrosion
resistance are important factors in confined
working areas and, particularly, when working in
exposed sea areas with significant wave activity.
The HDPE dredge pipe is a lightweight, flexible
material that if used properly has many
advantages over rigid steel pipelines. Its light
weight allows for the installation of long lines
with minimal labor and less lifting machinery than
required for rigid pipe. Long lines of HDPE pipe
are possible using portable heat fusion machines
which can form joints that are stronger than the
pipe itself.

July - August 2006

Low Installation Cost

Page 1

Polyethylene pipe is particularly well suited for

dredging pipeline installations. Its flexibility
allows it to adapt to river bottoms and underwater
trenches without the need for expensive
foundations or expensive ball joints or other
flexible connectors. Its light weight reduces the
need for heavy equipment and makes it easy to
assemble on ice and in wet marshy areas. Its
buoyancy means that long lengths can be
assembled on shore and then floated into position.

Applications of HDPE Dredging Pipe

Chemically Inert

The combination of air and sea water can be very

corrosive to ordinary metallic piping materials.
The unique properties of HDPE pipe, on the other
hand, combine to make it particularly well suited
for marine, harbor and other sea water
applications.

Light Weight

For a given pipe diameter and equivalent

performance standard, the weight of HDPE pipe is
around a tenth of the weight of concrete pipe and
less than one half that of cast iron. This makes it
much easier to handle requiring a minimum of
heavy equipment. Since its density is about 96%
of that for fresh water, and about 94% that for sea
water, the dredge floats even when full of water.

Leak Free Joints

Using heat fusion continuous lengths of dredge

pipe can be assembled without the need for
mechanical fittings. The resultant heat fusion
joints are as strong as the pipe and they eliminate
the risk of joint leakage.

Flexibility

The flexibility of HDPE pipe allows it to be

gradually sunk and to adapt to the natural
topography of water bottom surfaces. This not
only means a much simplified sinking procedure,
but a flexible pipeline that can be positioned on
the water bottom without any trenching or other
form of foundational support.
Duraline Pipes Newsletter

Stress Capacity

Because of its relatively high stress capacity

HDPE pipe can adjust to variable external forces
generated by tidal wave and current action. Its
high stress capacity also allows it to safely shift or
bend to accommodate itself to altered bedding that
can result by the underscouring that may
sometimes result from strong wave and current
actions.

Other marine applications for which dredge pipe

has proven to be very suitable include temporary
water surface pipelines, lines installed over
marshy soils, and the removal of sludge from
municipal and industrial wastewater lagoons.
While the main purpose of dredging is to create,
maintain or deepen navigation channels, it has
slowly gained respect as a method for restoring of
water resources and preventing them from
becoming polluted. From the reclamation of lakes,
rivers, and ponds to the removal of sludge
contaminated sediment from industrial and
municipal wastewater, dredging has become an
environmental priority of communities.
Applications for HDPE pipe include marine
outfalls, marina maintenance, dredging mud and
silt, lake, harbors, reservoir construction, marinas,
canal, pond, wastewater lagoons, coastal, inland
water areas, waterways, beach restoration, urban
waterfronts and ports. Other popular uses include:

July - August 2006

marine salvage
pond dredging
land reclamation
sludge dewatering
trout ponds
wastewater lagoons
deep-sea dredging
seabed intervention
sediment dewatering

Page

Industrial
Industrial Pipe
Leak free HDPE industrial pipe for fluid and
solid transfer finds use in a wide range of
industrial and civil infrastructure applications.
HDPE plastic pipe is the preferred pipe for
industrial applications because of its high gravity
flow rates which will increase capacity rates,
lower pumping costs and reduce stoppages.
Polyethylene pressure pipe is the perfect solution
for those industrial applications that feature high
flow rates and extremely harsh conditions. Its
light weight, flexibility and durability was
specifically designed for processes where
corrosion resistance, high pressures and material
temperatures are major factors.
What is Industrial Pipe?
Industrial pipe covers a broad category of fluid
and solid transport hardware used in process,
energy, mining, construction, and many civil
infrastructure applications for the transfer of
solids and liquids. It is usually configured with
straight sections connected by fittings or custom
designed connections and joints. Frequently used
in pressurized applications, HDPE industrial pipe
comes in a range of sizes and wall thickness to
match the required design pressure.
Selecting Industrial Pipe
Industrial pipe can be manufactured from a wide
variety of materials including: ABS, brass,
bronze, graphite, HDPE, polypropylene (PP),
PVC, etc. In selecting a piping material for the
particular application, special consideration must
be given to pressure ratings and temperatures. The
pressure
rating (maximum service design
pressure) is dependent on three things: the
strength of the material from which the pipe is
made, the thickness of the pipe, the temperature of
the pipe in application. The pressure rating of
HDPE is the maximum pressure that water in the
pipe can exert continuously with a high degree of

Duraline Pipes Newsletter

certainty that failure of the pipe will not occur.

When it comes to HDPE pipe, it is a general rule
of thumb that pressure ratings go down as
temperatures go up. Exposure to weather
temperature variations, heat of sun, or other heat
factors should always be taken into account. With
a wide variety of industrial applications, the best
way to determine whether HDPE should be used
for your project is to begin with what it cannot
do, i.e., handle constant temperatures exceeding
+60C in pressure applications and +80C in nonpressure applications. While the upper limit for
pressure applications is +60C, HDPE is the
preferred "cold water pipe" for operating
temperatures below -18C.
Advantages of HDPE Industrial Pipe
HDPE pipe has several properties that make it
very different from other industrial pipe materials.
Because of a lower modulus of elasticity and
higher coefficient of thermal expansion, HDPE
pipe tends to expand and contract much more
from changes in temperature and/or pressure than
other piping materials. Aside from these general
properties, HDPE industrial pipe is

flexible
durable
corrosion resistant
light weight
leak tight
superior flow rates

Its flexibility and light weight make it easy to

install while its durability and resistance to
virtually all chemical environments make HDPE
pipe well suited for a wide range of applications
in the chemical and process industries. Given that
the typical electrical costs for a facility's pumping
systems constitute 15 - 20% of its total costs,
selecting HDPE pipe will reduce the friction
factor, and consequently your pumping costs, by
as much as 40%.

July - August 2006

Page

When black is beautiful: a tale of two pipelines

The one in black is flexible, follows the path you choose, requires no special fittings, is installed and ready
to go. The white one is rigid, is incomplete without its fittings, and holds you up. As a project engineer, be
safe not sorry. Go with the black, not the white. Go with the HDPE pipeline, the reliable one. The one that
wont keep you waiting and wont let you down.

Published by: Duraline Pipes Learning Centre, Plot No L -24, 25, Verna Electronic City, Phase II A, Verna, Salcete, Goa 403
722, India; Tel: 0832669 3232/669 3200; Fax: 0832669 3201; email: centre@duralineindiagoa.com; web site: www.duraline.in

Duraline Pipes Newsletter

July - August 2006

Page