Degussa, EMS-Grivory and UBE are hoping to win approval for using the material in gas pipes

Degussa, EMS-Grivory and UBE are hoping to win approval for using the material in gas pipes
By David Vink

Three polyamide-12 producers are co-operating in an attempt to obtain approval to use the material for gas pipes.

Degussa’s high-performance polymers business unit is working with EMS-Grivory in Switzerland and UBE in Japan. The company says polyamide has the potential to replace steel in the manufacture of large diameter thick-walled gas pipes.

The stiffness of the material is such that such pipes should cope with pressures of between 10 and 20 bar, Degussa claims. It says this will be established during long-term testing with gas companies, and in accordance with the requirements of the new international gas piping systems standard ISO 22621.

The standard already lists polyamides as suitable materials for gas piping systems.