FRP Pipe: An Ideal Candidate for Water/Wastewater Application

What veins and arteries are to our body, are water and wastewater pipes to infrastructure. Imagine spending a day without water. From bringing potable to our home to disposing residential and industrial wastewater effectively, these pipelines perform tasks quintessential to offering a hassle-free livelihood.

Over the past 100 years, the global water use has risen by a factor of six. With the continuous rise in population, economic development and shifting consumption patterns, the global water consumption is growing at a steady rate of 1% per year (Source: AQUASTAT,n.d.).

Overstrained global water infrastructure.

To understand the math, the global population tripled in 20^th century and the water consumption rose, both in total amount needed and per capita. The rising urban-rural divide has put asymmetric pressure on the water levels and the water infrastructure alike. Increasing loads of population and abstractions have outstripped the assimilative capacity of ecosystems.

The most pressing of all issues is the climate change. Changing climate conditions are expected to increase the catastrophic events of floods and extreme rainfall. To top it all is the global ageing water infrastructure. For instance, large portions of the US water and wastewater systems were built over a century ago. As the pipes reach the end of their expected lifespan, they need to be replaced or repaired.

Length of Pipeline Network of Select Countries

Capital spending rising, but not enough.

According to the American Water Works Association, upgrading existing water systems and meeting the drinking water infrastructure needs of a growing population will require at least US$ 1 trillion. As the US water infrastructure continues to age, the gap between actual spending and the funding necessity is rising.

According to American Society of Civil Engineers, the total capital spending on water infrastructure was $81 billion short of the need in 2019. At the current level of underinvestment, this gap is likely to widen up and will grow to $136 billion by 2039.

Globally, large numbers of people remain without access to basic levels of drinking water supply and sanitation. The rising investment on water infrastructure globally has generated a need for replacement or rehabilitation of the pipelines installed decades ago.

What is in the Pipeline?

The most common materials for the manufacture of water and wastewater pipes are metal (cast iron, ductile iron, steel, and copper), clay and concrete pipe (vitrified clay, reinforced concrete, and asbestos cement), and plastics (PVCs, HDPE, and fiberglass).

The most common pipe diameter for water mains ranges from 6 to 16 inches. Branch lines providing service to homes, offices, and buildings vary from 0.5 to 6 inches. Sewers, which carry wastewater and storm water have diameters exceeding that of water mains.

For long, metals and concrete have dominated the water and wastewater applications. With the ageing infrastructure, governments and municipalities across the globe face a gigantic task of replacing the pipeline infrastructure with right materials offering life span probably exceeding 100 years.

Fibre-Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Pipe: An Ideal Candidate for Water & Wastewater Application

Selecting the right type of pipe material and size is of paramount importance and depends upon several factors including but not limited to the application, water pressure, operating temperature, and nature of fluid passing through the pipe.

While FRP pipes have been in usage since long, they have found a wider acceptance not long ago, and have emerged as one of the most favoured alternatives to conventional pipes, such as steel, concrete, and plastics, in water/wastewater applications.

FRP Pipes are majorly manufactured by filament winding process. The filament winding process utilises continuous glass strand roving impregnated with polyester resin which are helically wound on rotating mandrel at a specified winding angle. The roving is wound continuously in bi-directional layers until the desired wall thickness is achieved.

While FRP pipes are mostly manufactured using polyester resin reinforced with glass fibres, a smaller fraction of them also uses vinyl ester and epoxy depending upon the application requirements.

Water/wastewater is a price-sensitive application and demands products at a competitive price. Polyester resin has the lowest cost among thermoset resins including vinyl ester and epoxy and offers excellent chemical and corrosion resistance and moderate mechanical, physical, and thermal properties.

What makes FRP pipes suitable for water and wastewater applications? The list of benefits is long, few of which are noted below.

• Corrosion Resistance: FRP is an inert material providing excellent corrosion resistance, high chemical resistance, and high weathering resistance.
• Light Weight: FRP pipes are extremely light-weight and have an excellent strength to weight ratio. They weigh 1/10 of concrete, 1/5 of steel and 1/8 of cast iron pipes.
• Longer Service Life: FRP pipes offer longer service life and durability with much lower life cycle cost compared to steel, iron, and concrete pipes.
• Low Thermal & Electrical Conductivity: FRP pipes have excellent thermal insulating property and do not require insulation. Other than water/wastewater, FRP pipes are also widely used in chemical & industrial, oil & gas, and marine & offshore applications.
• Easy Installation: Being lighter than steel and concrete, FRP pipes offer faster installation and need lower installation as well as maintenance cost.

Future of FRP Pipes in Water/Wastewater Applications

The penetration of FRP pipes in water and wastewater applications is negligible when we compare them with iron, steel, and concrete. In 2020, approx. US$ 1.3 billion worth of FRP pipes were sold in water and wastewater application. (Source: Stratview Research).

There was a huge decline in sales in 2020 to the tune of 27% due to COVID-19 pandemic as the demand for water for industrial and commercial usage went down significantly. However, the sales will rebound and experience a growth of 4.1% during the next five years.

The major blockage in the way of higher penetration is lack of awareness about the benefit of materials resulting in low willingness to adapt to new alternatives.

In addition, FRP has stiff competition from other plastic materials such as PVC and HDPE which are not suitable for high pressure and temperature applications.

However, with rising applications and projects installing FRP pipes, the awareness about the benefits of FRP pipes will increase steadily and FRP pipes will turn the table in their favour in next couple of decades. Specifically, the sewer and storm water, which is also the dominant application of FRP pipes, offers immediate and huge addressable and potential market.