Plastic Pipes: Pipe Innovation

Plastic piping has been an innovation in the piping industry used for many years now. Although not all plastic pipes are suitable replacement for more traditional piping materials such as concrete or metal, plastic piping has many unique properties making it a better option over other piping materials considering other factors such as the weight of the load transported and the corrosiveness of the fluid.  

There are many instances where a plastic pipe can be a better option over a metal pipe. In the economic aspect, plastic piping is cheaper because installation is easier and it is expected to last longer since it can withstand corrosion with its smooth surface area.  Costs for purchasing thermal insulators are also avoided because plastic piping greatly reduce heat transfer due to its much lower thermal conductivity. Because it is lightweight and flexible, small plastic pipes can easily be maneuvered around making it more popular among consumers who use it in residential plumbing.

Speaking of health security, all plastic pipes sold for plumbing purposes are nontoxic and have been approved for carrying potable water. CPVC and PVC pipes don’t rust like galvanized pipes so it eliminates any rusty or metallic taste in drinking water that other pipes can leave. Since they don’t corrode and are not subjected to scaling, material build up in the inner surface is avoided. This build up, common to piping with metal materials, blocks water flow, decreases water pressure, and may cause back up in drainage. Plastic pipes allow water to flow unhindered for a long period of time.

In terms of environmental friendliness, plastic piping is better because it is odorless, non-toxic, fully recyclable, and based on scientifically conducted Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs),has “greenness” the other piping materials do not have.

Here is a video of JM Eagle, the leading manufacturer of plastic and PVC pipes highlighting their innovations.

Here is another innovation showcase in thermal pipes by Acrolab

Pumps: Ancient and Modern Times

Pipes are fundamental equipment commonly used in industrial plants. They are the ones transporting fluids or mixture of substances which are either being in the treatment process or being moved for storage or disposal. But aside from pipes, there are a lot of necessary things still needed in order to actually transport fluids.  Fluids don’t usually flow by themselves unless they are flowing down from an elevated position. Elevated source of fluids is not common in a usual industrial plant so the fluid needs something to induce its flow.

That is why pumps are also needed. Pumps force the fluid to flow into a pipe usually from a lower to a higher position. There are various kinds of pumps available nowadays. One kind is preferred according to the design requirement of a certain process where it is required. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.  But there is a continuous innovation in those that are used in the industries today aiming to improve efficiency and save as much power as possible.

Even though chemical engineering is a relatively young discipline, some unit operations and processes have been in existence way before chemical engineering was first established. For example, transporting water has been a problem that needed addressing even before industries started. And water pumps in fact have moved water from a place to another place for centuries. They remain today as invaluable tools to provide water for irrigation, drinking and cleaning. Ancient pumps took advantage of natural forces like wind or water to provide a pumping mechanism, while today's pumps tend to use electricity. However, the mechanisms behind ancient pumps are still in used today- a reason why they are considered one of the greatest inventions of the ancient world. I listed here some of the interesting pumps with their current uses.

• Shaduf (Swipe Pump) -This was the first pump which was invented in 3000 B.C. in ancient Mesopotamia. The swipe, or shaduf, pump is usually positioned right next to a riverbank. It is made with a lever pivoted on two posts placed in the ground upright. On one end of the lever a pole is placed with a bucket attached. A stone or anything that is heavy enough is attached to the other end to act as a counterweight. Water is retrieved by pushing the pole down until the bucket is filled with water, then the counterweight would help raise the bucket back up. 

• Screw Pump- The screw pump was used widely by the Egyptians in the ancient world but the great mathematician Archimedes was credited with inventing what is known in history as the Archimedean screw around 250 B.C. This was perhaps Archimedes' best known invention and often listed among the great ancient inventions because it is still in use today. This pump was made using a metal corkscrew shaped pump that drew water upward as it was rotated.

• Bucket Chain  - The bucket chain pump was invented as early as 600 B.C. It is made up of a series of buckets that passed over a pulley wheel. Historians believe the bucket chain pump irrigated the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Historians state that the gardens were built for King Nebakanezer 's wife, Amytis, who missed her hometown when she moved to Babylon. Babylon was very flat and dry, with very little rain and therefore had very little greenery. Her hometown was very mountainous so Nebakanezer had the gardens built for her so it would resemble the place where she came from. The gardens were huge and contained many types of flowers, fruit, animals, and waterfalls, which were said to have been from places all over the world. The bucket chain has been used for centuries and perhaps the earliest known hand cranked device invented. 

An artist sketch of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon