The mining industry has extremely stringent requirements for piping systems, requiring corrosion-resistant, impact-resistant, long-life and easy-to-install solutions. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes have become the preferred material for transporting water, slurry, tailings and chemical media in modern mining piping systems due to their excellent performance. This article will explore the application of HDPE pipes in the mining industry and their technical advantages.
1. Excellent corrosion resistance
Can withstand strong acid and alkaline environments with a pH value of 1-14
Completely resist electrochemical corrosion and have a service life of more than 50 years
Typical applications: acidic mineral water transportation, leaching process pipelines
2. Super wear resistance
The wear resistance is 3-5 times that of steel pipes
The smooth inner wall (roughness coefficient is only 0.009) reduces the transportation resistance
Applicable scenarios: slurry transportation (solid content can reach 40%)
3. Excellent mechanical properties
The impact strength is 5 times that of PVC
Can withstand a working pressure of 0.6-2.5MPa
The bending radius can reach 20-25 times the pipe diameter
1. Slurry conveying system
Copper ore, iron ore and other metal slurry conveying
Coal slime pipeline conveying
Design points: Flow rate control at 1.5-3m/s
2. Tailings treatment system
Tailing slurry conveying (solid content 20-30%)
Return water pipeline system
Typical case: Tailings pipeline of a gold mine, DN600, length 8km
3. Mine drainage system
Underground water discharge
Water drainage in goaf
Working pressure can reach 1.6MPa
4. Process water conveying
Process water for ore dressing plant
Fire water supply system
Special requirements: Food grade HDPE material.
|
Comparison Item |
HDPE Pipes |
Traditional Steel Pipes |
|
Initial Cost |
1.0-1.2× steel pipe price |
Benchmark |
|
Installation Cost |
30-50% reduction |
Relatively high |
|
Service Life |
50+ years |
10-15 years |
|
Maintenance Cost |
Nearly zero |
~3% annual maintenance fee |
|
Energy Loss |
15-20% reduction |
Benchmark |
Note: Based on 20-year lifecycle cost analysis of 10km pipeline
1: Chilean copper mine slurry conveying system
Pipe diameter: DN800
Pressure level: PN16
Conveying medium: slurry containing 30% copper
Operation effect: 18% energy saving compared with the original steel pipe system
2: Australian iron ore tailings pipeline
Length: 15.6km
Design life: 30 years
Special technology: electric fusion connection + cathodic protection
Operation status: zero leakage record
Pressure level selection: PN6-PN25
Wall thickness calculation: according to ISO 12162 standard
Preferred connection method:
Hot-melt butt joint (DN≥90mm)
Electrofusion connection (DN≤315mm)
Support spacing:
|
Pipe Diameter (mm) |
Maximum Support Spacing (m) |
|
110 |
1.5 |
|
315 |
3.0 |
|
630 |
4.5 |
HDPE Mining piping systems provide the mining industry with:
Longer service life (50 years+)
Lower overall cost (saving 40-60%)
Higher operational reliability (leakage rate <0.1%)
Better environmental performance (zero pollution, recyclable)
It is recommended that new mining projects give priority to the use of HDPE piping systems, and existing metal pipe renovation projects can consider HDPE lining repair technology.
