Steel gives way to polyethylene
Large bore UPP Extra polyethylene fuel pipe from PetroTechnik is being used for pumping 1,800m3 of diesel and petrol per hour 75m uphill from a marine off-loading point into eight storage tanks 650m away at Whale Bay, Iceland.
Installation at the coastal site just north of Reykjavík was undertaken by fuel distribution and service company, Olíudreifing ehf.
When initially designed, steel would have been the natural choice for the underground pipe. But with Olíudreifing's experience of UPP pipe and working with PetroTechnik in the past, combined with high costs and long lead times for steel pipe, the obvious option was to choose UPP.
Árni Ingimundarson, technical manager at Olíudreifing, said: “We first used UPP Extra in 1999 when we refurbished the fuel lines at our Patreksfjördur depot. Over the past eight years, we have enjoyed a leak-free and maintenance-free existence.
“With a life expectancy in excess of 50 years, we expect to reap the benefits of non-corroding polyethylene for many years to come.”
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