Performance Of Large Diameter Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Pipes In Water Applications

Abstract

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes with diameters greater than 24" make up a small fraction of water utilities. Most of the research done on PVC pipes in water utilities focuses on diameters less than 24". Therefore, this thesis focuses on PVC water main pipelines with a diameter greater than 24" in an attempt to understand their performance in the water management facilities. This thesis had several objectives, such as to evaluate 24" and larger diameter PVC pipes in water transmission and distribution applications, calculate failure rate per hundred miles of PVC pipes at water utilities, categorize age of PVC pipelines with 24" and larger diameter in water utilities and identify the different types of failures that have occurred in PVC pipe material. The Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education (CUIRE) conducted surveys consisting of questions pertaining to PVC pipe material and installation practices to different U.S. water utilities. This study is focused on PVC diameters greater than 24" due to limited previous research on this topic. PVC pipes with diameters greater than 24" are still not popularly used in water utilities in U.S. compared to diameters less than 24". Most common causes of PVC pipe failures are operational/environmental failures (third party damage, improper installation practices, bedding concerns, and so on). Almost all PVC pipes with diameters greater than 24" are less than 25 years old. PVC pipes with diameters greater than 24" are not considered in some of the water utilities responded to survey questions, because they stated that large diameter PVC pipes material is not easily available, and some water utilities are still not comfortable with large diameter PVC as piping material, as compared to other pipe materials.