The Rise of High Pressure PE

High pressure PE (poly pipe) is becoming increasingly known as the best piping solution for large industrial processing and reticulation systems in Australia, and around the world.

This is because high pressure PE, made from HDPE material, comes with all of the benefits of poly pipe – long-lasting, lightweight, flexible, non-corrosive, and leak free – with the increased strength needed for higher pressure applications, such as large scale gas or water pipes, and civil engineering projects.

Anything over the standard PN16 poly pipe or fittings is considered high pressure PE, this includes PN20 and PN25. All grades are covered by the same Australian high pressure piping standards: AS/NZS 4130 for the pipe itself, and AS/NZS 4129 for the fittings.

At Advanced Piping Systems we carry PN25 which we can adapt to suit PN20 – we generally stock higher rated PE to cover any lower rated ones, allowing us to meet a range of customers’ needs and project specifications.

While the type of pipe class needed for a job has always been fairly easy for consultants to specify, one of the barriers in using high pressure PE in the past has been the availability of fittings to suit the new, higher classes of pipe in SDR9 and 7.4. 

In the early days of high pressure PE, poly pipe fittings were fabricated from the pipes themselves, which were then derated down to 50% of the original pressure class, impacting the full pressure strength of the pipeline.

What is high pressure PE?

High pressure PE is a polyethylene pressure pipe rated above the standard PN16 (typically PN20 or PN25) and made from PE100 material. It uses thicker walls (dimension ratios SDR9 or SDR7.4) than standard poly pipe, giving it the strength to handle higher internal pressures, higher operating temperatures, and heavy natural gravity head without bursting. It’s the high pressure pipe material of choice for industrial processing, mine site reticulation, and large-scale gas and water pipelines.

Moulded high pressure pipe fittings 

The major technological advance leading to the increased use of high pressure PE has been the introduction of moulded fittings.

The moulded fittings Advanced Piping Systems carries are the best fittings for high pressure PE because they’re high quality, European made, fully rated, and batch tested. For more challenging applications, we also fabricate customised HDPE solutions from solid PE100 billets.

They’re also completely trackable and resin compatible.

At Advanced Piping Systems we also fully rate and match our moulded fittings to the exact pipe you need to weld to, so there’s no misalignment or issues with connectivity.

We would encourage anyone using high pressure PE to use moulded fittings, as they’re a much better product and you end up getting more value for your money by buying quality.

When should you use high pressure PE?

In an environment such as a mine site, ambient temperature and wearability are major draw cards for using poly pipe.

The high ambient temperatures in the outback of Australia, where mines are often situated, however, often leads to even surface temperatures from direct sun, which can derate some of the thinner PE products.

In high wear situations such as this, the thicker walled pipe you get from using high pressure PE provides a good sacrificial wall, increasing the longevity of a pipe’s lifetime, and any maintenance required over that time. When it’s time to weld it in, our expert’s guide to welding poly pipe covers the technique.

High pressure PE is also incredibly useful for transferring higher temperature liquids, and can also take any high natural gravity head pressure, so you don’t get burst spools as you would in other piping materials.

Which moulded fittings do Advanced Piping Systems carry?

Advanced Piping Systems started out by producing high pressure PE moulded fittings up to 355mm, as well as fittings fashioned with hybrid tees, which were machined from Solid PE100 Billets.

Since then we’ve led the way by being the first in Australia to offer a range of moulded PE100 fittings in PN25 and SDR7.4.

If your project needs pressure ratings above PN16 (whether it’s mine site reticulation, high temperature liquids, or a gas or water main handling serious head pressure) high pressure PE is worth specifying. And once you’ve specified it, use moulded fittings to match. Get in touch with Advanced Piping Systems for stock, sizing and application advice on high pressure poly pipe and fittings.

Frequently Asked Questions