ICL Group, Dead Sea Works

Israel | 1992

WORKING CONDITIONS:

  • Extremely highly corrosive and highly abrasive material. Exposure to constant direct sunlight. Challenging ambient temperature ranging from 6°C to 46°C (43°F to 115°F).

 

PEXGOL PIPES USED:  Pexgol 400 mm OD Class 10, 450 mm OD Class 10 and 500 mm OD Class 8.

APPLICATION:  Dredged material transportation, at 30% concentration with particles size from 2-300 mm.

 

LENGTH:More than 5,000 meters.

The Challenge

The Dead Sea, located in the Jordan Rift Valley of Israel, is 9.6 times saltier than ocean water. It's known for its high salinity.

This brine salinity, combined with water evaporation, create a constant build-up of unwanted salt crystals. These rough crystal formations are highly abrasive and corrosive. Moreover, the Dead Sea's high-temperature environment makes pipe material selection challenging.

At Dead Sea Works, salt slurry properties were so harsh that the plant's dredging operators had to replace their original pipeline every three months due to wear related failures. Before turning to Pexgol, Dead Sea Works tried alternative piping solutions without success. Those included:

  • Rubber pipes were easily damaged by severe weather conditions and harsh abrasion. This required expensive replacement and maintenance.
  • Steel pipes couldn't withstand the tough climate. In addition, the pipelines weren’t flexible enough. Salt accumulated inside the pipe, causing clogging and poor performance.
  • HDPE pipes didn't survive the abrasion of the coarse environment. As a result, they endured a very short lifetime.

Pexgol's Piping Solution

Pexgol proved to be the best solution for the client. The pipes lasted throughout the first phase of the project without experiencing any pipeline failure. The second phase of this project began in 2017.

By selecting Pexgol, the operator was able to increase his MTBF from 2,500 hours to 43,000 hours (or from three months to 60), which happened to be the remaining lifetime of the project. Without Pexgol, the client would have had to change the entire pipeline almost 20 times during the life of the project.