WorldWide Drilling Resource

Northern Plains Chapter of the ISEE President: Billy Obermire Tel: 307-689-0050 www.bitwconference.org Black Hills Chapter of the ISEE President: Doug Hoy www.bitwconference.org 23 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® JUNE 2015 Polyurethane Hoses on a Brazilian Barge by Tracy Keck Hose Solutions, Inc. Iron ore is Brazil’s largest export, and there is a mine in Brazil which has recently been confronted with a poten- tial for mutual benefit. The mine needs a substantial amount of water for its operations. Given many wet rainy days in Brazil, there is a nearby reservoir which could possibly be flooded, potentially drowning a waterside town. Common sense provides the solution to divert the reservoir water to the mining operations. The question is, how? The water level of the reservoir is several hundred vertical feet below the storage tank on nearby flat higher ground. Water, and a lot of it, needed to be pumped to the tank then transported to nearby operations. Floating barges are commonly used in open-pit mine dewa- tering, so it seemed logical to use this method. Rigid pipe could be used, but is very difficult to manage with the fluctuating water levels. PVC blend and rubber hoses were an option, but they could not be absolutely dependable over time. The reasonable conclusion was to deploy high-performance polyurethane hoses. They are very light in weight yet extreme- ly abrasion resistant. The hose will also flex to accommodate water level vari- ances, as well as terrain grades along the shoreline. S o , w h a t e x a c t l y w a s pumping? Imag- ine a large pump on a barge with a 12-inch flexi- ble hose on the discharge side pumping 2862 gallons per min- ute. Each hose is 500 inches in length. That is a lot of water. Now, add four more pumps with the same setup. Three were to be used for pro- duction, while the other two were on standby for increased flow as needed. What happens to the polyurethane discharge lines should the water level drastically or rapidly increase? Plastic floats were quickly and easily installed around the hose about every six feet. This is really the requirement for steel pipe, as the steel cannot move at the connections. The hose, however, can bend without leaking, requiring fewer floats. The flexible hose also success- fully negotiated the transition radius be- tween the uphill and flat ground at the top with little or no flow restriction (and no additional fittings). So, all said and done, the project was completed in 35 days. Between the dam and pumping, the water level is controlled. The town is safe and dry while the iron ore mining facility is pro- vided with necessary production water. In the end, the project was made sim- ple largely due to the easy deployment and use of the flexible, large-diameter polyurethane hose. Tracy Tracy Keck may be contacted via e-mail at michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com " # # # " "# # ! #! % # !! " ! " "# ! & ! % ! # ' ! & !! #' " $!"# " # " ##" " " " " $# " !!! Do you manufacture or distribute fittings? We want to hear about them! Share your products in WWDR ’s August issue all about fittings... E-mail bonnie @worldwidedrillingresource.com or give us a call. (850) 547-0102 DEADLINE IS JUNE 15 TH .