Pipe freezing is increasingly used in a range of industries to solve otherwise intractable pipe line maintenance and servicing problems. This paper presents the interim results from an experimental study on deliberate freezing of polymeric pipelines. Previous and contemporary works are reviewed. The object of the current research is to confirm the feasibility of ice plug formation within a polymeric pipe as a method of isolation. Tests have been conducted on a range of polymeric pipes of various sizes. The results reported here all relate to freezing of horizontal pipelines. In each case the process of plug formation was photographed, the frozen plug pressure- tested and the pipe inspected for signs of damage resulting from the freeze procedure. The time to freeze was recorded and various temperatures logged. The tests have demonstrated that despite the poor thermal and mechanical properties of the polymers, freezing offers a viable alternative method of isolation in polymeric pipelines.
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