THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS (June 3, 2010) - Performance Pipe, a division of Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP is now offering its ½", ¾" and 1" coils of natural gas tubing in stretch-wrapped autocoils. Historically this tubing has been banded.
In addition to being a safer manufacturing process for Performance Pipe employees, the new autocoil packaging offers multiple benefits to customers. When the stretch-wrapped coils are stacked, the plastic wrapping provides a "tacky" surface that helps maintain silo integrity. While the coils are easily lifted off the stack when needed, the interim result is less slipping and sliding of coils that can occur when banded pipe is stacked. Performance Pipe also encases the entire silo in a black, UV protectant stretch-wrap that further stabilizes the stack with the added benefit of preventing damage during shipment.
Customers can also look forward to less field scrap. Because the coil is self-contained in the stretch wrap, less pipe goes to waste. Whatever pipe is not used in the field can be easily tucked inside the package for the next job. Additionally, there is no banding to cut and dispose of during installation.
Although the stretch-wrapped coils look different, they perform as well or better than traditional coils in the field. The tubing can be unrolled by hand or by spool just as easily as banded coils. The coils unroll from the center, rather than the outside edge; however, the pipe easily unwinds by pulling from underneath the axle, or in the same direction as the pipe is coiled.
"The feedback from our field test of the material was very positive," said Allen Pearl, Gas Distribution Sales Manager for Performance Pipe. "The crews were quick to point out the positive features of the autocoiled product before we even had a chance to walk through the differences!"
The new stretch-wrapped tubing is being packaged at Performance Pipe's plant in Knoxville, Tennessee and will be available in July 2010.
07/27/2007