Geberit SuperTube, a revolutionary space-saving drainage system for high-rise buildings was recently launched at the World Plumbing Conference 2019 in Melbourne, Australia.
Launched in the presence of over 1000 members of the global plumbing community, the Geberit SuperTube technology represents an important evolution in building drainage as it directly addresses two key issues in the design and construction of high-rise residential and commercial buildings: maximising usable space and reduction of material usage.
Conventional building drainage systems occupy large pockets of valuable space and require substantial amounts of material due to additional ventilation pipes. Designed to provide significant space gains in high-rise offices, hotels and multi-storeyed residential buildings owing to its innovative, high-capacity and minimalistic design, Geberit SuperTube comprises of three sophisticated fittings to allow for a unique movement of outflowing sanitary discharge.
Sanitary discharges within a vertical stack of a multi-storey building quickly form into an ‘annular’ flow, of which a central air column is a key component. The annular flow is formed in the Geberit HDPE Sovent junction where it offsets the stack discharge upon entry and sets it in rotation. With the water rotating against the side of the pipe, the resulting annular flow creates a stable, continuous column of air on the inside, facilitating a maximum discharge capacity of 12 litres per second that not only matches the performance of a conventional drainage system but also requires significantly less space and materials, without any unnecessary increase in pipe diameters.
Geberit HDPE BottomTurn Bend at the stack offset or base transitions the discharge from vertical annular flow to horizontal layered flow whilst maintaining the continuous column of air. A hydraulic ‘pulse’ is avoided by the non-formation of a water curtain blocking the entrained air.
Geberit HDPE BackFlip Bend with its unique design changes the layered flow back into a vertical annular flow keeping the air column intact.
The protection of the annular flow in the 110mm diameter pipe removes the need for a separate parallel ventilation pipe, which reduces spatial requirements in both the vertical duct and the horizontal cavity. Additionally, horizontal pipelines up to 6m in length can be installed with no gradient, allowing greater ceiling heights. Prohibited or ‘no-connection’ zones are greatly reduced, allowing simpler design and increased connection points for plumbing fixtures.
Geberit’s SuperTube also delivers benefits during the planning and installation phases of a project. The smaller number of system components with single diameter pipes simplifies the planning and design process, allowing for easier and faster installation.
Dr Abdullah Öengören, Head of Basic Sanitary Technology for Geberit, who oversaw the development of the system commented, “At Geberit, we are very interested in innovation and new products. There was a big need from the plumbing industry for a high capacity product for high-rise buildings and keeping that in mind we started developing the SuperTube system.”
Developed and optimised by Dr Öengören and a highly skilled team of Geberit hydraulic engineers and specialists, SuperTube is the result of the extensive research, simulations, testing and unparalleled know-how that makes Geberit a world leader in sanitary products and building drainage.
The SuperTube technology has already been specified in building projects around Australia and the world, with positive feedback received from designers and hydraulic engineers on the benefits of simplified planning, installation and space gaining advantages.
