Plastics Pipe Institute announces winners of annual project awards

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t stop the Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) from staging its annual Project of the Year competition – although it did have to happen virtually this time around.

A Project of the Year and a Member of the Year were selected for each of the five PPI divisions: Building and Construction, Drainage, Energy Piping Systems, Municipal and Industrial, and Power and Communications. The meeting was conducted on-line due to the coronavirus pandemic. Headquartered in Irving, Tex., PPI is the major North American trade association representing all segments of the plastic pipe industry

“This year was a little different for us because it was the first time we could not physically congratulate each winner,” said PPI president David Fink. ”But just as in years past, the nominated projects in each of our five divisions were remarkable and the winners exceptional. It was a healthy competition, and that must be very satisfying to the winners.”

The 2020 Projects of the Year are:

Building & Construction: Vancouver International Airport geoexchange system

Winner: Versaprofiles, headquartered in Saint-Lazare-de Bellechasse, Que.

“The Vancouver International Airport’s new Central Utilities Building (CUB) will improve efficiency by centralizing all of the equipment needed to meet the airport’s heating, cooling and electrical demand,” PPI said. “To achieve this goal, the project will rely on one of the largest geoexchange systems in Canada. Geoexchange technology uses the earth’s renewable energy, just below the surface, to heat or cool buildings. This system will provide sustainable heating and cooling for the terminal.” The geoexchange system is expected to substantially reduce CO2 emissions from heating and cooling demands by 30 to 35 per cent.

Drainage: Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal, North Charleston, S.C.

Winner: Advanced Drainage Systems Inc., of Hilliard, Ohio.

“The original storm drainage design for the new terminal incorporated reinforced concrete pipe and concrete box culverts,” PPI said. “During the design phase of the project, the engineer became concerned about joint separation and the potential for infiltration due to predicted sub-surface soil settlement along the Cooper River. In order to mitigate joint separation and possible infiltration, Advanced Drainage Systems’ HP Storm polypropylene pipe was selected as the storm drain conveyance pipe for the entire project due to its ease of handling, extended joint, double gaskets, and flexible design. As a result of the redesign, some 27,000 feet of ADS HP Storm was used to convey all storm water on the 280-plus acre site.”

Energy Piping Systems: Henderson Municipal Gas PA 12 gas pipe installation, Henderson, Ky.

Winner: Teel Plastics Inc., of Baraboo, Wis.

“In a multi-stage project, the city of Henderson, Ky., installed 2,720 feet of polyamide 12 (PA 12) gas pipe extruded by Teel Plastics,” PPI said. “HMG installed the pipe through an industrialized area of the city. To minimize disruption to businesses, Henderson installed it underneath driveways and existing utilities. HMG buried sections using horizontal directional drilling (HDD), pulling the pipe through bored holes and fusing the sections together. More ductile and much lighter than steel, PA 12 made the HDD installation much easier than it would have been with steel pipe.”

Municipal and Industrial: Colsman Tunnel sewer slip lining, Centennial, Co.

Winner: WL Plastics, of Ft. Worth, Tex.

To rehabilitate a deteriorating brick sewer, 48-diameter HDPE pipe was sliplined into the old sewer. “Flow was not allowed to stop during the pull, so a custom completely sealed pull head had to be designed and built so that sewage would not fill the drill string during the pull in,” PPI said. “Another restriction was that the staging area only allowed for no more than 200 feet of pipe to be out of the tunnel at once. So, the pipe string was pulled as each stick of pipe was fused and added to the string of pipe. Total pull length was more than 8,000 feet. Custom winch system was brought in for the heavy pull that included two spools of wire cable to get the length required.”

Power and Communications: Alliant Energy private fiber optic network, Madison, Wis.

Winner: Teel Plastics Inc.

Teel Plastics’ pipe was used to install conduit across Alliant’s service area in Iowa and Wisconsin to improve the telecom network’s security, speed, and reliability. The conduit will protect the utility’s infrastructure, which serves more than 970,000 electric and 420,000 natural gas customers. It is also designed to allow for expansion of network capabilities while providing cost savings. “Alliant Energy will also decrease their reliance on over-the-air communication, such as microwave radios,” PPI said. “In addition, the fiber optic network serves as a gateway for Alliant Energy to work on advances in energy efficiency and technology, which would not be possible without a private fiber network.”

Also during the online meeting, PPI announced its Members of the Year in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the industry. The 2020 Members of the Year for the five divisions are:

Building and Construction — Jim Paschal, Aquatherm
Drainage — TJ Leason, Pacific Corrugated Pipe Co.
Energy Piping Systems — Dell Doyle, Dow Chemical Co.
Municipal and Industrial — Mary Houston, Pipeline Plastics
Power and Communications — Tom Stewart, Dura-Line