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Description:
We're All Around the World
Antofagasta, Chile -- Copper Mine
At a major copper ore mine in the rugged mountains near Antofagasta, Chile, a proposed plant expansion required that a 20" main slurry line be cut and redirected, because it was in the way of the new construction site. However, since this plant produced $52 million worth of copper ore daily, shutdown of the main slurry line was, without question, not an option!
TDW Services, Inc., was contracted to install triple STOPPLE® Plugging Machines, so that the 20" slurry main could be rerouted around the new construction site. Initially, the project required two 20" hot taps, a 24" hot tap, and a single 10" STOPPLE® Plugging operation. In addition to the line taps, six 10" hot taps had to be made into the stainless steel holding tanks that held the copper slurry before it was pumped miles down the mountainside, into the port, and onto ships to be transported to a copper smelter.
TDW Services was able to divert the flow, keeping the slurry line up and running while the new expansion was completed. The difficult project was completed successfully and the costly shutdown of a major copper mining operation was avoided. |
