Mining & Minerals
Case:
PREVENTING FOULING IN A POTASH PRODUCTION PIPELINE
NUTRIEN | CANADA
By preventing fouling, maintenance requirements were decreased by ~75%.
ISSUE
This Nutrien site was experiencing fouling challenges in a brine pumping pipeline used for potash production. These challenges were caused by salts precipitating out of the process solution due to significant temperature fluctuations, crystallizing in the line, and attaching to the inner surfaces.
The fouling led to frequent maintenance, which disturbed production on a weekly basis. Frequent maintenance also impacted the process's recovery rates.
SOLUTION
- Altum’s multichannel solution was installed on the pipeline to prevent scaling and reduce maintenance needs.
- In this case, Altum’s ultrasound solution affected the scaling locally by creating an ultrasonic field in the equipment which prevents the foulant from attaching to the surfaces.
RESULTS
By preventing fouling, Altum’s solution was able to significantly reduce maintenance requirements. This led to a more stable brine pumping line.