Synopsis:
Compared to other engineering technologies, the design of a commercial long distance Slurry Pipeline design is a relatively new engineering concept which started in the mid 1960’s. Slurry pipeline was first introduced to reduce cost in transporting coal to power generating units.
Since then this technology has caught-up worldwide to transport other minerals such as limestone, copper, zinc and iron.
In South America, the use of pipeline is commonly practiced in the transport of Copper (Chile and...
STARTUP
of Dual Concentrate Pipeline for Minera Escondida Limitada,
Phase IV ROY BETINOL - HERNAN
JAIME
Synopsis:
In terms of production, Minera Escondida Limitada (MEL) is the largest copper mine in the world located in the Northern sector of Chile in the Atacama Desert. The mine started operating in the early 1990’s and has since then undergone numerous expansion programs.
From the initial production capacity of 35,000 tpd of mineral ore, the mine recently completed its latest expansion under the project name “Proyecto Expansion Fase IV” that brings the total production capacity to 237,500 tpd.
Incrustation
Problems in Long Distance Copper Concentrate Pipelines NARA ALTMANN - ANA
CACERES LUIS NAVARRO - ROY BETINOL
Abstract:
Copper concentrate is produced in Chile in the high Andes and transported to the coast for shipping through long distance pipelines The pipeline and fittings installed have to withstand
the high abrasion and corrosion environment of the copper concentrate To protect the inside tube wall against corrosion, high density polyethylene (HDPE) liner is used. While HDPE liners can protect the steel wall against corrosion, it has also been assumed that the low surface roughness of the HDPE liner also inhibited incrustation caused by calcium carbonate and sulfate deposition.
