Borealis announces ‘next generation’ innovation for PP-R hot and cold water pressure pipe systems

Borealis has brought a major raw material innovation to the hot and cold water pressure pipe sector with the development of Beta-PPR™ RA7050. It delivers a clear improvement in the long term strength compared to current Polypropylene Random Copolymer (PP-R) materials, enabling PP-R to be even more competitive in the hot & coldwater house-installations.

PP-R materials were brought to the market more than 20 years ago and have been used predominantly for hot and cold water pipe systems. Due to its reliability, ease of installation, corrosion-resistance and other benefits, PP-R has made a major contribution to the growth of plastic pipes for heating and plumbing applications. However, over that time there has been no substantial advance in the performance of PP-R resins. The strength of the raw material, which is the basis for calculating the wall thicknesses of the pipe and determines the material consumption per unit length and the hydraulic capacity of the installed pipe system, has not changed until now.

“With this innovation, Borealis provides a technology breakthrough to the next generation of PP-R pipe materials and installation solutions. For a given building project, Beta-PPR allows the use of thinner and smaller pipes. We can use computer aided design (CAD) to determine the piping configuration and the savings from using Beta-PPR in plumbing systems,” says Robin Bresser, Marketing Manager, Borealis Pipe. “This breakthrough makes plastic pipe systems even more competitive versus old generation materials such as copper and steel,” he adds.

The significant improvement with more than 50% in long-term strength offered by Beta-PPR enables a step-change in design strength at 70°C/50years as used in existing standards with a move from 3,21MPa for the standard PP-R to 5MPa for the Beta-PPR RA7050. Of key importance to plumbers is that a greater inside pipe diameter results in less pressure drop or a higher hydraulic capacity than can be achieved with standard PP-R materials.

Due to the excellent strength properties of Beta-PPR, a given installation can use both thinner pipes and a higher share of smaller pipes. This enables also the use of smaller fittings, generates savings for insulation materials and allows faster installation due to less space required. Dendrit design software models the effect on a typical house installation (Figure 1). The performance level of Beta-PPR materials provides for higher safety, gives improved oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures and greater long-term durability to pipe system installations.

Downsized pipes allow higher extrusion speed and improved utilisation of existing extrusion lines.

Pressure pipe systems made of Beta-PPR materials can now be certified according to a new SKZ guideline (Süddeutsches Kunststoff-Zentrum, Würzburg, Germany, www.skz.de), which allows the use of SDR 7.4 pipes (Dimensioning basis: 70ºC / 50 years with a safety factor of 1.5) instead of SDR 6 pipes made from standard PP-R. This innovation thus opens opportunities for Borealis to team-up with its customers to market modern PP-R solutions for the future.

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