What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
(OP)
Ferrous pipes corrode easily and may produce tuberculars. Plastic pipes may leach chemicals and can not take much external pressure. Also PVC tend to break in the winter under freezing condition and I am not aware of any way to heat the PVC pipe from freezing.
Still, I think PVC/HDPE pipes will like to take more market share for water/wastewater use. I will predict the PVC/HDPE will take up to 70% of the water/wastewater piping use.
Any comments?
Still, I think PVC/HDPE pipes will like to take more market share for water/wastewater use. I will predict the PVC/HDPE will take up to 70% of the water/wastewater piping use.
Any comments?





RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
Hope to hear more on this topic, it's kind of interesting.
Good on ya,
Goober Dave
RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
As usual this will in some degree be dependent on size (dimension), pressure (class), local regulations (for instance for drinking water, hydro-electric power plants or other), price (cheapest allowed or more costly/longer expected lifetime), climatic conditions, availabillity (local products/price and transport cost - remember the forum has worldwide coverage, and practice and rules will vary in Asia, Erope and US and elsewhere)
Apart from this, guesstimate:
HDPE or similar products or newer(not yet developed ?) plastic based components/types for lower pressure classes, all dimensions.
GRP for some higher dimensions (?)
Market competition and product development will ensure that exact types and composition of products and use will vary, but 'iron' is probably no longer a correct answer for dominating use for common water, including up to temperated for heat distribution.
Inhouse: Plastic based pipe in pipe for smaller, built in dimensions.
Larger / more demanding and higher pressure classes than allowed for or economical/practical for plastic and GRP:
Iron and steel, inside and outside covered and protected (by plastic composites) and stainless steel
Waterworks: stainless steel.
RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
One thing I'm pretty sure of is that the spoolable composite pipes will continue to get larger (bigger dimensions). At least two manufacturers have a nominal 6-inch product and I expect that in the next couple of years everyone will have 6-inch and some smart boy will lead the way into 8-inch. If you compare the cost of FlexSteel or Fiberspar to stainless, I'd say that inside waterworks any piping that can be 6-inch or smaller will tend towards spoolable composites instead of Stainless. The price difference is just too great.
I also expect the HDPE liner systems that were developed for water main rehabilitation and have moved into every sort of rehabilitation will be a big player in water works. I can lay a new thin-walled carbon steel pipe and pull an HDPE liner through it and get better performance than Stainless for about 1/4 the price. Those kinds of numbers get people's attention.
For distribution piping, I expect a lot of HDPE in bigger sizes. For 6-inch and smaller I expect municipalities and contractors to adopt spoolable composites (especially Fiberspar's PEX lined pipe) in a very big way.
I'm thinking that the days of buried PVC and GRP are nearly over. None of the regulators like the results they've been seeing with these products, and I see a fair bit of push towards HDPE.
David
RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
Hello zdas04!
You stated:
- 'I can lay a new thin-walled carbon steel pipe and pull an HDPE liner through it and get better performance than Stainless for about 1/4 the price.'
Interesting! Could you please elaborate (dimensions, pressure classes etc) and/or give direction to further information?
RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
The last price I got for stainless steel was a couple of years ago and it was for Sched 80 316 SS, the steel (in 20 ft joints) was $221/ft and the TIG weld quote worked out to $800/ft. I expect both of these numbers in 8-inch to be 25% higher so installed cost of stainless would be around $1,300/ft.
David
RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
I'm assuming you had good straight sections for this to work? How did you work the bends? Just transition to a normal steel or SS wall thickness?
I have never spent much time with the ASME codes, but i'd like to know how they determine the composite pressure rating. I'll put that on my reading list.
RE: What pipe materials will dominate the market in the future
David