Enbridge Gas Distribution Pipeline Project
Case Study
Challenge:
The Georgian Bay Pipeline Project was necessary to meet growing need for natural gas in that region. The new pipeline was 20 kilometers and 12” diameter. The route for the pipe included 30 road, rail and river crossings which would require horizontal directional drilling (HDD) to complete. Spent HDD fluids and cuttings are a regulated waste in Ontario and very costly to transport and dispose of. An estimated 250,000 gallons (940,000 litres) of spent drill mud would be in need of disposal.
Solution:
MetaFLO Technologies provided on site solidification of what became 300,000 gallons of mud. At an average 12 pounds per gallon, total waste was approximately 1,800 tonne. The solidified mud was piled in holding berms and turned twice a day to achieve greater volume reduction through evaporation.
Result:
We initially estimated a savings to Enbridge of 30% versus transportation to liquid disposal sites. Additional volume reduction got the solidified waste volume down to 1,386 tonnes for additional 23% cost savings. MetaFLO’s technology eliminates liquid waste bulking which would otherwise take up additional space in our increasingly scarce landfills.
Owner: Vale Canada Ltd.
Contractor: Tervita Corp.
Distributor: Di-Corp
Vale owns and operates a mining site in Northern Ontario, Canada. Through their mining and refining activities they produce a sludge waste by-product. The clients were in need of an efficient excavation and transportation solution to get this sludge to their off-site landfill.
End of September 2018 - Mid October 2018
During the bidding process, MetaFLO was engaged to provide an optimal blend and dosage rate to achieve the solids criteria required for excavation and transportation of the sludge. Using analytical data, MetaFLO estimated a dosage rate of 1.1% by weight (based on a high moisture content). Large mixing bins were recommended for increased surface contact and efficiency during the bucket mixing process. No sample was available at this time.
Tervita Corporation utilized MetaFLO reagent to solidify approximately 4,000 m3 of sludge. Two 35m3 bins were staged on site and were loaded with a composite of “heavier” and “lighter” sludges. The originally estimated dosage rate was accurate as actual treatment averaged approximately 30lbs of MetaFLO MF006 reagent per m3 of sludge. All material was safely shipped to Vale’s off-site landfill. The job was completed on time.