The reputation of Pipestar International in the delivery of 3D seamless HDPE pipe bends to diverse industries globally is unquestionable. Pipestar Africa is eager to replicate this success to clientele in metric sized markets worldwide. The company now offers HDPE Seamless Arc Bends™ as a locally African-manufactured product.
Recently, this publication engaged member organisations of the South African Plastic Pipe Manufacturers Association (SAPMA) to establish whether or not the current increase in the rollout of mining projects has impacted the value of their order books. Generally, the pipe producers confirmed the increase in demand or enquiries for their products from clients in the mining, petrochemicals and other sectors for the conveyance of liquids. Simultaneously, this translates into an increase in the demand for various accessories that are critical to the use of the pipes, among them are pipe bends. Traditionally, segmented pipe bends enjoy common usage. However, increasingly, 3D HDPE seamless pipe bends are now regarded as a viable alternative.
3D HDPE seamless pipe bends are used to change the direction of a pipeline. Typically, a seamless pipe bend is a pipe bend where the bend radius is three times the outside diameter of the pipe.
While the significance of 3D HDPE seamless pipe bends is without question. However, it is the product’s robustness in harsh conditions and relevance to an application that matters most. Consequently, the Technical Team at Pipestar, who are responsible for HDPE seamless pipe bends, advise mining companies to be well-versed in fundamental elements in the procurement of pipe bends. Mainly, they highlight the following: bends that are certified by reputable international accreditation bodies in accordance with internationally accepted standards such as ISO4427-3 and EN12201-3, that offer improved flow and durability.
- Qualities of suitable products
“HDPE seamless pipe bends need to be robust, hardwearing and easy to install, they should also be accredited to international standards. When you have the option to install a certified product that should always take preference over an uncertified product. ” states Renier Viljoen, a director of Pipestar Africa, explains, referencing Pipestar Africa’s seamless Arc Bends™ as products that have demonstrated these features.
Pipestar’s seamless Arc Bends™ are designed to have a radius that is three times that of the outside diameter of the pipe. This, combined with the roundness of its bends throughout the curvature, ensures improved flow rates and less friction. This results in saving electricity costs due to improved flow rates when pumping materials. “Due to the lower friction and consistent wall thicknesses throughout our Arc Bends™ our bends offer a much longer operating life compared to the alternatives available in the market,” Viljoen says.
The nature of the materials of construction augments the robustness of the pipe bends. The Arc Bends™ are manufactured from virgin grade HDPE PE100 raw materials which are extremely robust and have a very low coefficient of friction. It also has good wear-resistant properties which are especially important in mining applications where abrasive slurries are transported.
- Price or cost?
Due to the escalation of operating costs, mining companies find the selection of cheaper options tempting. But inevitably, wrong products can cause downtime to processes, leading to a huge loss of income.
Pipestar stresses the need for end-users to distinguish between price and cost in the procurement process of 3D HDPE seamless pipe bends. “Price is what you pay for a product up front whereas cost is what it costs you when you suffer downtimes due to premature failures of seamless bends over the lifetime of the product. Procurement departments often focus just on price. Nonetheless, what they overlook is that the long-term cost of choosing the cheapest alternative may be exponentially higher once a cheaper alternative of inferior quality is installed,” Viljoen states.
iii. The convenience of a one-stop solution
Pipestar International offers the convenience of one-stop solutions under one roof. Its product range includes a range of 3D Seamless HDPE Arc Bends™, Moulded HDPE fittings, HDG Backing flanges and fasteners and HDPE stub ends that are machined from the solid hollow bar.
Noteworthy, Viljoen highlights, quality assurance is of prime importance at Pipestar.“Both the seamless Arc Bends™ and stub ends are certified to ISO 4427-3 and European EN12201-3 standards. They are the only locally manufactured products of this nature that are certified to these international standards.”
Comparative benefits
Overall, the benefits of 3D seamless HDPE pipe bends, when compared to welded-pipe bends, have been extensively documented. Particularly, even more, there are numerous benefits of adopting Pipestar’s arc bends, points out Viljoen.
- Reducing energy costs
Energy constitutes a big percentage of operating costs at a mine. Companies will save electricity costs in terms of their pumping costs and have an extended product lifetime which will result in lower downtime on site.
- Bends retain manufactured dimensions
The bends do not revert. Therefore, maintaining their angle will make it easier for mines to keep stock of our bends in their maintenance stores as they can rest assured that the bends will retain their manufactured dimensions.
- Reduced installation times
The improved roundness of the pipe ends will also reduce installation times on site as the Arc Bends™ can be both butt-welded and welded with electrofusion couplings without the requirement for the bends’ legs to be cut back on site.
Supplier of choice
All things considered, the technical staff recommends that mining companies choose Pipestar Africa as a supplier of choice for their 3D HDPE seamless bends based on the company’s track record.“Pipestar International has for years been the leading manufacturer of HDPE Seamless Arc Bends™ in North America. It is a proven product and comes with years of development behind it.”
Interestingly, for African mining companies, Pipestar Africa now offers HDPE Seamless Arc Bends™ as a locally African-manufactured product. “All mining clients should choose Pipestar Africa as their supplier of choice when it comes to seamless 3D bends. In my opinion, there simply is no other manufacturer that can compete with the quality of the product that we manufacture.”
Sidebar
More information on 3D Seamless Arc Bends™
- Arc Bends™ are reputed for excellent hydraulic properties.
- They are easy to transport
- Arc Bends™ have very high dimensional accuracy. There is no need for additional brackets or similar stabilisers for transport and storage.
- Arc Bends™ are fully pressure rated and derating as with segmented bends is not applicable.
It is a small wonder that they have become a product of choice where these features are preferred in mining, petrochemicals, oil and gas, just to cite a few amongst numerous others.
