DIPRA Case Study: Pipe Flame Test

In recent years, there have been many reports of incidences where wildfires have caused serious damage to homes, water systems, and infrastructure. For example, in the fall of 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire in Santa Cruz, CA, melted seven miles of an HDPE pipeline that carried raw water to the San Lorenzo Valley Water District treatment plant. As stated in a Wildfire Today article, the average wildfire “can reach temperatures of 800°C (1,472°F).” This temperature is well below the melting point of ductile iron. But to address potential concerns regarding the resilience of Ductile iron pipe when exposed to wildfire-like temperatures we decided to conduct some of our own tests.

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