Urecon pre-insulated pipe and heat trace systems are ideally suited for the harsh conditions commonly found in mining. One such example is solution mining.
Solution mining is commonly used for mining potash and similar minerals. The process involves dissolution of the potash with hot media, using pre-insulated pipe to maintain temperature (minimizing heat loss) along these injection runs. Wells are drilled into the potash-bearing area (sylvinite bed) and water, later brine, is pumped down the wells to dissolve the potassium chloride (KCl) (potash product) and sodium chloride (NaCl) (waste salt) that is in the sylvinite bed. Brine is returned to the surface and is conveyed to the process plant through pipelines and separated by mechanical evaporation and crystallization.
In many cases, the piping used in northern mining is laid directly on grade. Carrier pipe can vary from steel to plastic but the most common material in extreme temperatures is HDPE. Pre-insulated polyethylene pipe is resilient yet flexible (even with urethane insulation and PE jacket) allowing for fewer fittings as the pipe simply follows the topography of the landscape.
