Hot Water Distribution for Solar Technology

Installation of a New Pexgol Pipeline to Provide Hot Water for a Electro-Thermal Storage System.

Case Study Nº

114 Customer

Raygen

Australia

2021

Working Conditions

Pressure: 4 bars | Temperature: up to 90°C / 194°F

Pexgol Pipes

Pexgol 200 (8″), Class 12

Application

Hot water distribution

Lenght

2160 m / 7086 ft

The Challenge

RayGen is an Australian technology company with world-leading breakthroughs in solar power technology and renewable energy storage.

They required to provide cooling water to their concentrated solar towers. Then the water needed to return from the towers at 90°C to the thermal storage.

Pexgol Solution

The client decided to install a Pexgol system (pipe and fittings) for it’s operation, after considering the following benefits:

Corrosion resistance at elevated temperature without the need for coatings (compared to metallic piping).
Ease of installation due to long coil lengths reducing welding/connections and flexibility (compared to metallic and other rigid 6-12 m pipe lengths).
Low thermal expansion forces allowing direct burying without the need for extra expansion allowance (compared to metallic piping) Pexgol natural bending radius – Using the natural bending capabilities allowed reducing connections, parts and pressure drop.

The pipes were installed under ground without special pipe protection and were insulated using PIR foam sprayed directly around the pipes, after pressure testing. Then backfilled directly on top.
Special Reinforced EF Couplers Series 2 (up to 90ºC) were welded.