History of polyethylene gas supply pipes

The first use of polyethylene gas pipes began after World War II. Many gas supply companies around the world, especially in the United States, date back to the 19th century. At that time, gas was used for lighting. But gas supply pipes were made of cast iron. These characteristics of the pipe required difficult methods of maintenance and use. A few years later, the use of steel pipes in gas supply systems became common, which also had disadvantages. Then, in the post-World War II era, the use of polyethylene pipes for gas distribution opened another office in the region.

What were the advantages of using polyethylene gas pipes?

Polyethylene gas supply pipes had several major advantages over other pipes:

Its production and installation costs were low and its maintenance was easy.

Polyethylene pipes had a longer life than steel pipes.

The lack of need for cathodic protection of polyethylene pipes reduces the operating cost of pipes.
The gas pressure inside the polyethylene pipe was constant along the path because the texture of this pipe was smoother than that of steel pipe and therefore the gas pressure did not decrease.
History of polyethylene pipe for gas supply Where was the first polyethylene pipe installed for gas supply?
The first use of polyethylene gas pipe was in the state of Kansas, USA in 1959 with pipes manufactured by Phillips Petroleum. Then polyethylene pipe quickly became popular due to its many advantages. Petroleum and DuPont were two manufacturers of polyethylene pipes. The development of these pipes was accompanied by the extrusion process, which made the production of polyethylene pipes more economical. At that time, butt welding was the only way to connect polyethylene pipes.

The development of polyethylene pipes in gas supply systems initially met with great resistance because many managers believed that steel pipes were stronger. On the other hand, old polyethylene pipes did not have the resistance of today’s pipes, were made of some resin and were prone to cracking. Over time, the polyethylene pipe industry moved towards standardization and more durable and dense pipes were produced. According to this standard, yellow polyethylene pipe was used for underground gas lines. Today, medium-density pipe is yellow and high-density polyethylene pipe is black with simple yellow or black stripes.

Gas-fired electrofusion fittings, an important step in the growth of the polyethylene pipe industry

The polyethylene pipe industry underwent a major transformation with the introduction of gas-fired electrofusion fittings. Electrofusion fitting is a special type of connection based on the heating method. These fittings are produced in various models and are used for heat welding of polyethylene pipes. Heat gives the electrofusion fittings a paste-like property and the pipes stick together after cooling. These fittings are available in elbows, conversions, tees, polyethylene flanges, straps, caps and gas TF. The explanation is that gas TF is a connection made of polyethylene on one side and Mannesmann on the other. Since polyethylene and Mannesmann pipes are used for gas transmission, electrofusion gas TFs are of great importance in gas transmission systems.

History of using polyethylene pipes for gas supply in Iran

The history of using polyethylene gas pipes in Iran is about thirty years, before that, steel pipes were used in most regions and cities of Iran. Since the seventies, the use of polyethylene pipes for gas supply in various cities has become common. The most common provinces that use polyethylene pipes in their gas supply systems are Tehran, Isfahan and Khorasan provinces. Today, due to the expansion of gas supply in various cities and villages, polyethylene pipes are preferred over metal pipes due to their significant advantages.