Download Pub. No. 15-PS-19647

In July 1975 the Royal Commission was established to oversee the development of two large industrial estates on each of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's sea coasts. These new industrial cities, Jubail and Yanbu, would be the sites of heavy petroleum based and energy intensive industries, as well as secondary downstream facilities all requiring huge quantities of process water. In addition, potable water, sewerage and stormwater pipes were required for the many staff housing areas. Literally, huge mega cities were being created where nothing existed.

Initial contracts included desalinization plants and power plants which both needed sea water. In Jubail, the largest desalination plant in the world was constructed by three Japanese contractors.

Amiantit Fiberglass, the Flowtite Technology licensee in Dammam, supplied over $10 million worth of GRP pipe for the Jubail II desal plant. Most of this pipe, ranging in diameters to DN2200, was installed aboveground in a bi-axial system. Owens Corning's engineers carried out extensive flexibility analysis to guide the design of the pipe and over 2000 fittings. Applications included seawater intake, brine lines, process water, etc.

On the other coast, in Yanbu, AFIL supplied pipes ranging in diameter upto 3700 mm for the largest sea water cooling system in the world. The value of AFIL's contract for the seawater pipes was over $75 million, representing the largest GRP pipe order in the world. In addition, AFIL supplied most of the utility piping for the Yanbu industrial city.

This experience demonstrates the use of Flowtite pipe in a corrosive sea water environment. Also, the contractor on the Yanbu project, Dong Ah, bid the installation of the large diameter Flowtite pipe at 65% of the alternative prestressed concrete cylinder pipe.

All of the above systems have been in operation since 1981 and are reported to be in good condition. During annual preventative maintenance of the desal plants, portions of the sea water intake pipes are taken out of service and inspected. Reports coming back to Brussels are that the pipe looks like new.

As a result of all the positive experience with GRP pipe on sea water intake lines in the Kingdom, combined with some negative experience with concrete cylinder pipes in similar applications, the Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) has taken the decision to only use GRP in the future.