BorSafe™ pipe innovation prioritises environment and efficiency

20.07.2010

The PE100- RC material that was used in Föhr is particularly suited to the aggressive conditions associated with modern, trenchless laying techniques.

Pioneering pipe material BorSafe™ HE3490-LS-H from Borealis has played an important role in preserving the tranquillity and natural beauty of Föhr, Germany's second largest North Sea Island and a popular and picturesque holiday destination.

Föhr's Water Supply Association chose RAUPROTECT BorSafe HE3490-LSH-based pipes from REHAU to create a high quality water supply with a long working life for Föhr's population, while ensuring minimal environmental disturbance during installation. The 8km-long cross-island pipeline connects Wyk on the south east coast with Utersum on the south west coast, and also serves the hamlets located between the two towns.

BorSafe HE3490-LSH is a latest generation PE100 pipe material from Borealis, a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions, specifically designed for pipes subject to elevated stresses and a high level risk of external damage from harsh laying conditions.

The PE100- RC (Resistant to Crack) material is particularly suited to the aggressive conditions associated with modern, trenchless laying techniques that minimise above-ground disruption. The lack of soft, sandy bedding in directional drilling, pipe bursting and ploughing-in techniques makes robust pipe material a definite requirement.

Classified MRS 10.0, BorSafe HE3490-LS-H is a product of Borealis' bimodal Borstar® process which delivers advanced performance and processing benefits to pipe material. BorSafe HE3490-LS-H offers low notch sensitivity and provides superior resistance to point loading and slow crack growth (SCG). It avoids the potential for tears in the pipe even when point loads caused by rocks occur. Because the material offers outstanding durability it is capable of delivering a service life exceeding 100 years.

In the case of Föhr, BorSafe HE3490-LS-H was the ideal solution for withstanding the tough installation demands of no-dig directional drilling, chosen as the most effective, fast and efficient method for ensuring the least possible impact on the island's scenic landscape. This no-dig process eliminates the need for trenches thereby keeping surface work, digging, soil and pipe transportation, and laying to an absolute minimum. It also provides for faster, more economical pipe-laying.

In addition, the BorSafe based pipes provide the long-term resistance to wear and tear necessary in Föhr's harsh and varied terrain. Ground conditions on Föhr range from silt layers to hard and highly-compacted sub soils. The subterranean landscape is pitted with rock and boulder obstacles from the last Ice Age.

"The BorSafe LS-H based RAUPROTECT of PE 100-RC was key to being able to carry out the installation by horizontal drilling," says Friedrich Meier, engineering contractor for Föhr's Wyk to Utersum water pipeline project. "This not only allowed the work to be undertaken with the minimum of interference with nature and the visible landscape, it also enabled it to be completed within two months; certainly more quickly than would have been the case with traditional trench-laid methods."

For further information please contact:

Lena Lehner
External Communications Manager
Vienna, Austria
+43 1 22 400 602
lena.lehner@borealisgroup.com

Borealis Business Unit Pipe
Borealis is the leading supplier of advanced polypropylene and polyethylene pipe system solutions. Through the close dialogue with our customers and stakeholders, we have developed a broad and innovative product and service portfolio over the last 50 years. Our applications cover water and gas distribution, waste water and sewage disposal, chemical and industrial pipelines, in-house plumbing and heating as well as pipe systems for oil and gas exploration and transportation. Through our close relationships with our customers & partners we strive to deliver a steady stream of innovative pipe and fittings solutions that add real value for all members in the value chain.

Borealis is a leading provider of chemical and innovative plastics solutions that create value for society. With sales of EUR 4.7 billion in 2009, customers in over 120 countries, and 5,200 employees worldwide, Borealis is owned 64% by the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) of Abu Dhabi and 36% by OMV, the leading energy group in the European growth belt. Borealis is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and has production locations, innovation centers and customer service centers across Europe and the Americas. Through Borouge, a joint venture between Borealis and the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), one of the world’s major oil companies, the company’s footprint reaches out to the Middle East, Asia Pacific, the Indian sub-continent and Africa. Established in 1998, Borouge employs approximately 1,400 people, has customers in more than 50 countries and its headquarters are in Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Singapore.

Building on the unique Borstar® technology and their experience in polyolefins of more than 50 years, Borealis and Borouge provide innovative, value creating plastics solutions for the infrastructure (pipe systems and power and communication cables), automotive and advanced packaging markets. In addition, Borealis offers a wide range of base chemicals from melamine and plant nutrients to phenol and acetone.

Today Borealis and Borouge manufacture over 4 million tonnes of polyolefins (polyethylene and polypropylene) per year. Borouge is currently tripling its polyolefins manufacturing capacity to 2 million tonnes per year (t/y) by mid-2010 and an additional 2.5 million t/y is scheduled for 2013. The companies continue to invest to ensure that their customers throughout the value chain, across the globe, can always rely on product quality, consistency and security of supply.

Borouge and Borealis are committed to the principles of Responsible Care® and proactively contribute to addressing the world’s water and sanitation challenges through their Water for the World™ initiative.

For more information visit:
Borealis: www.borealisgroup.com
Borouge: www.borouge.com
Water for the World: www.waterfortheworld.net

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