27.04.2022

Since its development in the early 90’s the application of PPR pipe has become commonplace, due to its durability, cost effectiveness and long service life. As a manufacturer you may be curious as to why some companies choose to produce PPR over PVC and PE pipe. In this article we will cover the basics of PPR pipe, its features, advantages, and its most common applications.

What Is PPR Pipe?

PPR pipe is a straight and rigid cylindrical pipe, made from Polypropylene Random Copolymer plastic, produced through a continuous extrusion process. They are commonly offered in green or white color, and in outer diameter sizes ranging from 20mm to 110mm making the pipe walls far thicker than PVC. PPR pipe is accompanied by a series of connection fittings, parts, and accessories available for every pipe diameter.

PPR Pipe Characteristics

Low Thermal Conductivity

The thermal conductivity of PPR is very low, meaning temperature cannot easily be conducted from the outside environment to the liquid in the pipe, and vice versa. This factor reduces heat loss or gain during the transferring of hot or cold fluids respectively, resulting in energy efficient systems and lower insulation costs for PPR piping.

Long Service Life & Durability

PPR piping systems can remain functional for over 50 years, at a wide range of fluid and environmental operating temperatures. Moreover, PPR pipe exhibits excellent durability in both hot and cold water systems. Firstly, it can endure the temperature and pressure strain of hot water systems.

At the same time PPR pipe is able to structurally withstand impacts even in cold weather installations without any risk of cracking or breaking, unlike other common types of plastic piping.

Efficient Inner Surface

The inner surface of PPR pipe is very smooth and boasts a very low friction coefficient, compared to traditional types of piping. This results in a reduction of pressure losses during fluid transport and distribution, further contributing to the energy efficiency of PPR piping systems. Moreover, unlike metal pipes PPR does not flake or scale, making them safer to use.

Chemical & Mechanical Endurance

Compared to traditional plastic piping systems, PPR offers very high resistance against abrasion by hard particles. This is especially important in cases of well water or industrial applications, where the transferred liquids may contain abrasive particles.

Moreover, unlike traditional metal piping, PPR is inert to most electrolytes and chemicals, over a wide range of temperatures. This electrolytic and chemical inertness makes PPR piping safe to use in cases of high water salinity (eg. in pool applications that use sea water) or even highly corrosive chemicals (eg. in industrial applications).

Ecological & Economic Efficiency

Due to the low weight of PPR pipe, their transport, handling, and installation doesn’t require high amounts of energy consumption or manual labor. At the same time they are very easy to cut, join, and work with, making them even more economically sustainable.

Moreover, joining PPR pipe and fittings is performed solely through heat and doesn’t require any additional chemicals or materials. All of these factors contribute to PPRs low environmental impact and usage cost.

PPR Pipe Applications
The durability, economical, and ecological advantages of PPR has resulted in it being used for an increasing number of diverse applications in recent years.

Most common PPR pipe applications include:

Hot and cold potable water piping in residential, industrial, and public installations. Industrial piping for transferring water, sanitary liquids, liquid food products, compressed air, and aggressive chemicals eg. highly acidic or alkaline solutions. Building central radiator heating water, usually in a circular loop piping arrangement.

DRTS: Your Partner In PPR Pipe Manufacturing

DRTS offers quality turnkey production lines for PPR pipe in various sizes and capacities, that cover the entire range of PPR pipe diameters. Request a price quote or request a consultation with a DRTS expert, to discover PPR manufacturing solutions tailored to your specific needs.

DRTS: Your Partner In PPR Pipe Manufacturing

DRTS offers quality turnkey production lines for PPR pipe in various sizes and capacities, that cover the entire range of PPR pipe diameters. Request a price quote or request a consultation with a DRTS expert, to discover PPR manufacturing solutions tailored to your specific needs.

Introduction PVC Pipe And PPR Pipe
In recent years, with the continuous progress of social economy, the construction industry, municipal engineering, water conservancy engineering, etc. continue to develop. PPR pipes and PVC pipes have also been widely used in these industries. So since these pipes can be used, what is the difference between PVC pipe and PPR pipe?

The full name is Polyvinylchlorid drainage pipe, which is a kind of vinyl polymer material. PVC pipe is a kind of pipe product with strong toughness, good heat resistance and good ductility. It consists of an upper layer, a middle layer and a lower layer. The upper layer of the PVC pipe is a layer of paint film, which plays the role of waterproof and anti-aging; the middle layer is the polyvinyl chloride layer, which is the main base layer; and the lower layer is the back coating adhesive Agent. There are many types of PVC pipe specifications, because its uses can be divided into two types: drainage pipes and line pipes, so there are many categories of products. The commonly used home decoration is 32-50mm, 75-110mm.

The full name is polypropylene random copolymer which is great for water supply pipes (PPR) has good toughness, high strength, excellent processing performance, good creep resistance at higher temperatures, and has the unique advantages of high transparency of random copolymer polypropylene. The interface of the PPR pipe adopts hot-melt technology, and the pipes are completely fused together, so once the installation and pressure test pass, there will be no longer aging and water leakage like aluminium-plastic pipes.

What is the difference between PPR pipe and PVC pipe?
1. Different raw materials

PPR pipe is mainly made of copolymer polypropylene, so PPR pipe is also called type three polypropylene pipe, and PVC is made of polyvinyl chloride material.

2. Different wall thickness

The wall thickness of PPR pipes is divided into four parts, six parts, etc., the wall thickness of the four parts is 2.3mm, and the thickness of the 6 parts is 3.5mm. PVC pipes are calculated with a diameter of 6mm and a wall thickness of 2.0mm, a nominal diameter of 8-10mm and a wall thickness of 2.5mm. In the same pipe diameter, the wall of the PPR pipe should be thicker

3. Different prices

Due to the different wall thickness of the pipe, the price will vary. In addition, prices vary from place to place. Under normal circumstances, the price of PVC is lower than that of PPR, and low price is also an advantage of PVC materials.

4. Different application fields

PVC pipes are used in many industries such as building materials, packaging, and medicine. Among them, the building materials industry accounts for the largest proportion, at 60%, followed by the packaging industry, and there are several other small-scale applications.

PPR has a wide range of applications: ①The cold and hot water system of the building, including the central heating system; ②The heating system in the building, including floor, wall panels and radiant heating system; ③The transportation of city gas; ④ Urban and rural water supply and drainage system; ⑤The pure water supply system for direct drinking is also extremely safe and sanitary; ⑥ Central (centralized) air conditioning system; ⑦Industrial piping systems for transporting or discharging chemical media; ⑧Pipe system such as gas path used for cylinder transmission; ⑨ Agriculture such as irrigation or spraying of pesticides; ⑩Power and optical cable sheath.

5. The color is different

The toughness of PPR pipe is better than that of PVC, and the color of good quality is bright, others are light creamy yellow, and the color of poor quality is chaotic. The PVC pipe is milky white, the material is harder than PPR, the cross section has no light, but the outer surface is shiny.

6. Different performance

The installation of PPR pipe is very convenient, because PPR has good welding performance, whether it is thermal welding or electric welding machine, it is very convenient. PVC is relatively heavy and its corrosion resistance is better than PPR, but it cannot withstand high temperatures. It is often used for cold water transportation and cannot be hot-connected during installation. It can only be bonded with PVC glue. The cold water transportation service life can reach 70 years.

Which is better, PPR pipe or PVC pipe?
If you are home improvement, it is recommended that you choose PPR pipes, because PPR pipes are better than PVC pipes in terms of various properties, and the home needs hot water. PPR pipe also has the characteristics of good corrosion resistance, sanitation and non-toxicity, small expansion force, and firm connection of the system, which is more suitable for home improvement and water supply. The only disadvantage of PPR and PVC is that the price is slightly more expensive. PVC pipes are more suitable for drainage pipes and are more economical.

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