GRP pipe lines

Today, new technologies in pipe production methods have enabled better performance at a lower cost. Fiberglass pipes are light and corrosion resistant pipes that are produced under advanced quality standards. Fiberglass pipes were first produced in 1948. Fiberglass pipes are divided into several types according to the type of resin used and how they are reinforced, one of which is GRP pipes (Glass Reinforced Polyester Pipe), but usually the names of fiberglass and GRP are synonymous. . GRP pipe has a composite structure of resin, glass fibers and other materials. These pipes are used in cases such as water transmission pipe, sewage collection, surface water collection, seawater transmission, irrigation and drainage networks, industrial sewage, power plants, oil and petrochemical industries, chemical industries and.. These pipes are mainly classified with two characteristics of nominal pressure PN and hardness SN. These pipes are usually produced in diameters of 25 to 3000 mm and for working pressure of 6 to 32 bar and hardness of 2500 to 10,000 Pascals.

Method of production of fiberglass pipes

 Fiberglass pipes are produced according to the production method, Filament Winding Discontinuous. Similarly, the types of resins used in the pipe include: (epoxy, polyester or vinyl ester resins). Also, glass fibers such as: (ECR-GLASS, C-GLASS, E-GLASS, etc.) are used in the manufacture of fiberglass pipes. After preparing the pipe mold, a layer of CBL as a corrosion resistant layer and reaching a smooth inner surface of the pipe that minimizes friction. And is applied by Hand Lay Up method. The work of the screw fibers is then twisted vertically and angularly on the mold by the filament winding machine of the resin impregnated rowing fibers to reach the desired design thickness. At the end, the produced pipe is separated from the mold with the help of hydraulic pumps and polishing and chamfering operations are applied at the end of the production process.

The advantages and features of GRP pipes include the following:

1- Long useful life: (at least 50 years) One of the most prominent advantages of GRP pipes is their very long life; If GRP pipes are produced and installed in principle, they have a performance of up to 50 years, which is at least two to three times the useful life of a steel or concrete pipe.

2- Lightness: Another advantage of GRP pipes is their light weight, which is about one-fifth of cast iron pipes and one-eleventh of concrete pipes. Therefore, GRP pipes have much better speed and ease of installation than other pipes.

These pipes are very light and in equal diameter and pressure, they have about 16% by weight of steel pipes and 10% by weight of concrete pipes.

3- Corrosion resistance: Another obvious advantage of GRP pipes is their very good resistance to corrosion compared to metal or concrete pipes. Therefore, this type of pipes are used for areas with corrosive soil or for collecting municipal wastewater that has high corrosion and does not require internal or external coatings, cathodic protection or any other common methods. These pipes can also be used to transport industrial wastewater. For example, by changing the resin and fibers used, composite pipes can be used for the most corrosive effluents, such as the effluent of the paper industry.

4- High temperature tolerance: Another advantage of GRP pipe compared to other plastic pipes such as polyethylene is high temperature tolerance. Also, GRP pipes are the only suitable alternative to metal pipes to transfer a special fluid that has a relatively high temperature, and in these cases, PVC, polyethylene or polypropylene pipes can not be used. GRP pipes made of polyester resin can withstand temperatures above 100 ° C in the long run. For higher temperatures and transfer of petroleum fluids, this type of composite pipes that are produced with application ester resin can be used. If necessary, using anti-fire additives, it is possible to produce these pipes as fire retardants.

5- High pressure tolerance:

Another advantage of GRP pipes is their ability to withstand relatively high pressures, which makes them a good alternative to other pipes in high pressure water transmission lines.

6- Ease of production:

Another advantage that composite pipes have over conventional pipes is the ease of forming and production, which leads to less initial investment.

7- Internal surface smoothness: Another advantage of GRP pipes is the smooth surface inside them compared to metal and concrete samples, which causes less fluid pressure drop in fiberglass pipes than other pipes, and in the same conditions, more fluid by these pipes than It can be transferred to concrete and metal pipes or it is possible to reduce the diameter of the pipe to reduce the initial purchase cost. The inner surface is very smooth and polished, which while reducing the coefficient of friction reduces pumping costs and reduces operating costs, as well as reducing sediments accumulated on the inner surface of the pipe and thus reducing the cost of descaling.

8- Low repair costs

9- Hydraulic characteristics remain constant over time

10- Maximum economic productivity

11- Reducing loading and shipping costs

12- Possibility of inserting pipes of different sizes during transportation

13- No need for heavy devices and equipment and finally less installation and operation costs

14- Reducing the number of connections and reducing the installation time

15- Possibility of carrying more pipes in one trailer

16- Safe and effective connection of pipes for better sealing

17- Simplicity of connection and as a result, reduction of time