Mining

With mining complexes often situated in remote and extreme locations, pipelines have become central in facilities planning today for transporting bulk materials through on site processing and for exporting the final product over long distances en route to market.

The service environment produced by transporting mining slurry is unique in the pipeline industry. Slurries are naturally abrasive. When left in contact with bare steel, the individual particles in the slurry collide with the inner wall wearing the metal down to a point where pipeline integrity becomes at risk. Polymer lining of pipelines for mining slurry transport has proven to offer a longer term solution as the polymer absorbs the impacts of the particle collisions, reducing their energy and abrasive capabilities.

Building lined pipelines for slurry transportation produces a range of challenges for the liner system architecture. Changes in surface cross section may lead to an internal build-up of slurry deposits. As these deposits can reduce pipeline capacity and in extreme cases lead to pipeline shut down and engagement of displacement pumping, a smooth bore is considered essential to the prevention of these formations. Tight fitting liners and special connectors for joining the pipeline sections together without creating changes in section are now regularly specified by the industry.

Swagelining Limited designs tight fitting liners that revert naturally and do not require external assistance as the polymer remains elastic throughout the installation process. The SmoothBore™ connector is a flange based connector that enables sections to be joined together with a uniform transition across the joint. This connector has been hydro-tested to 90 bar and subjected to successful AREL testing.

Swagelining™ technology and SmoothBore™ connectors are suitable for use in lining new pipelines during construction and for rehabilitating existing pipelines carrying all types of mining slurry.