Yangzi Petrochemical achieved the first industrial production of cross-linked polyethylene pipe materials in China
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On February 20, the newly developed plastic product by Yangzi Petrochemical – a special material for easy-to-process cross-linked polyethylene pipes – was produced on an industrial scale for the first time. This product is mainly used in underfloor heating systems, meeting users’ customized needs effectively. This is the first time such a product has been developed in the country, serving as a model for the industry. In response to customer needs, Yangzi Petrochemical conducted research and analysis on specialized powders for easily processable pipes, carried out application tests, and laid the technical foundation for the industrial production of these products.
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Introduction to PEXc pipes Radiantly cross-linked polyethylene pipes are made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), along with other auxiliary materials such as antioxidants. Tubes are extruded in a plastic extruder (uncrosslinked), and then the extruded uncrosslinked tubes are irradiated using high-energy rays (electron beams or gamma rays) in a radiation device (an electron accelerator or a cobalt-60 irradiation station) to achieve crosslinking. Polyethylene pipes produced using this method are called radiatively cross-linked polyethylene pipes (PEXc pipes). There are chemical and physical methods for crosslinking polyethylene; the chemical methods refer to those commonly known as peroxide crosslinking, silane crosslinking, or azo crosslinking. Physical cross-linking, on the other hand, does not require the use of chemical cross-linking agents; instead, high-energy rays are used to excite polyethylene molecules, generating free radicals, which then combine to form intermolecular cross-link bonds, thereby creating a cross-linked structure within the polyethylene molecules. The basic principle of radiation cross-linking is that high-energy particles excite polyethylene molecules to generate polymer free radicals, which then combine with each other to form cross-link bonds, thereby creating a three-dimensional network structure within the polyethylene molecules.