Drainage Lines in Underground Mine

Installation of 3000 Meters Of PE-X Pipe for an Underground Mine.

Case Study Nº

73 Customer

Lundin Mining – Candelaria Norte Mine

Chile

2020

Working Conditions

Underground work

Pexgol Pipes

Pexgol 160 mm (6”), class 19

Application

Dewatering

Lenght

3000 m

The Challenge

Lundin Mining at Calendaria Norte Mine had to install a drainage line for its underground mine, where the main challenge was to pass it through the main ramp of the mine, which is only available once a month during its maintenance (since the operation of the mine cannot be stopped).

Pexgol Solution

The client decided to install 3,000 meters of Pexgol pipe that was supplied in five coils of 600 meters each. Two main maintenances were scheduled, where three coils per day (1800 meters) were unrolled and installed.

Cross-linked polyethylene was chosen because of:

Its long-length supply format.
Ease of installation, thanks to the flexibility of the pipe that was easy to accommodate in the curves of the interior of the mine.
Limited installation times to avoid stopping the mining operation.

Installation was quick and easy, uncoiling the full length of the pipeline and then dragging it into the mine.