Polybutene-1 has been successfully used in pipe applications in Europe for over thirty years. Installations in District and Underfloor heating systems made in Austria and Germany in the early 1970s are still in trouble-free operation today. Perhaps the most noteworthy success of Polybutene-1 pipes to date has been its use in the Vienna Geothermal Project which since 1974 has utilised very aggressive geothermal water as the heating medium and is still operating today at a constant temperature of 54°C and a 10 bar pressure. In the same application, metal pipes had previously proved totally unsuitable due to rapid corrosion problems.
The sustainability of Polybutene-1 pipes is therefore a proven case based on actual end use performance experience. Since these first installations, advances in both material technology and production processes, combined with the introduction of stringent standards, has furthered the performance and reliability of Polybutene-1 piping systems. International standards protocols now specify a minimum performance for Polybutene-1 hot water pipes of 70°C, 10 bar pressure, for 50 years.