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30 Jan 2008  -  Burkina

Brazil publishes inspection and performance standard of the FRP pipes

Two years and a half after the beginning of the meetings among raw material suppliers, manufacturers, users and representatives of the Brazilian Technical Standards Association (ABNT), the fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP) pipes were standardized. Published in 11/26/2007, NBR 15536 sets forth the inspection parameters of the receiving and performance of the FRP pipes and connections used in basic sanitation works – for example, water channeling system and sewage emissary, among other applications. The text, based on international regulation such as AWWA C-950 and ISO 10467 and 10639, also specifies the methods in order to perform pipe tests.

“It refers to a great achievement, specially for the consumer market, which will rely on the piping performance", states Macel Dal Posso, Amitech’s quality manager, the largest Brazilian FRP pipes manufacturer. The company operates in Ipeúna, 200 km from São Paulo, a FRP pipes manufactory, which has capacity to produce 120 km/year of pipes of 400 mm to 1,200 mm of diameter. In 2008, such potential will pass over to 300 km/year, with diameters between 300 mm and 3,000 mm. “We have taken part, in an efficient way, in the standard elaboration project, providing the committee with information supplied by our subsidiaries abroad”, he states. Amitech is under the control of two international groups: the Colombian Group Inversiones Mundial and the Saudi Arabian Group Amiantit.

In addition to the benefits offered to the basic sanitation agencies, such regulation will be advantageous to the FRP pipes manufacturers themselves. “There will be a levelling upon the quality and everyone must comply with the same requirements", states Dal Posso. Again, the pipeline users will be the main supported ones, “they have wished for the standard publication for a long time”, states Amitech’s quality manager. The non-compliance with the standard implicates in penalties described in the Code of the Customer Rights.

ABNT’s Support
Together with seven FRP pipes manufacturers, several representatives of water and sewerage agencies, as Sabesp, Copasa and Sanepar, have taken place in the standard text process. Raimunda Maria Pires, Sanepar’s executive, believes that the support given by ABNT to the companies which decide to specify the FRP pipes is the main advantage of such standardization. “They came to be one more available alternative for the agencies after the standard publication”, she states.

In certain conditions, such standardization helps to reduce the typical high-volume of water loss in Brazil, believes Raimunda. “As we demand for strict tests, we are ensuring a better-quality product in both manufacturing and operating aspects, that is, during the installation and maintenance”.

About Amitech
Controlled by two international groups – Inversiones Mundial, from Colombia, and Amiantit, from Saudi Arabia – Amitech is the largest Brazilian manufacturer of fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP) pipes. Established in 1999, the Ipeúna’s plant, in the state of São Paulo, produce kilometers of pipes monthly, which are used by the agricultural, industrial, energy industries and water treatment.

Source : SLEA Comunicação