At “Buena Vista del Cobre” Mine the process water was extracted from deep wells. Formerly they worked with stainless steel pipes 316 with 9 months of operational lifetime that required to be replaced due to the corrosion, as a consequence of the low pH (between 1.5 and 2.5) from the groundwater. The Solution - The client required a more flexible pipe, with longer operational lifetime than the steel, and minimize shutdowns at the plant. Therefore, a 3 inch Pexgol pipe was installed in one section, holding the weight of the pump, the cables, the water column and the pipe itself. The new pipe operational lifetime is 50 years. This operation with a steel pipe it would cost $22.000 USD, when a Pexgol operation cost just a third of it.

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