Use of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Slabs As an Effective Risk Mitigation Method for Mechanical Damage Hazard

Abstract This paper presents the development history of high density polyethylene (HDPE) slabs as a mechanical protection barrier including all field and lab testing performed by various organizations to determine the effectiveness of HDPE slabs. All available test results for HDPE slabs were analyzed and compared with the test results for concrete slabs to determine the effectiveness of HDPE slabs in reducing pipeline hit compared to concrete slabs. The findings from the comparative study are presented in this paper. This paper describes the learnings and success story of TC Energy’s implementation of HDPE slabs as a mechanical protection method. The benefits of HDPE slabs compared to the traditional concrete slabs in TC Energy’s implementation are also presented in this paper.