The product
While the anticipated lifespan of the
mine is 40 years, Sithole explains
that the pipe that Saint-Gobain PAM
supplied will outlast that period: “We
have shown that the piping that we
install will outlast the life of the mine.
Using the total cost of ownership (TCO)
approach, we have proven that we can
meet the 40-year lifespan of the mine.”
The ductile iron pipes have elastic
The photo shows C50 (high-pressure) ductile iron pipes
with T63 flange adaptors to install a steel scour tee.
Saint-Gobain PAM also supplied the flange adaptors.
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2018
13
The photo shows where the pipe goes underground,
through a river run-off. The pipe is wrapped in plastic.
innovations
Gamsberg is part of the Black
Mountain Mining (BMM) operations
and is located about 30km from BMM’s
base at Aggeneys, in South Africa’s
Northern Cape province. Gamsberg
will exploit one of the largest known,
undeveloped zinc ore bodies in the
world and will comprise an opencast
mine and a dedicated processing plant.
Sithole explains the scope of work
undertaken by Saint-Gobain PAM:
“In the submission of our bid tender,
we had to supply 29.5km of 500mm-
diameter ductile pipe, installed to run
from the Orange River to Gamsberg.
I was the Saint-Gobain project sales
manager on that project.” Sithole
deformability and a high resistance
to crack initiation; this results in
excellent impact resistance. The Saint-
Gobain PAM pipes are manufactured
according to a centrifugation process
that comprises applying a layer of
liquid cast iron in the cylindrical shell,
rotating at high speed and solidifying
the metal by continuously cooling the
shell.
The cost of pumping and water
losses during the life of a network
are considerably greater than the
cost of the initial purchase; the
economic selling strategy applied the
use of TCO, which represents all the
expenses incurred by the pipe owner
during the lifetime of the pipeline
and it is calculated according to ISO
15686-5. The Saint-Gobain PAM TCO
calculator is designed to assess
costs (acquisition, installation, and
operation) of different types of material
(steel, HDPE, PVC, and ductile iron)
over a specified timeline.
The project
describes the tender process for
which the company was awarded
the project: “The mine owner issued
a tender to the EPC contractor who
then awarded Saint-Gobain PAM a
tender for the supply of the ductile iron
pipes in March 2017. Local consulting
engineers were appointed to manage
the project.”
The purpose of the project was to
supply raw water to the mine, primarily
to be used for construction purposes,
and the running of the mine operations.
K
ennedy Sithole, projects and
export manager for Saint-Gobain
PAM Southern Africa region,
takes Water Sewage & Effluent
through a recently completed project
in the Northern Cape province.