Abrasion-resistant pipes made from glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) can prolong a piping system’s life span in many high-abrasion piping applications, most notably slurry pumping, says evaporative water cooling company and GRP solutions provider Industrial Water Cooling (IWC).

Abrasive wear in a slurry piping system occurs when hard particles are forced against, or slide along, the pipeline wall, thereby causing continuous shearing and cutting that lead to loss of wall thickness.

In harsher conditions, steel slurry pipes need to be turned over at intervals of at least two months as pipes abrade more on one side than the other. In more extreme cases, this causes leaks, resulting in significant maintenance downtime when pipes need to be repaired or replaced. The effect of these issues can be dramatically reduced with properly engineered abrasion-resistant GRP piping.

Meanwhile, regardless of a pipeline’s material, if it handles high levels of suspended solids, it becomes problematic for engineers, with abrasion and clogging owing to sedimentation cited as the most common problems.

IWC CEO Roger Rusch notes that abrasion-resistant GRP pipes have a smooth inner surface and low roughness coefficient, which allows for higher pipeline flow velocities. “The higher flow velocities ensure that solids remain in suspension, thereby preventing abrasion and clogging caused by sedimentation. GRP pipes also have low head losses, reducing costs on energy required for pumping slurry.”

Further, GRP pipes can be designed to withstand abrasion that occurs externally, such as in piping used inside flue gas desulphurisation plants.

Rusch adds that GRP pipes are not just strong, but also lightweight. He explains that, while the weight of the pipe depends on the type of pipe chosen for the specific application, they are generally about an eighth of the weight of steel pipes, making them easier to transport and install.

GRP pipes are also multifaceted and can therefore be used to transport coal, copper, iron and phosphate concentrates, as well as mine tailings. These pipes can be customised to handle different abrasive materials – including settling and nonsettling slurries – and temperatures, as well as chemi- cal attacks, thereby ensuring the integrity and longevity of the pipelines.

“It is also possible to construct GRP pipes with a thermoplastic or fluoroplastic internal layer, using materials such as polypropylene, high-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene fluoride, perfluoroether or ethylene chlorotrifluoroethylene.

“These pipes are structurally and mechanically identical to pure GRP pipes, but are able to withstand extreme abrasive environments,” says Rusch.