Plastic Pipes Research Articles

Household flow detection using FEAT (flow estimating accelerometer-thermometer) device

The use of IoT devices in water end use disaggregation verification is an emerging field which offers benefits over conventional approaches, in terms of cost, accuracy and scalability. Having reliably disaggregated water appliance consumption data will enable smart water meter data to be used in household water conservation approaches and for understanding water consumption behaviours. The FEAT device provides a low cost, easily applied and scalable solution that is demonstrated to work even for very low flow conditions of 0.03 l/s. The FEAT device is a combination of a battery, Wi-fi board and MPU6050 sensors providing multi-modal accelerometer and thermometer data. The study places 7 of these FEAT devices onto hot and cold water pipes leading to a shower, which is operated 4 times in a high flow situation, 0.13 l/s, and 4 times in a low flow situation, 0.03 l/s. The data is then analysed and compared with a flow logger to determine if the FEAT device can detect when a domestic appliance is using water. There are limiting cases where the level of noise or external interference limits distorts the data, obscuring the distinguishable peaks in the data due to the similarity of the values. By using high and low pass filtering methods it was possible to enhance the peaks but there are still situations where peaks cannot be detected: for example, if a rigid pipe is not able to vibrate easily or if a hot water boiler is not triggered due to the low flow rate. However, the results show it should be possible to overcome these limiting cases, as it is much less likely for both the vibration and temperature data to be adversely affected by noise or external influences simultaneously, therefore decreasing the effect of noise and external influences. In conclusion, this research paper demonstrates that FEAT devices are a low cost, easily applied and scalable solution for detecting flow. By using high and low pass filtering, placing sensors on freely moving pipes and through the use of multi-modal verification, the FEAT device is shown to work on both metal and plastic pipes even in the lowest flow situations of 0.03 l/s. Therefore the FEAT device is a suitable solution for appliance identification in disaggregation verification datasets.

Experimental Study on Multi-Segmented Circular or Non-Circular Pipes to Determine the Pipe Stiffness

A study was carried out to test unitary as well as multi-segmental circular and noncircular glass-reinforced plastic pipes under compression. Three pipe shapes were tested (box, semi-elliptical and round) under identical conditions using the ring stiffness method of testing. Hand layup technique was used for manufacturing the pipes. The pipes were designed with inner layers, central core and outer layers. The inner layer acts as the corrosion barrier layer, the core consists of blended sand impregnated with resin and the outer layer acts as the external layer which protects the pipe from impact. Based on the experimental results, it was concluded that multi-segmental pipes are stiffer and more flexible than unitary pipes because of the loading carrying capacity of the tongue and groove joint (TGJ).

Training on Utilizing Pipe Waste Become an Useful Handicrafts at MA Syamsul Arifin Students Kraton Pasuruan

This community service focuses on equipping assisted subjects with knowledge about the use of PVC pipe waste in the environment. This service program is an actualization of the collaboration that has existed between Yudharta University Pasuruan and Madrasah Aliyah Syamsul Arifin Kraton Pasuruan. This mentoring program uses a service learning approach through three stages including the preparation, service, and reflection stages. The impact of this change in service includes students being able to understand various types of waste and their impact on the environment, being able to make handicrafts using used plastic pipe waste materials, and being able to understand marketing strategies for handicraft products by utilizing existing facilities in the surrounding environment. This service activity is expected to be a pioneer of collaboration between institutions, especially in increasing the creativity and independence of students in various schools in the Pasuruan Regency.

Numerical Analysis of Transient Flow in Polyethylene Pipe

We present a numerical code for calculating transient flow in plastic pipes, especially in the polyethylene pipe, to analysis transient flow in a viscoelastic pipe such as polyethylene. The set partial differential equations to be solved is obtained using conservation laws and behavior for the fluid and the pipe wall, associated with constitutive equations of the two media. A global digital processing is achieved using the method of characteristics. The results obtained are in good agreement with those found in the literature.

STRESS PROPERTIES OF HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE PIPES UNDER CONSTANT PRESSURE IN THE LONG TERM

Due to its durability, plastics pipes are normally used for water transport. It replaced the metal pipes .the long term hydrostatic pressure test according to ASTMD2837-02 and EN921 -1994 requires very long periods for testing from 1000~ 10000 hours ,which makes the test is expensive and consuming, the objective of this research to find a method to use a short –term test result predict the behavior of the plastic pipe for the long –term .for this purpose the short –term tests are carried at elevated temperatures 50oc ,60oc and 80oc and the curves of stress versus time were plotted . A time –temperature superposition approach is used to predict the creep curves at lower temperatures such as 20oc, 25oc and 30o c and 40o c. the stress curves are essentially parallel. This led to the thought that a shift factor aT , could be applied to move from one curve to another .it may be seen from chart. 1 that the three curves from 50oc ,60oc and 80oc are separated by a uniform distance log aT Williams ,landel and Ferry developed an empirical relationship for this temperature shift factor explain below: Log at = Where c1 ,c2 are constant Tref is a reference temperature.

Novel Electrical Technique for Detecting Water Leaks in Buried Plastic Water Distribution Pipes

Novel Electrical Technique for Detecting Water Leaks in Buried Plastic Water Distribution Pipes

Sonic assessment of physical ageing of plastic pipes

This article explores the potential of vibro-acoustics to detect physical ageing of plastic pipes. For this purpose, two different topics are combined: the ability of vibro-acoustics to estimate the storage modulus of a plastic pipe, and the sensitivity of the estimated storage modulus to changes due to ageing. Concerning the first topic, a vibro-acoustic method was applied to two water-filled HDPE pipes, one surrounded by air and another by sand. The excitation was achieved via an impact hammer and the propagating signal was recorded with the aid of hydrophones. Signal analysis led to the estimation of the axial wavenumber of the propagating axisymmetric fluid-borne wave. This value was used in the dispersion equation for the propagating mode to evaluate the storage modulus of the pipe material for a given experimental setup. Results revealed that the vibro-acoustic method gives consistent and reliable estimations of the storage modulus. Concerning the second topic, samples from two PVC pipes with an age difference of 41 years were subjected to dynamic mechanical analysis to study the behaviour of the storage modulus as a function of frequency. Results showed that it is feasible to distinguish discrepancies in the magnitude of the storage modulus due to ageing, provided that the measurement uncertainty is small. The uncertainty analysis highlighted the parameters that need to be more accurately known in order to lower the overall uncertainty of the estimated storage modulus when the proposed vibro-acoustic method is used. Irrespectively of the medium surrounding the pipe (air or soil), the distance between the points of the recording signals should be sufficiently long to measure the signal phase accurately. It was found that the accurate knowledge of the pipe’s geometry, i.e. the wall thickness and internal radius, was more or equally important for controlling the overall uncertainty than that of the parameters of surrounding soil.

Effect of Increasing Calcium Carbonate (as a Filler) on the Plastic Pipes Properties

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was used as a filler in the mixture for plastic pipes to improve the mechanical properties of the product, this research dealt with the study of the effect of increasing the proportion of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) on the properties of the produced pipe through a factory application by preparation of five mixture of polyvinyl chloride with different proportions of calcium carbonate (3, 5, 8, 10, and 15)% with some additional materials for the manufacture of the plastic pipes by using the extrusion method to produce polyvinyl chloride pipes (110mm × 10bar × 6m) for transportation of drinking water,a series of tests were carried out on the raw materials: (bulk density, free flow and sieve analysis) and also on the final product: (dimensions, heat reversion, tensile strength, impact strength, resistance to external blows and strength characteristics determined by long-term hydrostatic strength (rupture), the results of the tests showed a decrease in the tensile strength by increasing the percentage of calcium carbonate addition and by a small amount up to 8% and the decrease became more clear when the percentage of calcium carbonate addition was more than 8%, the results obtained at the level of factory application have proved the possibility of increasing the proportion of calcium carbonate in the mixture of raw materials used in the manufacture of unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (U.P.V.C) pipes (from 3 to 8 %) and the results of the tests on the final product conformed to the certified specification for the proportion of 3, 5, and 8% and did not conform to the certified specification for proportions 10 and 15%.

Ground vibration analysis of leak signals from buried liquid-filled pipes: An experimental investigation

The frequency and attenuation of leak signals from buried liquid-filled plastic and metal pipes were investigated by collecting ground surface vibrations under different conditions at an indoor experimental test facility. The effects of pipe pressure and material on the effective frequency content of the leak signals were investigated. The attenuation of the leak signals propagating in the soil and through the ground surface was studied by comparing numerical and experimental results. We found that the leak signals measured on the ground surface were wide-band signals and attenuate the high-frequency content more easily compared with the low-frequency content. In the vicinity of the leak source, the attenuation of the leak signal propagating in the soil is mainly attributed to the P2-wave. Our work can help improve the performance of electronic listening devices and develop novel acoustic leak detection strategies.

Effect of Certain Hydrocarbon Compounds on High-density Polyethylene Water Pipes

Plastic pipes are being more widely used in various industries, as they combine both a rather light weight and quite high physical mechanical performance characteristics. The present article materials are devoted to the researches, relating to the determination of the various hydrocarbon compounds effect on some mechanical properties reduction degree of samples cut from HDPE pipes, represented by characteristic values of curves (strength - tensile strain) as an absorption result. In the course of the research, the gasoline presence in material structure of the pipe samples was noted to make the process unstable, and the curves representing a change in the characteristic values under study, depending on the immersion time in diesel fuel, tended to decrease throughout the entire immersion period. The experiments have shown that in the study of samples absorbing capacity a full saturation was obtained when immersed in diesel fuel and, despite large difference in absorbance values, the volume of absorbed hydrocarbons caused decline close to the studied characteristic values. Motor oils produced the most significant effect on the HDPE samples studied characteristics at the relatively low absorption values.

Water Hammer in Steel–Plastic Pipes Connected in Series

This paper experimentally and numerically investigates the water hammer phenomenon in serially connected steel and HDPE pipes with different diameters. The aim of the laboratory tests was to obtain the time history of the pressure head at the downstream end of the pipeline system. Transient tests were conducted on seven different pipeline system configurations. The experimental results show that despite the significantly smaller diameter of the HDPE pipe compared to the steel pipe, introducing an HDPE section makes it possible to suppress the valve-induced pressure surge. By referring to the results of the experimental tests conducted, the comparative numerical calculations were performed using the fixed-grid method of characteristics. To reproduce pressure wave attenuation in a steel pipe, Brunone-Vitkovský instant acceleration-based model of unsteady friction was used. To include the viscoelastic behavior of the HDPE pipe wall, the one-element Kelvin–Voigt model was applied. By calibrating the unsteady friction coefficient and creep parameters, satisfactory agreement between the calculated and observed data was obtained. The calibrated values of parameters for a single experimental test were introduced in a numerical model to simulate the remaining water hammer runs. It was demonstrated that using the same unsteady friction coefficient and creep parameters in slightly different configurations of pipe lengths can be effective. However, this approach fails to reliably reproduce the pressure oscillations in pipeline systems with sections of significantly different lengths.

Estimate Friction Factor for Polypropylene Pipes

The major losses of fluid flow in plastic pipes due to friction are usually few or negligible in some cases, and this is due to the assumption that the value of the friction factor is small (small roughness). This work aimed to estimate the friction factor vs Reynolds number and to compared against previous data, the friction factor was estimated using an experimental model consisting of a polypropylene pipe with a nominal outside diameter 16mm and length of 8.5 meter and eighteen elbows connect to it, the results showed that the practical coefficient of friction factor is less than the value using the Basilius equation for smooth pipes which indicates that polypropylene pipes are smoother and that the numerical formula similar to the Basilius equation was . Finally, the amount of energy lost due to the friction factor in PPR pipes is small compared to other types of pipes and this is due to the extrusion process that makes the inner wall smooth, but it cannot be neglected in fluid flow.

Detection of impulsive signals on tendons for hybrid wind turbines using acoustic emission measurements

The power generation of a wind turbine is determined, among other things, by its hub height. In recent years, a new, effi-cient and economical design for high wind turbine towers called hybrid towers is developed consisting of two sections. The lower section consists of prefabricated concrete ring segments that are post-tensioned together and assembled at the tur-bines site, whereas the connected upper section is composed of conventional steel rings. The prestressed tendons in the lower section are located inside the tower and ensure the stability of the wind turbine. Thus, these are critical elements and any damage to them should be detected as early as possible. The tendons are often highly prestressed and exposed to high dynamic loads. Fatigue failure in the prestressing steel is a potential risk. As the tendons are covered in plastic pipes and in some sections have contact to the concrete segments the access is limited for inspections. The aim of the presented inves-tigations is the development of a monitoring approach for the immediate detection of the occurring wire breaks. Acoustic emission measurement has been proved to be a promising technique for that and thus should be assessed. For experiments tendons were prestressed in a test frame with the dimensions of 12 x 4.1 m analogous to the boundary conditions of a real wind turbine. Wire breaks as well as wire break-like signals were generated on tendons, which are recorded by piezoelectric sensors and analyzed by a measuring device. The results show that by acoustic emission measurement the wire break signals can be well recorded. The results from the large-scale experiments are transferred towards the application at real structures.

Customary Water Tenure

Heritage and culture not only shape the customary tenure of land and forest resources of most indigenous peoples and local communities in low-income rural areas, but also community members’ mutual relations vis-à-vis their water resources, or, in other words: customary water tenure. Age-old settlement by farm communities or pastoralists’ establishment of nomadic routes vested customary rights to land and the fugitive surface runoff and streams flowing over the lands; soil moisture, wetlands and lakes on the land; and aquifers under the land.
 In customary water tenure, orally transmitted norms and practices have governed communities’ construction, operation and maintenance of traditional local infrastructure, such as weirs, dams and ponds, to store water as buffer to seasonal variability; wells and lifting devices to tap aquifers, the planet’s largest storage; and canals, tunnels and pipes to channel water where and when needed for drinking, other domestic uses, livestock, irrigation of crops, vegetables and trees, brick making, crafts, small-scale enterprise and ceremonial uses, or to ensure water availability for fisheries and navigation. Customary normative frameworks continue to shape communities’ investments in “modern” low-cost plastic pipes, tanks, small motorized pumps, or solar energy, also responding to growing populations, markets for water-dependent produce, and higher aspirations.

Contamination from plastic pipes in small systems: migration and leaching

In recent years, extensive laboratory-scale research has focused on the biofilm formation, leaching, and migration of organic chemical compounds from plastic pipes into drinking water. This research has been conducted on an existing distribution network in three rural villages near the dead ends to study the small diameter pipes associated with stagnant or low flow conditions. The distribution network was constructed more than ten years ago using unplasticized polyvinyl chloride pipes. Samples of water, soil, and aged pipes have been collected and tested in the laboratory. Results showed a heavy biofilm formed on the inner surfaces of the uPVC pipes. The biofilm has resulted in high concentrations of trihalomethanes, total organic carbon, and PAHs in the drinking water. The predominant PAHs were the acenaphthylene followed by the naphthalene, while no PAHs have detected at the source. The SEM images showed deterioration of pipe walls, swelled parts, and pores. The EDX confirms the migration of some elements including O, Cl, Ca, Ti, Mg, Fe and K due to the biodegradation of the pipe material and the Ca/Zn stabilizers. However, PAHs released from the plastic pipes into the flowing water are caused by metabolic activities. In addition, results showed that the surrounding soil has classified as having low organic content. Hence, uPVC pipes need protection or change in the manufacturing processes to reduce their hazards in distribution networks over time.

Stem-nesting Hymenoptera in Irish farmland: empirical evaluation of artificial trap nests as tools for fundamental research and pollinator conservation

Insect pollinators are suffering global declines, necessitating the evaluation and development of methods for long-term monitoring and applied field research. Accordingly, this study evaluated the use of trap nests (“bee hotels”) as tools for investigating the ecology of cavity nesting Hymenoptera within Irish agricultural landscapes. Three trap nests consisting of 110 mm diameter plastic pipe containing 100 cardboard nest tubes of varying diameter were placed at eight apple orchards and eight oilseed rape sites and left in the field for five months. Sealed nest tubes occurred at 15 of the 16 sites, and in 77% of the 48 nests. However, only 7% of the 4800 individual nest tubes were sealed, and only 4% produced cavity-nesting Hymenoptera. Three cavity nesting bee species (Hylaeus communis, Osmia bicornis, Megachile versicolor) and two solitary wasp species (Ancistrocerus trifasciatus, A. parietinus) emerged from nest tubes. There were significant differences among species in terms of emergence date and the diameter of nest tubes from which they emerged, the latter allowing the calculation of niche width and niche overlap, and informing choice of tube size in future studies/conservation efforts. Trap nests, therefore, offer a valuable tool for fundamental ecological research and a model system for investigating interactions between stem-nesting species within their wider ecological networks. The ability of trap nests to actually increase farmland pollinator abundance and diversity as part of agri-environment schemes requires additional investigation. However, used in sufficient numbers, these trap nests provide valuable biogeographical data for cavity nesting Hymenoptera and offer a viable means for long term monitoring of these species in Irish farmland.

Estimation polypropylene elbow losses

Normally the values of losses in plastic pipe and fitting is small in most cases was neglected, the paper was estimate the coefficient for Polypropylene elbow losses by using experimental model consist of 18 elbows and it was K=1.77, also the paper describes the methodology can be estimate all values of minor losses.

The preparation and evaluation mechanism of mesoporous spherical silica/porous carbon-filled polypropylene composites obtained from coal gasification fine slag.

Coal gasification fine slag is a by-product of the entrained-flow gasifier, which has caused some environmental pollution. Through acid dissolution and calcination at different temperatures, mesoporous spherical silica/porous carbon composite filler was prepared using coal gasification fine slag. The particle size and specific surface area of the composite filler decreased with the decrease of unburned carbon content. The analysis of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated the decrease of oxygen-containing functional groups and the increase of C-C groups with the decrease of the content of carbon. The effects of mesoporous spherical silica/porous carbon with different carbon content on the comprehensive properties of filled polypropylene (PP) were studied. The tensile strength and interface interaction increased at first and then decreased with the decrease of carbon content, due to the synergistic effect of mesoporous spherical silica and rough amorphous carbon. The scanning electron microscope showed that the composite filler with the carbon content of 14.47 wt.% at the calcination temperature of 450°C had the best compatibility with the matrix. Thermodynamic analysis of the PP composites indicated that thermal insulation properties and thermal stability improved with the incorporation of the composite filler. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) testing indicated the highest crystallinity of the matrix corresponding to the best comprehensive performances of the composites. XRD patterns revealed that the cooperation of fillers brought characteristic peaks and did not change the primary crystal structure of PP. Simultaneously, heavy calcium powders (CC) were used as comparative fillers, and the overall properties of the PP composites filled with the composite filler were better compared to those of the CC-filled PP composite. The results illustrated that mesoporous spherical silica/porous carbon particles can completely replace CC used in the PP composites, which can be used in auto bumpers, plastic pipes, display cases, and car air deflectors. The CGFS can be processed into a plastic filler for substituting heavy calcium powder particles, which can solve the environmental pollution caused by the accumulation of solid waste.

Evaluations on effect of volume fraction of injected air on exergo-economic performance of a shell and tube heat exchanger

Increasing heat transfer rate in heat exchangers is one of the topics interested by researchers which leads to economic savings. Various methods have been proposed in this field which are categorized into two main groups of active and passive techniques. Despite numerous investigations were conducted in this regards, very rare investigations have probed these methods from the economic viewpoints. Present study was carried out to investigate the effect of volume fraction (VF) of air bubbles on exergo-economic performance of horizontal shell and helically coiled tube exchanger (HSHTE). The air bubbles were injected into shell side via especial method. Holes with certain properties were fabricated on a plastic pipe with diameter of 3 mm for injecting air bubbles. Both counter flow and parallel flow were considered in this investigation. Present study showed that air injection has significant effect on thermal efficiency, exergy destruction and economic performance of the HSHTE. It was found that increment of VF increases number of thermal units, first law efficiently and exergy destruction increase by 4.5, 2.4 and 12.5 times, respectably. Furthermore, best values of Net profit per unit transferred heat load (դ p ) was about 9.3 × 10 −5 ($/J) which presented up to 13% better financial performance in comparison with parallel flow.

Economic Analysis of Heat Distribution Concepts for a Small Solar District Heating System

One challenge in today’s district heating systems is the relatively high distribution heat loss. Lowering distribution temperatures is one way to reduce operational costs resulting from high heat losses, while changing the distribution system from steel pipes to plastic pipes and changing the heat distribution concept can reduce investment costs. The result is that the overall life cycle cost of the district heating system is reduced, leading to the improved cost competitiveness of district heating versus individual heating options. The main aim of this study was to determine the most cost-efficient distribution system for a theoretical solar district heating system, by comparing the marginal life cycle cost of two different distribution systems. A secondary aim was to determine the influence of the employed pipe type and insulation level on the marginal life cycle cost by comparing detailed economic calculations, including differences in pipe installation costs and construction costs, among others. A small solar-assisted district heating system has been modeled in TRNSYS based on a real system, and this “hybrid” model is used as a basis for a second model where a novel distribution system is employed and the heating network operating temperature is changed. Results indicate that a novel distribution concept with lower network temperatures and central domestic hot water preparation is most efficient both from an energy and cost perspective. The total life cycle costs vary less than 2% for a given distribution concept when using different pipe types and insulation classes, indicating that the investment costs are more significant than operational costs in reducing life cycle costs. The largest difference in life cycle cost is observed by changing the distribution concept, the novel concept having approximately 24% lower marginal life cycle cost than the “hybrid” system.