TPi January 2017

products & developments

Press fittings for desalination plants Eurotubi is promoting its AISI 316L stainless steel press fittings as a choice for systems downstream from desalinators, both for those dedicated to industry and for those for making saltwater potable. The qualities of the Eurotubi Pressfitting system, such as the assembly speed, are combined with the hygienic qualities of AISI 316L stainless steel and high resistance to corrosion. it into potable or desalinated water. Despite continuous technological progress, the plants, and especially their energy requirements, mean that water desalination is still a costly process. Most large water desalination plants are located in countries such as the Arab Emirates where there is a scarcity of water but a large amount of monetary resources. info@eurotubieuropa.it www.eurotubieuropa.it GF Piping Systems and the Ponte Vecchio There are many civil and industrial applications where it is essential to take saltwater from the sea and transform Eurotubi states that its AISI 316L Pressfitting system can help contain the high costs of desalination plants. The junction process requires around 50 per cent less time compared to welding, resulting in faster system installation, and the press fittings can be set without permission to use open flames or qualification licences. On average, water desalination plants require thousands of metres of pipes. Because of their thin walls, AISI 316L steel press fittings and pipes weigh less than other systems that are made with the same material. Eurotubi Europa Srl – Italy

company with trucks that can carry 12.5m-long pipes. SDM was contacted almost immediately after the embankment came down. The company got in touch with GF Piping Systems and other suppliers and was quickly able to deliver the required materials for the bypass in PE. Two Multi/Joint 3000 Plus DN600 flange adaptors were immediately supplied from stock to Publiacqua. GF Italy supplied two additional DN600 flange adaptors and eight ELGEF electrofusion couplings from the GF Piping Systems distribution centre in Italy. GF Piping Systems Ltd – Switzerland info.ps@georgfischer.com www.gfps.com

a bypass, but it would take at least six months for all the damage to be repaired and the embankment restored. The water company in Florence, Publiacqua SpA, requires new suppliers of materials to go through a screening process before they can supply anything. GF’s Multi/Joint 3000 Plus system had already been approved for use in the company’s network. One of GF Piping Systems’ business partners, SDM Srl, is located in Calenzano, near Florence. The company supplies cast iron and PE fittings and accessories to various gas and water companies. The owner, Massimo Santini, also owns a transport

Multi/Joint 3000 Plus flange adaptors and ELGEF Plus electrofusion couplers from GF Piping Systems have been used to help deal with a giant sinkhole that appeared near the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. In May 2016, alongside the quay in downtown Florence, a large part of the embankment collapsed and came crashing down a number of metres. A leaking cast iron water pipe washed away a large amount of soil, causing a giant hole with a swirling water mass, which swallowed numerous parked cars. Within 24 hours the worst of the mess was cleaned up and the water supply for that part of town was restored with GF supplied eight ELGEF electrofusion couplings

Photo credit: GF Piping Systems

33

www.read-tpi.com

January 2017 TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL