PE Pipe in Agricultural Irrigation & Drip Irrigation System

Under the background of the increasing shortage of global water resources, agricultural irrigation technology is developing rapidly in the direction of efficient water saving and precision. As one of the core infrastructure of modern agriculture, PE pipe (polyethylene pipe), with its excellent physical properties and environmental protection characteristics, has become the preferred material for efficient irrigation systems such as drip irrigation and spray irrigation.

First, Why PE pipe has become the “gold material” of agricultural irrigation?

1. Corrosion resistance and long life

PE pipe is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), has strong chemical stability, can withstand the erosion of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and acid and alkali substances in the soil, and its service life can reach more than 50 years, far more than traditional metal or PVC pipe.

Application Case: long-term buried drip irrigation main pipeline, orchards underground water transmission network.

2. Excellent flexibility and impact resistance

Unique molecular structure gives PE pipe excellent flexibility, can adapt to complex terrain bending laying, and low temperature environment is not easy to crack (temperature range -60℃ to 60℃), especially suitable for mountain agriculture and seasonal temperature difference areas.

Data support: PE pipe elongation at break exceeds 350%, impact strength is more than 5 times that of PVC.

3. Low friction resistance, water saving and energy saving

The inner wall of PE pipe is smooth (roughness coefficient is only 0.007-0.009), and the water transmission efficiency under the same pipe diameter is more than 20% higher than that of metal pipe, which significantly reduces the energy consumption of the pump and conforms to the development trend of low-carbon agriculture.

4. Environmental protection and non-toxic, to ensure the safety of agricultural products

Food grade PE raw materials certified by ISO 9001/14001, eliminate the risk of heavy metal precipitation, and meet the water quality requirements of green agricultural irrigation.

Second, PE pipe in the drip irrigation system of technical advantages analysis 

Through precise control of water and fertilizer supply, drip irrigation technology can save 40%-60% of water and increase crop yield by more than 30%, and PE pipe is the key carrier to achieve this goal:

1. Precise water distribution and uniform pressure control

The PE pipe can be seamlessly connected through hot melt welding, and when used with drip irrigation belts or drippers, it can ensure stable system pressure and avoid the problem of insufficient end water pressure caused by leakage of traditional pipes.

2. Anti-clogging design to reduce maintenance costs

The PE pipe with full diameter structure can effectively reduce the deposition of impurities, and when used with drip irrigation filters, the system blockage rate is reduced by more than 70%, especially suitable for water sources with high sand content.

3. Modular installation, flexible expansion

PE pipe support rapid hot melt splicing, farmers can lay pipe network according to the planting surface integration stage. For example:

Greenhouse planting: Use Φ32mm PE branch pipe with drip irrigation tape

Large farms: Use Φ160mm PE main pipe to build distributed water transmission network

Third,How to match the best PE pipe for the irrigation system?

1.Pressure level selection   

Type of irrigation	Recommended pressure rating (MPa)	Applicable pipe diameter range (mm)
Drip irrigation system	0.6-1.0	16-63
Sprinkler irrigation system	1.0-1.6	75-200
Gravity artesian irrigation	0.4-0.6	90-315

• Special scenario solutions

High UV areas: Use the anti-UV PE tube with black outer layer and blue marking line

High cold area: SDR11 series thick wall tube is used to improve the frost resistance

Saline-alkali land: with nano modified PE tube to enhance the ability of salt spray corrosion resistance

Fourth, PE pipe installation and maintenance key points and benefit analysis

1. Construction precautions

Buried depth requirements: +10cm below the frozen soil layer to avoid mechanical damage

Hot melt parameters: 260±10℃ temperature pressure cooling, avoid virtual welding

2. Cost comparison of whole life cycle

Type of pipeline	Initial cost (yuan/meter)	10 years maintenance cost	Comprehensive price/performance ratio
PE tube	8-15	Less than 5%	★★★★★
PVC pipe	6-12	15% – 20%	★★★☆☆
Galvanized steel pipe	20-30	30% – 40%	★★☆☆☆

Successful case: PE pipe helps modern farm upgrade

A thousand mu vegetable base in China built an intelligent drip irrigation system by using SDR17 series PE pipes:

Water saving benefit: annual water consumption decreased from 450,000 m³ to 280,000 m³

Yield increase: tomato yield per mu increased by 22%, fruit cracking rate decreased by 8%

Return on investment: The system cost is recovered within 2 years through water and fertilizer saving

Supplier:

As a leading PE pipe manufacturer in China, Luoyang Datang Energy Tech Co., Ltd provides a full range of products from Φ16mm drip irrigation branch pipe to Φ1200mm water delivery pipe, supporting custom anti-UV, anti-static and other special PE pipes. Contact our agricultural irrigation experts today, get free technical solutions and pipeline selection manual, start your intelligent water-saving irrigation upgrade journey!

Tel.:0086-183 3790 0677

Wechat: 0086-183 3790 0677

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