Austria-based plastics manufacturer Borealis has recently provided the piping for the installation of a new fire main at an industrial complex in Finland. The pipes were from Borealis’ trademark family of pipe products, BorSafe, which reportedly offer greater durability and stress crack resistance, meaning that in the long run not only is money saved on replacing the pipes, but in addition water is saved.
In the case of the fire main, the BorSafe pipes also proved cost-efficient in terms of the savings on the installation on the pipes. Jarmo Aho, NesteJacobs Construction Manager explains the decision to use polyethylene instead of the traditional steel piping: “It allowed the pipes to be joined by butt fusion welding which offers a 50% time saving on steel welds, as well as a 40% cost saving.”
In addition, because of the strength of the plastic, less material for pipe bedding was required; instead, much of the soil that was excavated could be recycled as bedding, reducing the impact on the environment. The installation of the pipes was subject to difficult environmental conditions, including highly rocky terrain, a busy railway line running beneath the location which led to excessive ground vibrations, and the winter cold, which reached levels as low as -15˚c, all of which placed a lot of demand on the performance of the pipes during installation. The chosen product from the BorSafe range was the HE3490-LS-H pipe, which is made from PE100-RC, a plastic specifically designed for easy installation under difficult conditions.
