HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
(OP)
Dear sirs.
Some of you guys have had experience using HDPE pipe in Combined Cycle Power Plants? Especially in Cooling Water Systems?
I am facing a problem with HDPE pipe of big diameter (2 meters diameter) and some people are thinking that this material is not suitable for this purpose.
Some advice will be highly appreciated.
Thanks.
Some of you guys have had experience using HDPE pipe in Combined Cycle Power Plants? Especially in Cooling Water Systems?
I am facing a problem with HDPE pipe of big diameter (2 meters diameter) and some people are thinking that this material is not suitable for this purpose.
Some advice will be highly appreciated.
Thanks.





RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
PE pipe does not have the mechanical properties of other alternatives. It will look like crap when you are finished because it will not be straight. PE pipe is subject to high thermal expansion, so all anchorage points will have to be carefully considered, especially where it is going into and out of the ground and where the pipe is exposed to the sun.
RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
Size is a bit big, but temperature and pressure is key. At that size I would assume this is buried? If not PE doesn't like being unsupported and will creep over time if put on supports.
However with virtually no context or information provided this is like saying steel pipe might be unsuitable.
Vague question so I'm afraid it's a vague answer....
Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.
RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
The transitions to heat exchangers can be a challenge, but there are ways to do that too.
With the weight of 2 m of water already there, adding the weight of the concrete shouldn't be a major concern. For all the reasons above, I wouldn't run bare HDPE (even buried) for cooling water or cooling water return.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual. Galileo Galilei, Italian Physicist
RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
For a open-loop cooling system, concentrated contaminants are not an issue.
www.SlideRuleEra.net
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RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
A fully-buried pipe, supported all around by the trench fill, will reduce both distortions.
RE: HDPE pipe used in Combined Cycle Power Plants
Including AWWA C200 steel pipe in your cooling water specifications is the only way to ensure sufficient competitive pricing and availability for your power plant projects. The companies that manufacture PCCP also manufacture C200 steel pipe, and there are a few more companies that only manufacture C200 steel pipe - you never can know which pipe company has better freight costs to your project location or which pipe companies are already at capacity.