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Rio Tinto’s New Slurry Pipeline Uses 30% Less Spools

In 2021, after years of planning, design, and construction, Rio Tinto and Calibre successfully commissioned three overland slurry pipelines for the Robe Valley Sustaining (RVS) project in WA’s Pilbara region.

In a first for Rio Tinto, they used 18m lengths of piping—not standard 12m lengths—in the design.

Over a 13km pipeline, this added up to 30% less pipe spools. It reduced install costs and time.

Client Rio Tinto

Commodity Iron ore

Location Western Australia

Year 2021

Application Slurry pipeline

Pipeline length 13km

Hose spools 270

Design engineer Calibre

Working with design engineer Calibre, we helped them choose the right slurry piping and hoses for the application.

They faced 4 key engineering challenges while designing this project:

Challenge #1: Efficiency and cost

The design originally called for standard 12m pipe lengths. But after working through the specification with Calibre’s engineers, we recommended they use 18m lengths instead.

Longer lengths mean fewer joins between pipework and less couplings. Less transport is needed, less crane lifts, and faster installation—reducing total install costs.

This new design meant that over 13km of tailings pipelines, they used 30% less pipe spools.

Challenge #2: Abrasive iron ore slurry

The tailings and waste fines iron ore slurry at RVS is some of the coarsest in Australia. With this challenge in mind, the pipeline needed the best wear technology.

In 2016, Rio Tinto conducted thorough field testing. They sourced five different lined steel spools: polyurethane polymer, HDPE, rubber, ceramic, and UHMWPE. They bore matched the spools, then bolted them to the transfer line—and let it run for four years.

When they removed the spools and thickness tested each one, the results were clear—Abrasiguard polymer-lined pipe was the best option for this specific slurry.

It has a high-performance polymer liner that’s chemically bonded to the pipe to combat erosion and corrosion. And it can stand up to the rigors of coarse, wet sliding abrasion over a 15-20 year lifespan.

Challenge #3: Pipeline pressure and elevation changes

The Pilbara terrain is rocky and undulating. So, they needed a way to transport the slurry under high pressure that was flexible enough to allow for elevation changes along the pipeline route.

As it only carried smaller-particle iron ore fines, the line had to handle pressures of up to 5000kPa.

They specified Slurryflex High-Pressure SA-Series Hard-Wall mining hose, a high-pressure hose with a rubber inner wear liner for abrasion resistance. Its wire helix reinforcement withstands internal and external pressure, while an outer cover protects from the extreme Pilbara weather.

An essential part of the system design was to match the bore on connections where Slurryflex joined to Abrasiguard. A bore-matched system eliminates leading edge wear at the pipe joins. Leading edge wear would have caused turbulence and localised wear on the liner downstream.

Challenge #4: Reduce installation time

The RVS team wanted their new slurry pipeline to be easy to install and maintain.

Rio Tinto’s spec called for Victaulic roll grooved ends for this specific project. This helped make installation a breeze, saving both time and labour costs.

It’s faster to install, requires fewer bolts, and has no torque requirements. And a grooved pipe coupling holds the gasket in steady compression which ensures a good seal.