Slurry Pipelines vs Gas Pipelines

A Pipeliner's Perspective

Amanda Hinrichs, Process Engineer, OSD Slurry Pipelines

GasSpeak 2012.

OSD Pipelines

A global service provider of choice for pipelines

OSD Corporate

OSD Oil and Gas

Pipelines Group

OSD PipeEd

OSD Slurry
Pipelines Group

OSD Plant

Slurry Pipeline

Slurry Pipeline Advantages

Minimal Environmental and Stakeholder
impacts
No visual, noise or dust impact
Allows for remote developments
Antamina Mine Peru
Savage River development
Economically favourable
transportation mode
High Capex, Low Opex

Basic Design Challenges

Slurry properties for pipeline design

Ore body = rheology variability (>20
yrs operation)
Design throughput selection
Slurry pipelines are continuous flow
systems with narrow operating range
Process plants variability exceeds
pipeline operating range
Ramp up approach high turndown
capacity

Design Operating Point

Mine Production (Stream Rate in Tonnes)

SLURRY PIPELINE DESIGN THROUGHPUT

Tanks and/or "catchup capacity"

Pipeline Operating Range

batching
- Q plant < Q min (pipe), batching (water) is required.
- Q plant > Q max (pipe), eventually forces plant shutdown

Increasing Time (Hours)

Basic Design Challenges

Concentration
Balance to ensure particle
suspension vs excessive
wear
Velocity
Above deposition velocity
Low enough to minimise
erosion

Basic Design Challenges

Route Selection
Carbon steel (HP)
HDPE (LP)
API5L-X70 or higher

Construction Methodology
Carbon steel
Lined or inbuilt corrosion allowance

Water Management
Recycled via return water pipeline

Operating Risks Particular to Slurry

Pipeline plugging /inability to restart

Power Outage
Minimum operating velocity
Slurry characteristics
Temperature
Mitigation: Standby flushing
capability

Developments Within the Industry

Multiproduct slurry pipelines

The Antamina concentrate pipeline in
Peru now operates with ten distinct
products with little or no cross
contamination the system was originally
designed for four.
Multiuser Batch-mode pipeline

Developments Within the Industry

Pipeline operation awareness and preventive

maintenance.
Slurry is abrasive preventive maintenance is
key to sustaining high availability.
The Samarco iron concentrate pipeline in Brazil
currently achieves a pipeline system availability
exceeding 99%.

Conclusion

Future of Slurry Pipelines

Exploration is moving further away from the

coast

Environmental and permitting drivers (and often

economics) favour slurry pipelines.

Questions?