Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik: Largest pipe extrusion line in Russia supplied

For the production of plastic jacket pipes for district heat transport, Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik GmbH (www.bex.battenfeld.com) has recently installed a complete large-diameter pipe extrusion line (photo) to produce pipe up to 1,600 mm in diameter at MosFlowline, Moscow. MosFlowline, considered as one of the country’s largest manufacturers of PUR-insulated pipe, is now operating the largest pipe extrusion line in Russia.

The Russian processor and the German machine manufacturer can look back on many years of successful partnership. With the installation of its first two complete pipe extrusion lines in 1989 to manufacture pipes up to 800 mm in diameter, which are still in trouble-free operation today, MosFlowline set a milestone. Today the pipe manufacturer with a workforce of 600 employees and an annual production capacity of 600 km of district heat transport pipe in various dimensions is one of the leading suppliers in its market. With the new line, the processor intends to continue its expansion, adding larger pipe dimensions to its product range.

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The plastic jacket pipes, also called “capped pipes”, are ideally suited to the transport of water heated to temperatures between 130 and 150° C, since they are extremely easy to lay and to service at low cost, have a long life cycle and are highly resistant to chemicals and salts, physical impact and, above all, corrosion. However, their greatest advantage compared to conventional pipes is their excellent insulating property. Plastic jacket pipes consist of an inner steel pipe and an outer pipe made of PE. Spacers between these two layers provide a defined gap that is filled with PUR foam. PUR-insulated pipes recommend themselves by an effective loss of heat of only 2% in district heat transport. By contrast, the insulation values of conventional district heat transport pipes, which consist of two metal tubes with an insulation layer made of mineral wool, fall short of this result by 40%.

Multi-step manufacturing process
As applies to all complete production lines from Bad Oeynhausen, this recently delivered large-diameter pipe extrusion line from Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik is perfectly synchronized, beginning with the extrusion die, through the cooling section and haul-off to the cutting saw and control unit. In addition to the extruder, which is required to ensure high output with optimized product homogeneity, the extrusion die and the complete downstream equipment must also be optimally laid out for large diameters between 710 and 1,600 mm. MosFlowline uses this line to manufacture the outer PE pipes with diameters of up to 1,600 mm and wall thicknesses of up to 30 mm.

To finish the district heat transport pipes, moisture and soiling are first removed from the outside of the inner steel pipe, before the spacers and cables for density monitoring are attached. Then the outer PE pipe is pulled over the spacers, and the pipe-inpipe combination is heated in a furnace to ensure optimal adhesion of the PUR foam. As soon as the end caps have been fitted to both ends of the pipe, PUR foam is injected into the space between the two layers through holes in the caps. Finally, after cooling, the pipes pass through quality inspection.

Photo: Especially for the production of large-diameter pipe, extrusion die and haul-off unit must be optimally laid-out

Battenfeld Extrusionstechnik GmbH, Bad Oeynhausen/Germany

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