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Total Petrochemicals links Europe and Asia

Since February 2008, a seabed pipeline across the Bosphorus has been bringing a new supply of fresh water to the western part of Istanbul. A technological achievement largely due to the properties of Total Petrochemicals XS 10 B high-density polyethylene.

The project was quite a challenge: to pipe 300,000 m3 per day of fresh water across the Bosphorus, water that is vital to the people in the western part of Istanbul.
It is hard to lay pipes in the Bosphorus because of the strong currents that swirl in the strait.

So the material used had to be supple, flexible, corrosion-resistant and able to withstand very high internal pressure while also imparting no taste or odour to the water.

Not even steel would do; PE 100 grade polyethylene was the only material that met all specifications, while requiring minimal maintenance once the pipelines were in service.

Istanbul’s water-supply company chose Turkish specialist Firat to manufacture and lay the pipeline, and they immediately called on Total Petrochemicals.

By using high-performance XS 10 B resin, polyethylene, Firat was able to manufacture pipes with an exception wall thickness of 109 mm, a world first.

This thickness resulted in a 60% increase in resistance to pressure, thus increasing the transport capacity of the pipes. Otherwise, Firat would have had to increase the 1m 20 diameter of the pipes or else lay an additional pipeline to meet the daily flow target.

In addition, the technical characteristics of PE 100 mean that the pipeline should remain operational well beyond the specified 50 years, and with no environmental impact. Right in line with the sustainable-development goals to which Total is fully committed.

>> voir la vidéo (.wmv 12,7 Mo)



THE PIPELINE IN FIGURES
• Volume of water carried: 300,000 m3 per day
• Length of each tube: 13 m
• Wall thickness: 109 mm
• Tube diameter: 1m 20
• Weight of each tube: 5 metric tons
• Total length of pipeline: 4 km (of which 3 km under water)
• Resistance to pressure: 16 bars
• Working life: > 50 years