Our pipes are designed for a long service life and have proven their durability in mines in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa.
PE-HD pipes offer excellent resistance against abrasion and corrosive chemicals. They are also light-weight, which makes them easy to handle, and their flexibility allows them to bend naturally and to absorb stress caused by soil or ground movement. Polyethylene piping is joined using butt-fusion technology, which makes the welded joints as strong as the pipe itself.
Mines are often located in remote areas far from pipe factories. Therefore the costs of transporting large-diameter pipes to the installation site may constitute a substantial part of the total investment. For large projects, KWH Pipe offers an innovative solution: production of pipes on site using our mobile plants. Instead of transporting pipes, a "factory" is brought to the mine. Producing the pipes where they are needed offers a number of benefits:
- Reduced installation costs
- Reduced transportation costs
- Simplified storage and handling on site
- Reduced risk of damaging the pipes during transportation and handling
- On-site production enables the customer to monitor the pipe manufacturing process
- Flexibility in production
Pipelines are most often the only financially viable way of transportation. However, the abrasive materials that are transported in the mining industry limit the number of materials that can be used and force companies to replace pipelines regularly. Being able to replace slurry pipelines less frequently using KWH Pipe's customised solutions brings considerable cost savings.
Apart from WehoPipe, a solid-wall PE-HD pipe, KWH Pipe also offers the WehoSlurry solution that has been developed specifically for carrying slurry and solid abrasive material.
The pipes can be jointed using special mechanical flange connections or welded using conventional methods. When designing a slurry pipeline, the operating conditions for the pipes, such as the composition of the slurry, flow velocity, pressure and temperature, need to be thoroughly considered in order to achieve the maximum service life. With the help of KWH Pipe's testing equipment and a sample of the slurry, the right pipe for your application is chosen. With a customised pipe, the lifetime of your pipeline can be considerably prolonged.
The testing equipment consists of a model slurry pipeline, where three different types of pipes can be tested simultaneously. Alternatively, the same pipe can be tested for different types of pressure, temperature or flow velocity. Slurry is pumped around in a loop and the wear of the pipes is examined and the parameters monitored. There is also a possibility to test the pipes for the optimum bend radius and jointing methods.
For more detailed information of the KWH Pipe product offerings please contact your nearest KWH Pipe sales office >>>