This paper deals with a problem encountered in a Saskatchewan uranium mine where severe wear from slurry abrasion resulted in expensive down time from the concrete delivery pipe which needed replacing every 16 months. A solution for the problem was proposed by NanoSteel.
Problem: Severe Slurry Abrasion
According to Saskatchewan government regulations, spent sections in uranium mines need to be fully encased in concrete. Transportation of huge quantities of concrete to spent mine locations underground and the process of continuous encasement can continue for several years. In the past, concrete has been transported from the surface for underground operations via a vertical delivery system fabricated from a L80 mild steel pipe. At a northern Saskatchewan uranium mine, severe wear from slurry abrasion resulted in expensive down time from the pipe which needed replacement almost every 16 months.
Solution: NanoSteel ID Clad Wear Pipe
The uranium mine personnel were keen to find a solution that with improved wear resistance and last for the rest of the project life. They chose NanoSteel’s SHS 9800 alloy to be welded to the internal diameter of the L80 pipe. Mine engineers have estimated that the ID clad NanoSteel wear pipe will last for 17.5 years, an increase in wear life by a factor of 13.1x that will save the mine more than $1 million in replacement costs.
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Threaded Joints Result in Faster Installation
Most vertical delivery systems are installed by welding pipe joints together, which is considered as a slow coupling method. In the case of the Saskatchewan uranium mine, NanoSteel ID clad wear pipe was threaded during manufacture and connected on the site using zero difference couplings, a quicker joining method which greatly reduced installation time.
About Nanosteel
The NanoSteel Company is an advanced materials company which has created a unique and proprietary portfolio of nanotechnology based and environmentally friendly steel alloys that greatly increase the value of steel in most of today’s industrial applications.
Product success has been through the development of Super Hard Steel® (SHS) alloys which feature nanoscale microstructures. SHS alloys are for use as metallic coatings within power generation, mining, cement, concrete and oil & gas industries.
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This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by NanoSteel
For more information on this source, please visit NanoSteel