Mining

In the mining industry, the primary purpose is to extract minerals and nonrenewable resources from beneath the Earth’s surface. Since its beginning, over 4,000 years ago, the industry has undergone significant changes, especially during the American Industrial Revolution, regarding the technologies and techniques employed.

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These innovations often developed due to the increasing demand for greater operational efficiency and effectiveness. In particular, mining companies came to adopt and rely on interconnected valve and pipe systems for dewatering, extraction, and more. Although these new technologies advanced a variety of mining operations for miners, they also present new challenges that must be faced along with these innovative solutions.

Mining Industry Challenges for Check Valves

The main focus of most, if not all, mining operations is maintaining continuous, efficient supply. Challenging the fulfillment of this goal is the durability and longevity of the mining equipment. As modern mining applications are extremely demanding and the equipment—such as valves and pipelines—is susceptible to corrosion, facility owners and managers must account for wear and degradation over time.

These factors necessitate the use of a high-quality check valve and regular maintenance to reduce the risk of equipment damage, breakdowns, replacements, and, consequently, unscheduled downtime. Regular maintenance allows system operations to minimize the effects of common issues experienced during mining operations, such as reverse flow and water hammer.

Mining Industry Applications of Valves

Check valves are used in a variety of applications throughout the mining industry, including the following processes:

  • Autoclaving. Check valves prevent reverse flow in operations that require class V  shut-off. Higher alloy valves are also a requirement.
  • Mine dewatering.Check valves reduce water hammer and support mine dewatering operations, which lower the water table near extraction sites, mines, and quarries by using specialized pumps.
  • Pump isolation and discharge.Check valves stop reverse flow and prevent damage to the pump during discharge operations.
  • Pipelines. Check valves are used throughout piping systems transferring water to and from mine sites. Often, these pipelines travel great distances and encounter numerous elevation changes.

DFT® Valve Solutions for the Mining Industry

For more than 75 years, DFT® has manufactured high-quality in-line check valves. Our range of check valve products suitable for use in the mining industry includes:

Relevant Case Studies and Resources

We provide valve solutions for a broad spectrum of mining applications. In a recent project, one of our customers had a copper mine in Arizona that was experiencing several issues. The mine’s solvent extraction and electrowinning (SXEW) process was facing instances of failing valves, reverse flow, and water hammers. By installing several of our DFT® silent check valves, we resolved all three problems.

To learn more about our valve solutions and how they benefit industrial applications, including the mining industry, check out these resources:

If your mining facility has water hammer, reverse flow issues, or unreliable valves, the experts at DFT® are here to help. Contact our team today to learn more about the different check valves we have to offer.