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Slurry Transport

Dependable, large severe service valves to support remote slurry transport operations

Transporting tailings or concentrate slurries through a long distance pipeline presents tough challenges for valves. The slurry’s abrasive nature and associated particle build-up can be tortuous to the sealing surfaces of valves. Dependable operation becomes more critical in remote areas where scheduling repairs or the replacement of parts is especially difficult.

Over 84 percent of installed MOGAS valves—not just in slurry applications, but across all industries—are used in solids handling applications. And MOGAS was first to successfully introduce metal-seated ball valves in the severe service applications of slurry transport pipelines. MOGAS ball valves not only outperform other ball valves in industry tests, but they often replace larger, more cumbersome gate valves. Because they are a floating ball valve design and not trunnion mounted, entrapped solids are merely wiped clean from sealing surfaces with each stroke, requiring less maintenance.
 

Válvulas: lama de Minério (em Português)

Válvulas para Minería (en Español)

• Big Valves for Large Pipelines

  

  Long distance slurry pipelines for moving mineral concentrates over rugged terrain is often more economical than trucking or rail due to topography constraints and environmental concerns. To capitalize on these investments, the pipe sizes are maximized. The various elevations and distance involved make pipeline operations challenging. Therefore, large bore valves with dependable performance become vital to the success of the whole transportation process.

  Simply taking a commodity valve and trying to “size it up” to a large bore valve will not ensure the proper longevity or operational performance when needed. This is where experience makes the difference. With over 40 years of manufacturing, installing and maintaining large severe-service valves, MOGAS provides a high level of confidence and support for operators in the slurry transport markets.

• Download brochures

  Valves for Mining Pipelines (EN), Engineered Solutions for the Mining & Minerals Industry. Addresses the critical issues of remote locations, velocity and abrasive particulates in slurry and seawater transport applications. This brochure provides: valve features, illustrations of tracking seat, and schematics of pump, choke and isolation stations.
  
  Valves for Mining Pipelines (PT)
  
  Valves for Mining Pipelines (ES)

   

• Pump Station
• Choke Station
• Isolation Station

Performance That Protects

When hydrotransporting mineral concentrates—such as copper, nickel, iron or gold—long-distance slurry pipelines most often will require various types of pump stations. When the topography cannot accommodate a gravity flow pipeline, either centrifugal pumps or positive displacement pumps must be used.

When maintenance is required on an inoperable pump, a reliable isolation valve is required on the suction and discharge sides of the pump to prevent the slurry from creeping into the pump. The flow will be diverted to other trains of piping to maintain operational efficiencies. These valves must isolate against full operating pressure of the abrasive media. With the MOGAS CST bi-directional seat design, the seat tracks with the ball for 100 percent contact.

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1. Charge
2. Pump Isolation
3. Drain
4. Charge Pump Isolation

Proven Designs for Critical Service

When engineering a long-distance pipeline with significant changes in elevation and diverse terrain, choke stations become an integral part of the design. Choke facilities are used for reducing pressure in a slurry pipeline and provide back-pressure necessary to prevent slack flow in the pipe.

The isolation valves used at the choke station must operate under high differential slurry flow conditions. When closed, dependable isolation with no leak-by is critical to the overall operation of the slurry pipeline. With the MOGAS CST bi-directional seat design, the seat tracks with the ball for 100 percent contact. This prevents build-up behind the downstream seat and ensures evacuation of solids around upstream seat during cycling.

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1. Choke Station Emergency Shut Down
2. Instrument Isolation
3. Instrument Bleed
4. Drain
5. Emergency Dump
6. Choke Loop Cut
7. Choke Loop Seal
8. Choke Loop Isolation
9. By-pass Isolation
10. Main Slurry Line Isolation

Handling Abrasive Flow Streams

The ability to consistently isolate pre-determined sections of a slurry pipeline or isolate major equipment can help eliminate unnecessary expenses. Another means to optimize operational profits is using pipeline intelligent gauges, or “pigs”, to provide inspection of the internal piping.

For slurry pipelines that must be pigged, full bore ball valves are used, as they allow free passage of the pigs. These pig launching and receiving stations are at regular intervals along the pipe, often in remote locations. A reliable trip isolation valve and pipeline block valve with quick quarter-turn operation is required for each station. With a MOGAS metal-seated ball valve, the recessed seats are protected from continual exposure to the abrasive process flow and pigging operations. Also, the sharp leading edge design of the seat ring “wipes” the sealing surface each time the valve is operated to eliminate any troublesome build-up.

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1. Main Isolation
2. Instrument Isolation
3. Instrument Bleed
4. Pigging Isolation
5. Drain
6. Emergency Dump
7. Pig Receiver Discharge
8. Pig Launch Charge
9. Vent