Coal Age Magazine - For nearly 100 years, Coal Age has been the magazine that readers can trust for guidance and insight on this important industry.
Issue link: https://coal.epubxp.com/i/421812
Mines can't function without pumps and pipework. Period. At the front end of an operation, dewatering is key to maintain- ing production, be it from underground or an open pit. By the time run-of-mine coal enters the processing plant, slurries need transporting. Even with gravity-fed plants where the flow sheet runs sequentially downhill, there will be some need for recy- cling material involving both pipework and pumping. Within the plant, reagents have to be handled, separated flows directed to the appropriate next treatment stage, and at the end of the whole pro- ceedings, tailings deposited and reclaimed water recycled. Each of the components involved in handling fluids that can be corrosive and abrasive have specific requirements in terms of the materials used in their con- struction, while the aim is always to keep maintenance and repair costs to a mini- mum. Manufacturers today offer pumps, pipework and valves made of materials that are appropriate to the duty required, with heavy investment having gone into developing new metallurgy that can pro- vide better service at lower overall cost. Lighter weight plastics are also playing an increasingly important role, especially in pipework, while the reliability of valves has improved over the years, giving more precise control over fluid flows of all types. Coal Age asked a number of the leading international suppliers of fluids-handling equipment for an update on their current product offerings. Here are some of their responses. Quick-fit Pipes with a Long History Victaulic manufactures a range of pipe- joining solutions for the mining market that, it said, offers faster, safer and more efficient assembly of piping systems. From a mine owner's perspective, using Victaulic pipe can cut installed costs by up to 50%, it claims, while its products are safer and faster to install, reducing the opportunity for injuries. This type of pipe system can also cut maintenance times significantly, keeping plants running more efficiently. For piping installers, they have the advantage of faster installation with- out the need for special tools, while the availability of reusable parts speeds up maintenance. The company noted that in the U.S. and Canada, grooved mechanical piping is the generally accepted method for joining pipe in the mining industry. The mechani- cal joint consists of four elements: grooved-end pipe, a gasket, coupling housing, and nuts and bolts. The primary and perhaps best known benefit of these systems is that they are three to five times faster to install than other methods of pipe joining, while the couplings can be orien- tated in any direction during installation, making it easier to install pipe ranges in tight spaces. Another benefit of Victaulic grooved products is the ease in rerouting and expanding piping systems, the company said. Where piping systems need to be repositioned and extended, the ability to disassemble and reassemble piping com- ponents quickly and easily means that sys- tem retrofits and expansions can be completed fast. Victaulic products include its original groove system, introduced in the 1920s, the advance groove system, and the Vic- Ring system for large-diameter slurry and tailings lines, as well as high-pressure and fire-protection systems. Underground mines use the installa- tion-ready Style 177 flexible couplings (See Product News, p. 57) that greatly reduce the risk of pinched gaskets — compressed air leaks can cost thousands of dollars a year in additional energy costs. In pro- cessing plants, rigid and flexible advanced groove system couplings are used on abra- sive slurry pipelines, using the Victaulic Vic-Ring piping method to maintain the full pipe-wall thickness. In Australia, a recently installed con- veyor structure at Rio Tinto's Tom Price mine has been equipped with Victaulic FireLock products on its 6 in. and 8 in. (152- and 203-mm) fire-protection pipelines. The company noted that these were chosen to provide an approved rigid joint that could be installed easily without the need for on-site welding. It also helped minimize the time that the installation crews spent exposed to the extreme out- door heat conditions of the Pilbara. PVC Piping Systems for Mining A Saint Gobain group member, U.S.-based CertainTeed Corp. reported that it helped to pioneer the development of PVC pipe more than 30 years ago. Today, the com- pany offers piping products for under- ground coal mining that feature the Certa-Lok Yelomine restrained-joint pres- sure piping system. Engineered with high-impact strength, ultraviolet protection and ease of assem- bly, the Yelomine system comes in stan- dard 20-ft. (6.1-m) laying lengths, with other lengths available. Yelomine pipe is manufactured with IPS outside diameters, in pressure classes from 90 to 315 psi (6 to 22 bar). The system utilizes precision- machined grooves, which, when aligned, permit the insertion of a high-strength, thermoplastic spline to create a fully cir- cumferential, securely locked restrained o p e r a t i n g i d e a s Pipelines Keep Material on the Move 52 www.coalage.com November 2014 Victaulic's joining solutions offer faster, safer and more efficient assembly of piping systems.