Pexgol pipe installation for open pit mine drainage.
The Challenge
BHP at its Escondida mining unit needed to drain water from inside its open pit mine to the outside. The client used to use conventional HDPE pipes in 12-meter strips in its operations, which requires long installation
times, joints and associated resources.
Pexgol Solution
The client decided to replace its conventional HDPE pipes with Pexgol, which could be supplied in long sections (200 m), which allowed and facilitated installation. Likewise, Pexgol allowed the use of fewer joints
for the total section.
An unwinding time of 200 meters was calculated, in 40 minutes set at the end point. The same amount of meters in pipes with strips of 12 meters, they achieved it in 14 days, that is, 20,160 minutes.
Performance:
Tubería HDPE= 200 m / 20160 min = 0,6 m/hr
Tubería Pexgol= 200 m / 40 min = 300 m/hr
Pexgol performance 504 times more efficient.
Client
BHP Escondida Mine
Chile | 2022
Working Conditions:
Fluid: industrial water
Ambient temperature: 5° to 20°C / 41° to 68°F
Pexgol Pipes
Pexgol 225 mm (8”), class 15
Application:
Open pit mine drainage
Length:
200 m / 656 ft
