When a pipe breaks, the impact goes beyond simply operating costs.
As the veritable lifeblood of mine sites, pipes are under constant stress from high-pressure flows, abrasive materials and frequent operational change. This means they require constant monitoring and maintenance to make sure they’re always running at their best.
Constantly monitoring pipes’ quality and condition can reduce the risk of small weaknesses turning into significant risks that impact safety and operations.
Effective management not only helps operators avoid those risks but extends the life of equipment, helping to ensure assets deliver the maximum return on investment while minimising potential downtime when repairs are needed.
That’s where Pipe Tek can help, offering some of the most thorough pipeline integrity testing available anywhere in Australia, ranging from intelligent pigging, leak detection, hydrostatic testing and flange management.
“We offer a fully certified turnkey pipeline integrity service, which means we take care of everything from cleaning and non-destructive testing through to hydrostatic and pneumatic testing, dewatering, drying, nitrogen purging, inline inspection, as well as repairs like welding and coating,” Pipe Tek chief operating officer Taddam Farrant told Australian Mining.
Pipe Tek, which services pipes from 2–70 inches, has served Australian operations for more than 70 years and has a proven track record of the highest quality of pipeline maintenance. Its exclusive global partnership with Enduro Pipeline Services provides Pipe Tek customers with access to some of the most durable tools on the market.
“Coupling this with fully trained local experts located from Western Australia all the way up to Queensland and the fact there are no delays or costs flying in overseas technicians helps us best serve the industry,” Farrant said.
“What sets us apart is we use advanced technology for live remote monitoring of pipeline pressure and temperature, even in the most remote parts of the country. This level of visibility gives operators complete confidence in their assets.”
Having worked on more than 850 pipelines across Australia and the Pacific, Pipe Tek is no stranger to extending asset life, covering everything from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) tailings lines to steel and fibreglass systems.
“In a recent project we completed for a mining client, we were able to identify weaknesses in a tailings pipeline before it became critical, allowing the client to proactively address the integrity issues during a planned shutdown rather than dealing with an emergency failure,” Farrant said.
This approach saved the mining company significant costs in downtime and avoided what could have been a major on-site incident.
In another case, the use of advanced technology and inspection methods restored a slurry line that had been operating at low capacity, which Farrant said improved throughput and reduced the load on pumping systems.
“These examples illustrate why integrity management isn’t just about compliance; it’s about performance, safety and sustainability,” Farrant said.
It’s not just asset performance that keeps Pipe Tek at the forefront of maintenance activities. Focus on sustainability, such as ensuring waste is reduced and equipment runs efficiently, also helps benefit mine sites.
“Nobody wants to be using more resources for less output,” Farrant said. “By staying on top of pipeline health, operators can maintain full flow capacity, reduce their environmental footprint and significantly prolong the life of both the pipeline and the associated plant equipment.
“It’s an area that can easily be overlooked, but the long-term financial and operational benefits of proactive management are enormous.”
This feature appeared in the November issue of Australian Mining magazine. Get 50 per cent off your Australian Mining annual magazine subscription during our Black Friday sale. Visit our subscription page and use the code: AMBF25. Ends on 27 November 2025.
