SABIC Vestolen

Saying that they cut energy bills, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) a petrochemical company manufacturing polyethylene, polypropylene and other thermoplastics, has introduced HDPE bimodal high-density polyethylene grade pipes – Vestolen A RELY 5924R and Vestolen A RELY 5922R. The two grades are typically suitable for producing pressure pipes that meet the PE 100 standard, SABIC claims.

The manufacturer lists the following product features and benefits:

• Vestolen A RELY 5924R delivers good low-sag performance for large-diameter pipes and pressure pipes with a low standard dimension ratio (SDR)
• Vestolen A RELY 5922R helps customers meet the stringent slow crack growth requirements for pressure pipe, enshrined in PAS (Publicly Accessible Standard) 1075.
• Certification to PAS 1075 enables the grade to be used for pipes intended for installation using the most demanding techniques, including new trenchless methods, such as guided boring and horizontal directional drilling – the methods that have a reduced impact on the environment.
• Apart from their good mechanical properties, SABIC Vestolen A RELY 5924R and 5922R have rheological and morphological properties – created through a combination of proprietary catalysts and fine-tuned reactor and extrusion technology which could provide processors with considerable energy savings.
• A RELY grades are currently available in black.
• For customers demanding fully coloured pipe, SABIC is working on the development of two coloured grades possessing enhanced resistance to slow crack growth propagation, commercially available in 2013.

Jean Engels, Business Manager for HDPE, SABIC, explains that a company already operating a line at full capacity would be able to increase output by as much as 16% (compared with commonly used bimodal HDPE) while reducing electricity consumption. “On the other hand, a pipe producer that does not need to raise production can realise energy savings by running at the same speed,” he says. “Pipe size will also play a part in determining exactly how big the savings are. These are features requested by the market. We asked our customers what their most important problems were, and we have now come back with materials that we believe will enable them to better handle those problems.”