Tailings transport with 50% solids - Case Studies

Installation of Pexgol pipe for transportation of mining tailings.

The Challenge

Thanks to the new extraction methods of metals, at Don David Gold mine decided to reprocess the tailings (with 50% solids) of the last 15 years that had been deposited in a dam, in order to extract the minerals that could not be removed at first.
To perform this task, it was necessary to transport the tailings from the dam to the first stage (filter plant). The path where the pipeline needed to be installed was 3600 meters on harsh terrain with more than 190 meters of height difference in descent.
Since the fluid was highly abrasive, one of the fears the engineering team had in designing the line was that it would not resist abrasion and a spill would occur causing large-scale environmental pollution.

Pexgol Solution

The design of the line was carried out by the engineering company Paterson & Cooke and Pexgol was selected for the following reasons:
-Abrasion resistance (3 to 10 times more than conventional HDPE pipes)
-Supply of pipes in long sections (coils up to 1000 meters).
-Fast and safe installation.
The set of qualities for this application, indicated that Pexgol was the safest option due to the possibility of having spills.
Also, for the installation, coils of 500 and 800 meters in length were supplied, therefore the installation was carried out quickly. The joints were made with flanged couplings and alignment clamps, in a place with a steep slope, so the joints had to resist fluid pressure and axial forces.