Skip to content

Pexgol: Significant Pipe Wall Scale Reduction

The mine was facing scaling issues with their existing HDPE pipes, which required replacement every two weeks. The introduction of Pexgol pipes drastically reduced scaling.

Case Study Nº

137

Customer

Copper Mine
USA

|

2022

Working Conditions

Temperature: Ambient | Flow: 60 gpm — 6ft/s | Pressure: 20 psi

Pexgol Pipes

Application

Pilot Study: Scaling performance comparison between same sized Pexgol & HDPE pipes

Lenght

304 m / 1,000 ft

Categories

The mine was facing scaling issues with their existing HDPE pipes, which required replacement every two weeks. The introduction of Pexgol pipes drastically reduced scaling.

Introduction

A prominent copper mine in Arizona that uses an in-situ copper ore recovery process, experienced scaling issues in the existing HDPE (PE 4710) piping deployed in the rinse cycle phase of ore extraction.
Scaling in the HDPE pipes caused clogging and despite the use of scale inhibitors and cleaning, some pipes were still being replaced too frequently.

The Problem

Increased operational maintenance and reduced efficiency of the HDPE pipes
created the need for a more efficient, long-term solution.

Pexgol Solution

Pexgol was proposed as the solution for reduced scaling.
A controlled pilot study was commissioned by the mine to compare gypsum slurry pumped through Pexgol vs HDPE (PE 4710) for a period of 4 weeks.
Various flow velocities, pressures and ambient temperatures were monitored and compared after 2 and 4 weeks.

Results

The Pexgol pipes showed almost no scaling compared with the scaled HDPE pipes after 2 and 4 weeks.
It was recommended that Pexgol replace HDPE at the rinse cycle phase of ore extraction of the mine.

Conclusion

Pexgol pipes are a viable solution for similar slurry applications.

Related Case Studies

Монтаж труб Pexgol для транспортировки хвостов, образующихся при горной добыче.

Транспортировка хвостов с 50% содержанием твердых частиц

Golden Resource Corp. — Золотой рудник Дон Дэвид
Мексика

 | 

2019
Transport of acid water at high temperatures

Water Transport with Low pH Level

Moa Nickel S.A. Sherritt
Cuba

 | 

2010
Монтаж труб Pexgol для снабжения питьевой водой со свободным хлором.

Снабжение питьевой водой со свободным хлором

Медицинский центр им. Рабина
Израиль

 | 

2020
Монтаж дренажной системы между дамбами на медном руднике.

Транспортировка воды между дамбами

CODELCO — Рудник Эль-Тениенте
Чили

 | 

2019
Транспортировка воды под высоким давлением для золотого рудника.

Транспортировка воды под высоким давлением

Рудник Mansfield
Аргентина

 | 

2019
Dry Gas Line for Pump Activation.

Dry Gas Transportation

ExxonMobil
Argentina

 | 

2020