Water scale is a major issue in mining operations affecting equipment as diverse as cooling towers to fire hydrant systems.
Limescale build-up is a major cause of decreased performance for a wide range of critical mining infrastructure and can lead to costly equipment failures and increased risks of safety incidents such as boiler overpressures and explosions.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus is a unique and highly concentrated limescale and calcium remover designed to meet the challenges of the mining, oil and gas industry.
Limescale is a hard chalky deposit, consisting mainly of calcium carbonate and builds up inside tanks and piping especially in hot water systems.
Deposits from when the water evaporates leave the mineral behind.
It is also often found as a similar deposit on the inner surfaces of old pipes and other surfaces where hard water has evaporated. Usually very difficult to remove and clean, limescale can seriously damage or impair the operation of plumbing, pumps, pipes and heating components.
Removing scale was once a major operation, involving lengthy shutdowns, highly toxic and corrosive acid to cleanse the affected parts, and often acid damage to the parts themselves.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus has absolutely no negative effect on pipework or parts, but safely removes scale build-ups by lifting it from the surface and flushing it out with water.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus is a powerful yet safe substitute for the toxic and dangerous chemicals that are traditionally used to remove scale in industrial and mining settings. This highly concentrated formulation of naturally derived acids and bio-based surfactants provides maximum limescale removal performance without corrosion damage to valuable equipment.
It has been formulated with work safety in mind, offering powerful limescale removal performance without introducing dangerous acids into the workplace.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus requires limited PPE, contains no toxic or dangerous ingredients and can be disposed of without risk of environmental damage.
The innovative safer chemistries means easier and more efficient handling, increasing productivity and waste reduction.
The product is designed specifically for the mining, oil and gas industry and requires no special transport or handling precautions.
Mining limescale removal applications include pipework, cooling towers, heat exchangers, boilers, condensers, wet-scrubbers and chillers.
- Triple7 EnviroScale Plus has no DG Rating and contains no toxic or harmful chemicals. No special PPE is required.
- Limescale wastewater on site can be recycled and used as a dust suppressant.
- Fast acting formulation, so clients can achieve complete descaling with minimal downtime.
- Triple7 EnviroScale Plus can be disposed down sewers.
- Triple7 EnviroScale Plus is very effective in removing scale without dismantling piping or tanks.
- Triple7 EnviroScale Plus is safe for users, safe for equipment and safe for the environment.
- Low health and safety risks and also reduces environmental compliance costs.
- With Triple7 EnviroScale Plus, there is no emulsion formed with grease and oils.
- Gives longer life cycle maintenance and consequent equipment replacement cost advantages.
Recycled water
Recycling is a desirable option for saving water to assist mines in sourcing water as well as for environmental reasons.
When using Triple7 EnviroScale Plus to descale the cleaning solution can often be used afterwards as a dust suppressant.
The hydrocarbon level that is satisfactory for re-using water as a dust suppressant is 15ppm. With Triple7 EnviroScale Plus they can achieve hydrocarbon levels as low as 0.75ppm.
Case studies
- Cooling tower limescale treatment
Envirofluid was able to provide Rio Tinto with a worksafe organic descaler blend, Triple7 EnviroScale Plus, which was guaranteed to eliminate erosion on metal surfaces and prevent waste water treatment issues.
The low risk acid blend is especially designed with human safety in mind, so minimal safety equipment was required streamlining the preparation of a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS).
Rio Tinto was able to complete the tower limescale cleaning operation within a 24-hour period without dismantling any item on the system.
The wastewater flush was drained to the Turkey Nest dam for use as a road dust suppressant without further treatment.
Envirofluid provided an alternative to hazardous limescale cleaners and saved the clients time, effort and money while improving environmental outcomes.
- Biobased limescale remover in a coal mine
A coal mine in northern Queensland was faced with a fire system that was blocked with a limescale build-up.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus easily broke down the scale, outperforming the previously used hydrochloric acid-based product.
Using the biobased product also removed the risk of corrosion or damage to elastomeric surfaces during the flush.
The low risk acid blend, especially designed with human safety in mind, meant that minimal safety equipment was required.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus is safe to use, store and handle.
The coal mine now has a fire system that works at full capacity without corrosion issues. It has achieved this outcome with cost savings.
Using Triple7 EnviroScale Plus at a 25% dilution results in reduced product consumption, less inventory, lower transportation costs and improved environmental discharge.
Envirofluid’s cleaning system enabled the mine to remove scale without dismantling or servicing of equipment due to it protecting surfaces it comes in contact with.
- Increased pump efficiency for an engineering services company
The client, an engineering service provider, cut costs considerably by utilising the company’s Triple7 EnviroScale Plus. It was able to remove scale with flushing services rather than needing to change out pumps, which usually resulted in a high expense and hours offline.
The client was seeking a cost-effective solution to scale build-up in their pumps. Previously, the company would regularly change out the pumps at great expense. The fast-acting Triple7 EnviroScale Plus reliably reduces maintenance downtime and doesn’t damage expensive equipment.
Triple7 EnviroScale Plus exceeded the company’s expectations and resulted in potential savings of thousands of dollars each year for the client.
By using a flushing system containing Triple7 EnviroScale Plus, it was able to remove scale safely without damaging the equipment providing savings on the cost of continuous pump replacement.
