Study on the aging rate of polyethylene gas pipelines with different diameters in urban areas

Under the same standard dimension ratio (SDR), there are differences in the aging rate of polyethylene gas pipelines with different diameters. To investigate the relationship between the aging rate of polyethylene pipes and pipe diameter, and to consider the influence of pipe diameter on aging life in existing polyethylene(PE) pipe aging prediction models, this paper conducted thermal oxygen accelerated aging tests on polyethylene pipes of multiple pipe diameters (with the same SDR and material). The aging rate of the pipelines was calculated by measuring the oxidation induction period (OIT) of the aged PE pipelines. The study found that under the same SDR, the aging rate of pipes made of the same material decreases with increasing wall thickness due to the influence of pipe diameter, and the aging rate is exponentially related to the reciprocal of pipe diameter. This functional relationship can be substituted into the Arrhenius equation to establish the relationship equation between aging rate, pipe diameter, and temperature.