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| HDPE is lightweight and therefore saves cost on pipe support brackets |
Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is a very common chemical in all semiconductor facilities. New environmental protection laws in Singapore require now the removal of hydrofluoric acid from industrial waste water prior to its treatment. A semiconductor manufacturer therefore had to transfer its waste streams from five different semiconductor production facilities to a new central wastewater pre-treatment plant. Due to time and cost savings, the main contractors opted for the AGRULINE piping system entirely made of HDPE for safe waste water transport.
AGRU Kunststofftechnik and AGRU Technology convinced the main contractor and the client of the advantages of a HDPE piping system. AGRULINE is ideally suited for the harsh operating conditions of 2000 ppm hydrofluoric acid and the operating pressure of 6 bar. Issues such as material resistance, compressive strength, the calculation of the pipeline with regard to pipe supports and temperature expansion of the pipeline had to be clarified.
As a result it became clear, that it would be possible to realize substantial time and cost savings when using HDPE pipes in comparison to steel pipes. Since the heavy steel pipes are corrosion sensitive, only coated or lined steel pipes could have been used. High-density polyethylene is durable, corrosion resistant and lightweight. As a result, less pipe support brackets are required. Another advantage of the AGRULINE piping system is its ready availability. AGRULINE pipes are available in standard sizes, whereas steel / lined pipes would have to be manufactured according to the project specific demands. Last but not least, hundreds of flange connections and all the problems and additional cost which comes with flanges could be saved with flexible high-density polyethylene pipes.
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| AGRULINE HDPE piping systems |
By analysing the advantages of flexible PE over brittle PVC it became clear, that in the demanding installation along a road not a single fitting would have to be used, since HDPE pipes are so flexible that they can be bend to follow the curvature of the road. Everybody liked the idea and ease of the pipe installation along the road and the fittings saved.
Finally, the AGRULINE piping system was chosen due to its superiority in terms of resistance to media, unlimited installing options (indoor and outdoor due to UV resistance) and its flexibility to follow the difficult pipe routing. Because the pipes had to be installed on rooftops, on pipe bridges, in underground concrete channels and also along a busy road leading to the Malaysia Border.
Quite a challenge was on-site logistics. It was required to have all the material ready on stand-by in warehouse to serve the various installation teams just-in-time. Since all five facilities are fully operational and very congested, the material had to be shipped to site in manageable quantities. Continuous site support and final check on welding joints by qualified persons was requested by the Installer. Agrutech therefore provided comprehensive technical & after sales support including just-in-time delivery and technical trainings for welding and installation.
About the company
Founded back in 1948 by Alois Gruber senior in Austria, nowadays the company is one of the world's most important single-source suppliers for high-quality piping systems, semi-finished products, concrete protection liners and lining systems made from engineering plastics. With its expertise in producing engineering plastics components and developing tailored solutions, AGRU is present in virtually every sector of industry. The family-based company has more than 1.000 employees and production plants on several continents.
