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Consider all the benefits of using prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) for your plant cooling system
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Prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) is economical to install because it is a rigid pipe that requires no special bedding or backfilling under normal ground conditions. |
For more than 40 years, Price Brothers has been producing and supplying prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) for use in power plant cooling systems in the United States. There are many major benefits achieved by using PCCP.
- PCCP is custom designed and made for every application. Each section of pipe and each fitting can be made to meet the pressure loadings and special configuration required.
- PCCP is installed in less time on site. Because it is a rigid conduit, PCCP needs no special bedding or backfilling under normal ground conditions. Installing flexible pipe such as fiberglass, steel, or ductile iron often requires bracing, high bedding compaction or welding--each adds cost, time and potential problems.
- PCCP provides built-in corrosion protection. Due to its unique design combining a steel cylinder encased in concrete, PCCP is chemically protected from corrosion.
- PCCP has the high strength to withstand internal and external pressure loads. The pipe's concrete and steel wall is prestressed with steel wire to provide more than sufficient strength to withstand the water pressure. The rigid wall fully supports the external forces of the surrounding earth.
- PCCP offers several pipe joint designs, including restrained and testable joints. In addition to the rubber O-ring-gasketed bell and spigot joint, Price Brothers offers the patented Snap Ring® and two-part harnessed clamp restraint joint as well as a testable joint.
- PCCP includes a complete range of standard and custom fittings. Power plant cooling systems take a lot of complex turns, but Price Brothers has the fittings to keep pace-each coated and lined with cement-rich mortar. PCCP fittings make complex systems simpler to install with no field cutting or tapping.
PCCP is available in all standard diameters from 400 mm (16 inches) to 3600 mm (144 inches). Straight sections of PCCP are made in lengths of either 20 or 16 feet and in virtually any pipe diameters your plant requires. And we can provide matching fittings in all standard diameters, too.
Price Brothers PCCP has been chosen for over 170 power plants in the U.S...now it's the choice for new plants worldwide
Over the past 50 years, more than 8 million meters of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe have been manufactured by Price Brothers Company in standard inside diameters ranging from 16 to 144 inches. Included in that total are more than 170 coal-fired and nuclear power plant projects Price Brothers has supplied since 1954.
The impressive service record of PCCP is evidence of the pipe's reliability and durability. Studies reveal the 40 million meters of PCCP installed in the U.S. and Canada since 1939 to be more trouble-free than any competitive pipe material used anywhere.
Recently, Price Brothers has supplied large diameter PCCP and fittings for several large power plant projects half-way around the world.
Designed for performance
The widespread acceptance and use of PCCP by leading power plant engineering and contracting firms is based on the economic and technical benefits outlined below.
The source of all these benefits is the pipe's unique design concept featuring a steel cylinder encased in rugged prestressed concrete. The mortar coating on the pipe creates a passavating alkaline environment that protects the steel cylinder, joint rings, and prestressing wire from corrosion. Since concrete continues to gain strength while underground, the materials in PCCP will be increasingly protected over many decades of service.
A true test of time
Often--when service taps are made on PCCP water lines--an inspection is made of the section of pipe wall that is cut out and replaced by the tap. Such inspections--even on pipe that's been in continual service for 50 years or more--invariably show no signs of deterioration of either the concrete or steel components.
The many built-in features of PCCP assure power plant owners decades of trouble-free service
Prestressed concrete cylinder pipe is manufactured in full compliance with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Standard C301. Every piece of pipe and fitting is designed and built to meet the specifications of the particular power plant cooling system it's to be used for.
Concrete gives the pipe the necessary structural strength and rigidity to withstand heavy external loads as well as a smooth interior wall for optimum water flow. The steel components within the pipe-including the joint rings, cylinder, and high-strength prestressing wire-are protected by a cement-rich mortar coating on the outer wall.
The prestressing wire is wrapped around the core to place it in compression, enabling the pipe to withstand high internal water pressure and large external loads.
This combination of concrete and steel also has excellent corrosion resistance to assure decades of trouble-free performance. Year after year, Price Brothers Company continues to advance the technical development of PCCP for power plant cooling water lines in the U.S and internationally.
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Skilled inspectors and testing laboratories at each plant producing Price Brothers PCCP take pride in the most thorough and effective quality assurance program in the piping industry |
Precisely matched PCCP fittings offer greater flexibility in your design plus faster installation at every turn
Designing power plant cooling lines for peak efficiency and economy often calls for a variety of elbows, tees, wyes, crosses, wall pieces and other special pipe sections and fittings--both standard and specially designed.
To add further design flexibility, PCCP is supplied in short sections, bevel and half-bevel deflections, and special sections fitted with various types of tangent and centerline outlets.
Price Brothers designs and produces all of our concrete pressure pipe fittings to match up perfectly with the adjoining sections of PCCP. We make these standard and custom fittings--in all pipe sizes--right in our own special fabricating facilities to our own rigid quality standards.
To serve your needs precisely
We design each fitting for a pressure and load rating equal to the adjoining pipe, then we fabricate it from steel sheet or plate. Wire mesh is welded to both the inside and outside walls to provide a strong bond with the mortar used to line the inside and coat the outside walls. This mortar coating provides corrosion protection for the steel walls within.
Our many years of experience and technical know-how enable Price Brothers to custom-build fittings to solve complex layout problems, reduce the total number of joints required, and speed the installation.
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Because the Price Brothers patented Snap Ring joints on these fittings provide restraint without the need for welding or thrust blocks, they reduce on-site installation time and cost. |
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Cutting, shaping and welding the heavy steel sheet are three of many precise steps taken by Price Brothers in fabricating each fitting to serve a specific location and pressure loading. |
Restrained and testable joints cut installation time and immediately assure that each joint is watertight
The enduring performance of Price Brothers concrete pressure pipe is due in part to the quality of our various joint systems. In fact, tests show that the pipe joints on installations of our PCCP become the strongest part of the pipe.
The AWWA Standard bell and spigot joint configuration for Price Brothers PCCP is appropriate for most installations. Consisting of a steel bell ring and spigot ring welded to each end of the steel cylinder, this design assembles quickly and easily to compress a rubber O-ring gasket and form a long-lasting, "bottle-tight" joint. This standard design has proved very successful for more than 50 years.
In addition, for all those special situations that occur in the design of power plant cooling lines, Price Brothers is ready with special joints--such as harnessed joints, ball joints, the patented SNAP RING® restrained joints, or our testable joints.
SNAP RING restrained joints
The Snap Ring joint provides restraint--without welding or thrust blocks--for pipe and fittings with diameters from 16 inches to 60 inches. For more than 20 years, the Snap Ring has proved to be an outstanding restraint joint--completely self-contained and ready to install. Just by tightening one 3/8-inch bolt, one worker can make the joint in just a few minutes using a simple speed wrench.
Testable joints save time and trouble
When installing large diameter PCCP in your plant, you can specify the Price Brothers testable joint to permit an air-pressure test of each joint as soon as it's completed. This allows you to confirm immediately that each joint assembly is free of leaks. You can eliminate the time and effort necessary to seal off and fill the completed line with water for testing. Testable joints can be provided on Price Brothers PCCP in diameters of 36 inches and larger.
Harnessed clamp joints
To provide restraint for diameters of 66 inches and larger, Price Brothers offers the clamp-type harnessed joint. The two-part harness clamp is positioned around the joint and secured simply by tightening drawbolts on each side.
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As soon as each testable joint is assembled, the steel plug in the spigot ring is unthreaded and replaced with the quick-connect coupling nozzle. An air-test gauge is then coupled to the nozzle and air is pumped into the annular space between the two rubber gasket rings. The specified air pressure is then held for a period of time to confirm there are no leaks. |
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This deep trench installation of Price Brothers PCCP beneath several other pipelines called for the use of testable joints to allow each joint to be tested as soon as it was assembled. |
When you plan a power plant anywhere,
we're ready to deliver tons of support
An important part of our service to power plant owners, engineers and pipeline contractors is expertise. That's why we're ready to deliver all the technical information and data about PCCP you may need--in your choice of formats. For starters, you might ask for our three videotape presentations on manufacturing, installation and tapping PCCP.
Providing you with close coordination and responsive support starts with your first call to us and continues through every phase of your project--and for many years after.
Call your Price Brothers Representative when you would like more information about our pipe products, services, and world of experience in engineered pressure pipe systems. Or call our Dayton headquarters directly any time at (937) 226-8700 or 1-800-543-5147 (U.S. Only) or contact us by e-mail.
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