But the main reason Henderson picked nylon 12 over steel was the joining method. The butt-fusion process the city used was much easier and faster than welding required for joining steel pipe lengths, city officials said. The nylon pipe installation took only about three days, and each fusion took around an hour to complete, including placement and alignment, Reeves said. Steel pipe probably would have required two or three weeks, he said.
When Henderson Municipal Gas was planning the project, Reeves was referred to Evonik, which then referred him to Teel in Baraboo, Wis.
In addition to the nylon pipe, Teel also provided the city with specially designed “weak link” mechanisms to help during the installation. These were used in each section of the pipe to help ensure that, as it was pulled through the boring holes, the links would break in case of a snag, instead of stressing the pipe itself.
“So far we’ve been very happy. Teel did a great job,” Reeves said. “They have delivered as promised and supported us.”
Teel’s director of growth strategies, Christian Herrild, said customer support is very important.
So what’s the future for nylon 12 gas pipe? Thompson, the Teel president, said since the Henderson project, the company is working on other jobs, including one where steel natural gas pipe is leaking under a river.
Nylon offers an interesting new material for pipe in the natural gas market. Once again it shows how plastic is giving traditional materials — in this case steel — serious competition.
Since pipe is buried underground, it’s one of those products people never think about — until it breaks.
