Water supply systems

The most common materials with which pipes are manufactured for water conduction are: GRP), copper, PVC,[5]​ polypropylene, polyethylene (HDPE), steel and ductile iron (ISO-2531)（GB/T13295-2008）.

Until the 1960s-1970s, fiber cement pipes were widely used. They were discontinued as the carcinogenic properties of the asbestos used in the manufacture of fiber cement became increasingly evident. Currently, fiber cement is almost no longer used, and the networks built with this material have been gradually replaced by other materials.

Among the water supply systems, there is the supply to fire protection systems, both to bring water to equipped hydrants (BIE) and unequipped ones (fire hydrants) and to sprinkler systems that open when the temperature exceeds a certain level, allowing water to pass through to put out fires.

Drains

The most common materials for wastewater disposal are: GRP), cast iron, PVC,[5]​ concrete or fiber cement.[10]​ Until the 1950s-1960s, lead drainage pipes were used.[note 1]​ After numerous studies on their danger to health, lead pipes were classified as unsuitable, which caused their use to decline despite the low maintenance they required.

The new materials that are replacing the traditional ones are: GRP (polyester reinforced with fiberglass), HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene).

Gas

They are usually made of copper or steel (ductile or laminar, depending on the pressures applied), depending on the type of installation, although if they are made of metallic material it is necessary to make a connection to the grounding network.

Heating, air conditioning

Traditionally, black steel has been used, the most suitable for radiators made of that material or cast iron. Copper is currently used, a material widely used in new installations, but it causes problems due to contact with other metals in the presence of water (corrosion), especially with aluminum emitters (very corrosive), which is why plastic pipes are also used. Galvanized pipes should not be used because water, at temperatures above 60 °C, destroys the zinc protection.

In buried networks, pre-insulated pipes are used.

Industrial use

In the transport of high-energy steam "Steam (state)")[12] steel alloyed with chromium and molybdenum is used.

For large water flows (cooling), glass fiber reinforced polyester (GRP) is used - up to DN3200), ductile cast iron (up to 2m in diameter) or carbon steel. In the case of the latter, the pipe is manufactured from bent sheet metal that is subsequently welded (seam pipe).

In the field of hydraulic energy production it is called penstock.

Given the variety of products transported, very different materials are found to meet the needs of corrosion, temperature and pressure. It is worth mentioning materials such as GRP), Monel or Inconel for very corrosive products.

Pipeline transportation is built to facilitate the transportation of water, petrochemicals, gases, or others over long distances or sometimes close. The constant need for the transported resource determines the need to transport by pipeline, when it is more effective than transport by ship, rail, or trucks given the terrain or lack of roads.

Contenido

Las cañerías se fabrican a partir de diversos materiales en función de consideraciones técnicas y económicas. Suele usarse: el hierro fundido, el acero, el latón, el cobre, el plomo, el hormigón, el polipropileno, el poliéster reforzado con fibra de vidrio (PRFV)"), el PVC[5]​ y el termoplástico polietileno de densidad alta (PEAD).

Steel

There are three methods of manufacturing steel pipes:

Galvanized steel pipe is a steel pipe (drawn or welded), as in the previous case, but which has been subjected to an internal and external galvanizing process. Galvanizing is applied after the tube is formed. Like carbon steel, the plate is bent to the diameters required. They exist with seam and without seam and are used to transport drinking water, gases or oils. They should not be used with fluids at temperatures above 70 °C, since at these temperatures the galvanizing is destroyed.

Cast iron

A cast iron pipe is made by casting a mold or by injecting the cast iron in a process called casting, in which the pipe comes out seamless. The advantage of this system is that the pipes have great durability and resistance to use. On the contrary, they are more fragile when hit and are subject to corrosion if used with a stream of highly oxygenated water.[6]​.

Copper

Copper tube is one of the most versatile non-ferrous products: it is optimal for plumbing, gas and heating installations in homes, due to its ease of installation (cutting, welding). In addition, it is a material used in very different industrial applications, such as fluid conduction and the sustainable energy sector.

Asbestos cement

Fiber cement pipes began to be used in the early decades of the 1900s, and until the 1960s-1970s it was widely used in both drinking water supply systems and pressure irrigation systems.[7]​.

In Europe, from the 1980s its use began to decline and by the 1990s it began to be prohibited in some European countries; In Spain, its use and marketing are prohibited as of June 2002, since frequent exposure to asbestos, through inhalation of its small fibers, could cause irreversible diseases, such as asbestosis and lung cancer. As of 2010, most multilateral funding organizations had prohibited its use.

Stoneware

Stoneware pipes are made from a mixture of clays that have been formed, dried and burned to a point that they form vitrified material, a material with a dense, hard structure, waterproof, and resistant to acids and alkali.

Concrete

Cement, concrete or reinforced concrete pipes are effective, economical and ecological for hydraulic networks that work in free regime or at low pressure. The experience in its use is extensive, since the use of concrete as a construction material is very old and has had, over time, many modifications, both in the composition of the materials used for concrete and in the construction procedures.

Concrete pipes can be:

Obviously concrete pipes, like all other pipes, have advantages and disadvantages; The main ones are:

plastic materials

They are pipes that can be used in homes, and serve to supply or drain fluids, such as waste of all types and water, also as a ventilation pipe.

Among the different types of plastic pipes, there are those that have been manufactured with PVC, and are used to supply and drain water.[9]​ In many countries, PVC pipes represent the majority of pipe materials used in buried municipal applications for distribution of drinking water and wastewater networks.[9]​.

As they are made of a flammable material, they are not suitable for containing liquids that are exposed to very high temperatures.

The diversity of uses that you can give to this type of pipe is wide, because its diameter is similar to that of copper pipes.

Water supply systems

The most common materials with which pipes are manufactured for water conduction are: GRP), copper, PVC,[5]​ polypropylene, polyethylene (HDPE), steel and ductile iron (ISO-2531)（GB/T13295-2008）.

Until the 1960s-1970s, fiber cement pipes were widely used. They were discontinued as the carcinogenic properties of the asbestos used in the manufacture of fiber cement became increasingly evident. Currently, fiber cement is almost no longer used, and the networks built with this material have been gradually replaced by other materials.

Among the water supply systems, there is the supply to fire protection systems, both to bring water to equipped hydrants (BIE) and unequipped ones (fire hydrants) and to sprinkler systems that open when the temperature exceeds a certain level, allowing water to pass through to put out fires.

Drains

The most common materials for wastewater disposal are: GRP), cast iron, PVC,[5]​ concrete or fiber cement.[10]​ Until the 1950s-1960s, lead drainage pipes were used.[note 1]​ After numerous studies on their danger to health, lead pipes were classified as unsuitable, which caused their use to decline despite the low maintenance they required.

The new materials that are replacing the traditional ones are: GRP (polyester reinforced with fiberglass), HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PP (polypropylene).

Gas

They are usually made of copper or steel (ductile or laminar, depending on the pressures applied), depending on the type of installation, although if they are made of metallic material it is necessary to make a connection to the grounding network.

Heating, air conditioning

Traditionally, black steel has been used, the most suitable for radiators made of that material or cast iron. Copper is currently used, a material widely used in new installations, but it causes problems due to contact with other metals in the presence of water (corrosion), especially with aluminum emitters (very corrosive), which is why plastic pipes are also used. Galvanized pipes should not be used because water, at temperatures above 60 °C, destroys the zinc protection.

In buried networks, pre-insulated pipes are used.

Industrial use

In the transport of high-energy steam "Steam (state)")[12] steel alloyed with chromium and molybdenum is used.

For large water flows (cooling), glass fiber reinforced polyester (GRP) is used - up to DN3200), ductile cast iron (up to 2m in diameter) or carbon steel. In the case of the latter, the pipe is manufactured from bent sheet metal that is subsequently welded (seam pipe).

In the field of hydraulic energy production it is called penstock.

Given the variety of products transported, very different materials are found to meet the needs of corrosion, temperature and pressure. It is worth mentioning materials such as GRP), Monel or Inconel for very corrosive products.

Pipeline transportation is built to facilitate the transportation of water, petrochemicals, gases, or others over long distances or sometimes close. The constant need for the transported resource determines the need to transport by pipeline, when it is more effective than transport by ship, rail, or trucks given the terrain or lack of roads.