Underground Mine Dewatering
Installation Of Pexgol Hanging Pipes In Underground Mine
Case Study Nº
45
Customer
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Working Conditions
Pexgol Pipes
Application
Lenght
Categories
The Challenge
The Chuquicamata mine needed to draw water at the lowest levels of the mine in order to keep it functioning. Commonly HDPE was used for this task, but the client this time required a fast and economical installation; two things that are not possible with this type of material.
Pexgol Solution
When this problem arose, the engineering company NBI (Grupo Astaldi), which was in charge of the project, decided to install Pexgol pipes to carry out the drainage.
The pipeline was connected with mechanical couplings to an existing HDPE pipe, which was then hung at 3 meters high with mining bolt supports.
The same activity carried out by HDPE pipes used sections of 12 meters, with mechanical couplings joints, which have greater potential for faults in the line. Thanks to the flexibility and capacity of the Pexgol pipes to be delivered in long stretches, the installation took considerably less time.
PEXGOL VS HDPE PIPELINE PERFORMANCE SUMMARY BY NBI
Pexgol pipe installation performance (200 meter sections):
| Units | Quantity | Time (h) | Effective Time (h) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning (from the floor to the support) | m | 200 | 16 | 16 |
| Alignment (15° slope) | m | 200 | 5 | 5 |
| Connections (between pipes) | un | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Joints | un | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Total Hours | 35 | 35 | ||
| Total Days | 1.5 | 3 |
Performance of HDPE pipe installation (12 meter sections) with Victaulic joints:
| Units | Quantity | Time (h) | Effective Time (h) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning (from the floor to the support) | m | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| Alignment (15° slope) | m | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| Connections (between pipes) | un | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Joints | un | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Total Hours (12 m) | 14 | 14 | ||
| Total Hours (200 m) | 238 | 238 | ||
| Total Days(200 m) | 10 | 20 |
Differential Pexgol vs HDPE pipes by NBI
- The assembly performance of Pexgol pipe is at least 7 times higher than HDPE in operations inside an underground mine.
- The pipe can be dragged (2 to 5 km) into the mine without suffering any damage.
- The flexibility of the Pexgol pipe, allows the assembly in the walls of the tunnel, 3 meters above ground level. It is much easier and faster, because it can adapt to the irregularities of an underground mine.
- Pexgol possesses greater operational reliability when reducing connections.
Uncoiling Process:
Installation:
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Dewatering at an Open Cast Mine
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