MINING

Increased economic pressures combined with new environmental regulations, particularly related to toxic, corrosive and abrasive materials have led to a demand for strong, cost-effective piping solutions. Customers demand reliable, durable, non-stop performance piping systems with the shortest installation time and lowest long-term cost.

We work with clients all over the world in the harshest environments, providing them with a durable, integrity-strong solution.

Advantages for mining applications are:

• Cost saving
• Reliable
• Excellent chemical and corrosion resistance. Pexgol pipes are resistant to a wide range of chemical agents, slurries, toxic and radioactive materials.
• Typically three times more resistant than HDPE, and twice more than steel, Pexgol is the preferred solution for the transportation of abrasive materials.
• High temperature resistance: -50°C/-58°F to 110°C/230°F
• Low energy losses
• Long pipe sections
• Low weight
• Impervious to slow crack growth
• Creep and impact resistance

Whether transporting tailing from a mineral processing plan or simply transporting coarse slurry and chemicals over long distances – Pexgol’s slurry pipelines are efficient, reliable and strong.

Pexgol pipe’s durability, reliability and low maintenance makes it ideal for transporting coarse slurry and chemicals. Our non-stop slurry pipelines can also be used to transport tailings from a mineral processing plant after the ore has been processed to dispose of the remaining rocks or clays.

Pexgol’s solution prevents sedimentation and saves energy.

Slurry pipelines carry a mixture of solid particles and liquids, usually water, that range in size —from less than one-thousandth of an inch to greater than four inches in diameter.

Traditional steel and PE tube pipes often accumulate sedimentation which blocks the slurry pipeline. Unlike these solutions, Pexgol pipes have a major advantage in that the pipe’s molecular structure prevents sedimentation buildup. Our pipes’ smooth interior prevents blockage and build-up on the pipe walls, reducing head loses and pump pressure as well as saving energy and maintenance costs.

Mine dewatering is an essential part of resource extraction, as it lowers the water table around the mine or quarry.

Mine dewatering is usually undertaken for several reasons:

• Ensures stability of mine walls during and after excavation
• Prevents flooding in underground mines

Pexgol excellent mechanical properties offer mine operators a best in class solutions. Made of a unique formulation of crossed linked polyethylene, it is resistant to creep, Slow Crack Growth (SCG), corrosion, low and high temperatures and impact. Pexgol inherit flexibility and high strain resistance, makes it resistant to failure due to water hammer.

Pexgol pipes can be supplied in long length coils (up to Ø12″) or sticks (up to Ø24″). Pipes are offered in several standard pressure ratings, and tailor made pipes can also be provided.

Pexgol pipes for dewatering applications can be used in open cast mines and underground mines as well.

Main properties of Pexgol for dewatering applications:

• Exceptional creep resistance
• Remarkable corrosion resistance: Pexgol pipes for mine dewatering can be placed directly on the ground without special precautions to protect it from corrosion
• Excellent environmental stress cracking resistance (ESCR)
• Sedimentation-free pipes
• Impervious to scratches and stone impingement (SCG)
• Features a continuous self-supporting pipe section with no need to anchor the vertical pipe section to the peer wall
• Needs very few pipe connections; sometimes, no connections necessary
• Able to transport pipe from one location in the mine to be reinserted in another location without fear of damaging the pipe
• Can be lifted and dragged to a second location
• Resistant to UV radiation – even if exposed to sunlight for the duration of pipe usage
• Operating temperatures from -50ºC to +110ºC

Maintaining plant operation requires careful selection of pipe material in order to prolong the integrity of pipelines and increase the productivity by reducing maintenance downtime.

Pexgol’s unique properties include a very smooth internal surface, elevated working temperatures and enhanced wear and corrosion resistance, making it the best solution for most of the challenges faced by plant pipeline operators.

We offer a complete solution for processing brine as lithium, magnesium, potash and table salt.

The processing of potash ore involves a variety of stages, each with its own operational conditions: ore composition, particle size, solid concentration, temperature, and chemical composition. These conditions are a challenge to operators, mainly due to the combination of scaling, corrosion and abrasion.

Reliable hydrometallurgy pipes withstand corrosion, abrasion, high temperatures and pressures.

Whether high pressure acid leaching (HPAL) acid, oxygen injection (POx), heap leaching or in-situ leaching (ISL) is employed, every pipe used in the leaching method must be able to withstand corrosion and abrasion in slurries under high temperatures and pressures.

Traditional materials involve maintenance repairs (rubber-lined carbon steel, RLCS or FRP), or high capital investment in exotic materials, such as SS316/304, duplex, titanium, which are expensive. RLCS in particular requires constant maintenance.

That’s why Pexgol’s piping is a must.

Unlike these traditional solutions, Pexgol’s hydrometallurgy pipes are corrosion resistant, durable and impact resistant, with no need for special handling that rigid pipes may require. Pexgol’s long length options offer versatile design and installation planning.

Some of Pexgol’s advantages:

• Typically lower-cost alloy compared to exotic materials.
• Pipe material allows operating temperatures up to 110°C/230°F (suitable for general conditions of before autoclaves and after flash vessels).
• Resistant to H2SO4, H2S in a variety of concentrations and to other leaching acids.
• Smooth internal surface reduces energy.
• Does not require special treatment such as levelling, preparation, or handling as some rigid pipes (FRP, GRP) may require.
• Eliminates corrosion related to failures and repairs.
• Resistant to cyclic fatigue.
• Durable and impact-resistant.

Pexgol pressure pipes were developed more than 30 years ago. Flexible Pexgol rising main pipes, in diameters of up to 315 mm, have been installed in more than a thousand boreholes worldwide, designed and manufactured for a minimum lifetime of 50 years. The Pexgol pipes are supplied and installed in a single-length pipe section up to 300 meters.

Using Pexgol pipes results in a dramatic reduction of pumping costs. Pexgol has an extremely smooth inner surface, ensuring no inner diameter reduction due to sediment formation or encrustation. Special plastic discharge heads guarantee an end to corrosion and scale build-up. Pexgol is 155 Hazen-Williams coefficient.

Installation is simple and quick—it takes only a few hours, reducing the use of manpower and heavy equipment. Reliable field-proven installation clamps ensure a firm grip of the pipe. These clamps provide a sure grip on wet or oiled pipe surfaces. In addition, attachment of the power cable and Pexgol conduit pipe to the Pexgol rising pipe is easy and efficient, and enables attachment of more accessories. Pipes in the system can be pulled out and retrieved for preventive maintenance as many times as required, without damage.

Advantages:

• It combines longitudinal flexibility and radial toughness—easily coiled and transported.
• Robust with thick walls.
• Impervious to scratches and pinholes.
• Always maintains its round shape.
• Quickly and easily inserted into borehole.
• Easily pulled out for pump maintenance.
• Supports total system weight: heavy pump, heavy motor, water column and its own weight.
• Does not require supporting cables.
• Available in single piece.