December 1, 2020 – Please don’t leave that old HDPE conduit in the ground, says Patrick Vibien, P.Eng…. send it to him, instead!

The Power & Communications Division (PCD) of the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) is offering a $200.00 US reward for “exhumed” high-density polyethylene conduit.

The purpose of the PPI HDPE Conduit Sample Collection Program is to analyze the used conduit and “increase the body of knowledge about the product’s long-term durability for power and communication applications”.

“We’re looking to increase our collection of HDPE conduit that has been used for 15 years or longer,” said Patrick, PCD’s director of engineering. “Buried conduit from carrying power cables of any voltage, telecommunications lines or fiber optics is eligible.”

When we spoke, Patrick insisted the HDPE come from outside plant (exterior) applications. The conduit print line will indicate the year of manufacture. Any diameter or SDR is useful, and a length of 8 ft to 20 ft is sufficient.

“HDPE conduit is flexible, available in long lengths and in various colours,” added Vibien. “[It’s] not to be confused with rigid PVC conduit, which is typically grey.”

SPECIAL request from Patrick: “If you have recently removed, or have plans to remove, HDPE buried conduit, please contact me directly. Where possible, PPI will work with our member companies to co-ordinate efforts to witness the removal of the conduit, gather data about the actual installation, and collect the used samples for shipment to our test facility for evaluation and testing.”

For more information on this research initiative, visit

https://plasticpipe.org/power-comm/pcd-hdpe-sample.html

Or contact Patrick directly at pvibien@plasticpipe.org or 469-499-1048.

The Plastics Pipe Institute is a North American trade association representing the plastic pipe industry, and is dedicated to promoting plastics as the materials of choice for pipe and conduit applications.