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Hiline Steel - Pre-insulated Steel Pipe System

A pre-insulated rigid steel pipe system for district heating, cooling and special applications

Hiline Steel 200

A rigid, bonded pre-insulated steel pipe system in accordance with EN253. Suitable for district heating, cooling and special applications and temperatures up to 130°C continuous. Available in metric and imperial sizes – from 20mm to 1200mm NB, supplied in 6 and 12 metre lengths with an optional Steel Flex system on rolls.

Applications

The list of applications that are suitable for  Hiline Steel is vast, but typically, it is used above and below-ground, on domestic, commercial and industrial sites for conveying:

  •  District heating
  •  Chilled water
  •  Process Fluids
  •  Refrigerants

Manufacture and Standards

Hiline Steel (Metric) pre-insulated pipes and fittings for thermal utilities are manufactured within an ISO 9001 accredited environment in accordance with EN 253, EN 448, EN 488, EN 489, EN 13941

Hiline Steel (Imperial) pre-insulated pipes and fittings for thermal utilities are manufactured within an ISO 9001 accredited environment generally in accordance with EN 253, EN 448, EN 488, EN 489

Hiline Steel Flexible (Metric) pre-insulated pipes and accessories for thermal utilities are manufactured within an ISO 9001 accredited environment in accordance with EN 15632-4

Service Pipes

Metric System:

Seamless Pipe
Certified seamless steel pipe manufactured in accordance with EN 10216-2 Grade P235 GH, EN 10216-1/A1 Grade P235 TR1 & P235 TR2, DIN 1629 Grade St 37.0

Seamed Pipe (Welded)
Certified seamed (welded) steel pipe manufactured in accordance with EN 10217-2/A1 Grade P235 GH, EN 10217-5/A2 Grade P235 GH, EN 10217-1 Grade P235 TR1 or P235 TR2, DIN 1626 Grade St 37.0

Imperial System:

Seamless Pipe
Certified seamless carbon steel pipe manufactured in accordance with EN 10217-1:API5L Grade B/X42 Schedule 20 or Schedule 40 & EN 10217-1:ASTM A106 Grade B Schedule 20 or Schedule 40.

Seamed Pipe (Welded)
Certified welded carbon steel pipe manufactured in accordance with EN 10217-1:EN 10255 Grade S195T Heavy gauge or Medium gauge (formerly BS1387) & EN 10217-1:API5L Grade B/X42 Schedule 20 or Schedule 40. 

Efficient Insulation

A key component in the efficiency of the Hiline pipe systems is our choice of CFC-free polyurethane foam to provide excellent levels of insulation – in accordance with the demands of the EN 253 standard. Using cyclopentane as the blowing agent, we achieve very-low lambda levels – which result in much-reduced energy losses to the media being conveyed by the service pipe.
The effects of using a more efficient insulation don’t appear to be much at face value, but factor in a 30-year life-cycle cost of operating the system and the savings – both financial and environmental – mount up significantly. When looking at the life-cycle-costs of a district heating pipe network, the initial capital investment is typically around ten percent – with the biggest cost being the on-going operation (see foot of page).

  •  High-efficiency CFC-free, rigid polyurethane foam insulation
  •  Different thicknesses available (Series 1, 2 and 3)
  •  Available with optional trace or maintained heating cables

RHI Compliance

Hiline Steel pipe systems are deemed 'Properly Insulated' by the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) and therefore meet their strict requirements.

Casing Pipes

Casing pipe is manufactured in accordance with standard EN 253 from high density polyethylene (HDPE)

Properties

  •  Density 950 kg/m³
  •  Upper yield stress 19 MPa
  •  Elongation at break at least 350%
  •  Expected life at least 50 years


HDPE casing is also available with additional UV stabiliser offering greater protection against direct sunlight for
above ground installations

Quality Assured

Hiline systems are manufactured in modern, EN ISO 9001-approved production facilities, using quality-assured materials that comply with all relevant design standards and tolerances for district heating and cooling – such as EN 253, along with any that are pertinent to special applications.

Surveillance System

When installing Hiline Steel systems, it is recommended that an electronic surveillance system is included in order to constantly monitor the insulation for the ingress of moisture. This provides peace of mind that should the outer casing be damaged by future street works, the presence of groundwater in the insulation can be picked up, located and repaired before any damage is caused to the service pipe. We offer full support for the main types of surveillance technologies, including the Nordic, Brandes and HDW systems.

Tough Outer Casing

  • High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) casing on standard systems
  • Barrier-pipe casing available for use in contaminated ground
  • UV-stable, above-ground casing options available

Strong and secure fittings

  • Range of secure joints and fittings available
  • HDPE electro-fusion and heat-shrinkable case jointing options 

Hiline Literature Downloads

World Class Services

Heat Network Design Service

Heat Network Design Service

We offer our clients a heat network system design service. When correctly applied, sized and installed with good commissioning practice, there are financial savings for not just the capital cost of installation, but also for the costs of long-term operation and maintenance.

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Heat Network Stress Analysis

Heat Network Stress Analysis

We employ state-of-the-art sisKMR specialist stress analysis software that allows us to configure the pipe routes to keep the thermal expansion within safe limits and conform to the requirements of the EN 13941 standard for Design and installation of pre-insulated bonded pipe systems for district heating.

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Training

Training

Training installers, supervisors and maintenance operatives, our brand new training centre allows for not only the theory, but hands-on practical experience in the correct method for installing the Hiline pipe systems. In addition to this, we also offer training courses in the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of electronic surveillance systems – including the use of our own buried pipe network, on which we can simulate moisture faults as part of the practical training.

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Tool Sales and Hire

Tool Sales and Hire

We offer both the sale and short-term hire of all the specialist tools required to install the Hiline pipe system. Covering all components, joints and fittings, we offer a comprehensive range of tools, along with detailed instructions.

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On-Site Support

On-Site Support

Whether it’s on-site training, site supervision or specialist advice, support and maintenance – our engineers are at hand to provide customer support as and when required.

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Trace and Maintained Heating Systems

Trace and Maintained Heating Systems

In temperature-critical, special applications that require round-the-clock maintenance of a specific media temperature, we can supply the Hiline pipe system with Trace or Maintained Heating systems.

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Hiline Project References

  • Academy Central Residential Developments
  • Arup Campus, Solihull, Birmingham
  • Ashley Park Housing Association
  • Astley Ainslie Hospital
  • British Antartic Survey
  • Calendar Park, Scotland
  • Camelford Primary School
  • CEU University, Leeds
  • Edgbaston Priory Club
  • Falkland Islands
  • Government Facilities
  • Lancaster University, New Sports Centre
  • Leicester Citywide DH Network
  • Northwood Barracks, London
  • Rolls Royce, Derby
  • Shenley Wood Retirement Village
  • Swansea University
  • The British Embassy, Harare, Zimbabwe
  • Warwick University
  • York University Accommodation Block

The True Cost of Insulation

The effects of using a more efficient insulation don’t appear to be much at face value, but factor in a minimum 30-year life-cycle cost of operating the system and the savings – both financial and environmental – mount up significantly. The Hiline range of pre-insulated pipe systems are available with increased levels of insulation thickness – which for a relatively small additional investment at the time of installation – will yield significant savings during the lifetime of the system.

To illustrate this point, take an example scenario in which a 5,000-metre long network (flow and return) consisting of DN150mm steel pre-insulated pipes circulating hot water at a flow temperature of 100°C. If fuelled by a natural-gas-fired boiler, constantly operating all-year-round, the system with standard insulation – over its nominal 30-year life – will lose heat to the equivalent of around £3.65 million’s-worth of gas(*) and emit 15,250 tonnes of CO2.

By making a small additional investment – equivalent to around 10 percent of the material cost at the time of installation – in order to upgrade the Hiline pipe system’s insulation thickness to Series Two, the cost of the heat lost would be reduced by some £1.2million – also saving 5,091 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted. The graph shown demonstrate the effects that this can have.

Figure 1

(*)Basis of Calculations used for example costs:

- Gas supply tariff 3p/ kWh
- Gas costs increase by 2.5% per annum for the 30-year calculation
- Gas boiler efficiency 80%
- Carbon factor for natural gas = 0.1836 kgCO2/kWh (source: Ofgem)