Italy Gypsum Mine: Pump Kept Clear of Sulphate Scale

Case Study from HydroFLOW Italy

Sulphate scale pump protection on a 700 m mine pipeline

Sulphate scale pump blockage was a recurring failure at an Italian gypsum mine: heavy deposits blocked the underground pump’s impellers and the engine overheated as a result. Acid cleaning was needed every three months, and the metal rings and hydraulic joints were cracking. On 1 August 2012 a HydroFLOW® Custom 200 mm unit was installed on the flexible pipeline between the pump and the mine entrance, around 350 m from the pump. That one unit protects a 700 m pipeline with 90 m of vertical lift. Minerals now form powder-like suspended crystals instead of hard scale, the impellers stay clear and the acid cleans have ended.

The Challenge

• Sulphate scale pump blockage was hitting the impellers with heavy deposits
• The engine was overheating as a result of the scaling
• Acid cleaning was needed every three months
• Metal rings and hydraulic joints were cracking
• A 700 m pipeline with 90 m of lift had to be protected

The Solution

• Unit installed: 1 × HydroFLOW® Custom 200 mm
• Installation point: flexible pipeline between pump and mine entrance, around 350 m from the pump
• System: 700 m pipeline with 90 m of vertical lift
• Installed: 1 August 2012
• Previous treatment: acid cleaning every three months

The unit went on the flexible pipeline around 350 m downstream of the pump, so one installation protects the whole 700 m run to the mine entrance. The signal disrupts the conditions that bond scale to surfaces, so minerals form powder-like suspended crystals instead of hard scale. With the sulphate scale pump running clear, the quarterly acid cleans were no longer needed.