Slickline for pumping concrete

Engineered system is needed for efficient pumping operation.

Learn how to choose pipe, couplers, bends, reducers, valves, and hose.

umping concrete through slickline re-

P quires a collection of engineered parts
that must be carefully chosen and com-
patible. Slickline and its accessories are
selected to permit the highest possible
pumping output, economically and safely.

Slickline
Slickline is pumper terminology for the
welded or seamless steel tubing that’s con-
nected together at joints to provide a hori-
zontal or vertical pumping system. Pump
pipes are commonly provided in straight
10-foot lengths and vary in diameter from
2 to 6 inches. Slickline isn’t ordinary pipe
stock, it’s manufactured from top grade
high-carbon content steel tubing.
Slickline systems are frequently rated
both by working pressure and ultimate or While the concrete
burst pressure. The ratio of the burst pres- pump provides the
sure to the working pressure is the pipe’s horsepower, it’s a
safety factor. The safety factor—usually carefully selected
and engineered
between 2.0 and 4.0—will decrease as the slickline system that
pipe is used. After several thousand cubic delivers concrete to
yards of concrete have been its final location.
pumped, some of the original
pipe wall will be worn away and
the pressure that the line can sus- going up the building and erect
tain will be reduced. them in the opposite order on the
The rate of pipe wear depends next project. Thus the top pipe
on the abrasiveness of the aggre- section for the new pump line is
gate in the concrete. Pipe replace- the bottom pipe section of the
ment is more frequent when using old line. Also, since horizontal
hard aggregates such as crushed lines tend to wear more rapidly
granites. Since horizontal lines than vertical lines, interchange
wear more rapidly, usually at the horizontal with vertical.
bottom surface, increase pipe life Couplers, bends and elbows,
by occasionally rotating the line. and reducers are required to con-
Separate the line into segments nect pipe sections, to change
that can be easily handled, rotate from vertical to horizontal, and
them 180 degrees, and then re- to change pipe diameters.
assemble the line.
In vertical lines, lower pipe Couplers
sections wear more than the top Because concrete placement
ones because more yards of con- systems have to be torn down
crete go through them than and reassembled frequently,
through sections added near the Figure 1. Snap couplings or other quick connecting types joint couplers must allow the
top. To increase vertical pipe life, are used for deck pours. Bolt couplings are more suitable for pipe ends to be easily connect-
number sections of the slickline semi-permanent installations such as vertical standpipes. ed. To allow this, special ends
Figure 2. A reducer
is usually needed at
the pump discharge
to reduce the inter-
nal diameter of the
pipe to that of the
slickline. Reduction
should be as gradual
as possible and two
or more reducers
may be necessary.
are attached to each pipe section. The
ends are designed with a raised-end
flange to mate with the coupling device
that holds the pipe together. The flanges
are used for all components that attach to
the pipe: the rubber hose, bends and el-
bows, and valves.
Pipe sections must always
match at the joints. Matching the
internal diameters of mating pipes
will decrease concrete turbulence
and prevent the slick lubricating
film from being skimmed away. A
mismatch of inside pipe diameters
or even using the same pipe diam-
eter but from different manufac-
turers will cause mismatched
joints, frequently resulting in pipe
blockages. Don’t rely on the fit of
the coupler to identify mismatched
ends; couplers can connect pipes
of slightly different sizes.
Both snap- and bolt-type cou-
plings are available. Snap-type
couplings provide the obvious
benefit of quick assembly and dis-
assembly. They are usually used
on projects such as deck pours
where line setups are repeatedly
assembled and disassembled.
Bolt-type couplings generally
cost less than the snap-type and
make a stronger joint when prop-
erly assembled. Use them on ver-
tical standpipes or similar semi-
permanent applications of
pumping systems (Figure 1).
Bolt couplings usually have
higher pressure ratings than snap Figure 3. Shut-off valves stop the flow of concrete within
couplings. Pressure rating infor- the slickline. These shown are manually operated. Hydrauli- occur in reducing sections. Higher
mation, available from the manu- cally actuated shut-off valves also are available.
facturer, should be checked to ensure
compatibility with the pressure created
during each pumping application.
Gaskets
Gaskets are rubber rings used at each
joint to form a seal. Every coupling
must have a gasket and it must be prop-
erly installed. Properly installed gaskets
prevent grout leakage at joints and create
an air-tight seal that’s needed when the
pump is reversed either to try to break
loose a blockage or to clean the slickline.
To install a gasket, slide the ring over
one end of the pipe so that about half the
gasket sticks out beyond the pipe end.
Then the mating pipe end is butted up
against the first pipe and the protruding
half of the gasket is slipped over the mat-
ing end. If necessary, adjust the gasket be-
fore clamping the coupling over the gasket
and pipe flanges. For easier installation,
dip the gasket and coupling in a bucket of
soapy water to make the steel slide on the
rubber without damaging the gasket.
Bends and elbows
Because concrete placing systems
must frequently be laid around corners,
manufacturers of slickline provide curved
sections called bends or elbows. Bends
are available in any degree of
curvature desired, with 90-, 45-,
221⁄2- and 111⁄4-degree increments
most common. Both short and
long radius bends are available
with the most commonly used
between 24 to 48 inches.
Bends in a slickline system
increase the resistance to flow
requiring greater pumping
pressures to move concrete
through the line. Whenever
possible, use a longer radius
bend. However, if space is a
problem, short radius bends are
suitable, but proper concrete
mix design and pump selection
are more important.
Reducers
Most piston pumps have a 6-
to 8-inch diameter discharge
pipe while placing lines are usu-
ally 4 or 5 inches in diameter.
Reducers are tapered sections of
slickline that are installed be-
tween the pump outlet and the
placement line (Figure 2). Two
or more reducers may be needed
to accommodate the 1- to 4-inch
reduction in diameter.
Blockages are most likely to
pressures also are needed to move
concrete through these sections. To mini-
mize the necessary pump pressure and po-
tential for blockage, the reduction from
pump outlet diameter to slickline diame-
ter should be as gradual as possible. A
good rule of thumb is no more than 1 inch
of reduction over a 5-foot length.
The reducer is the part of the slickline
most likely to burst and is subjected to
more rapid abrasive wear than the rest of
the line. Reducers are manufactured with
heavier wall material,
1
⁄4 inch or greater, and hardened to suffi-
ciently withstand abrasion.
Valves
Valves are inserted into pumping sys-
tems to stop, divert, or discharge the con-
crete at a desired location. Some valves are
manually operated and some are hydrauli-
cally actuated. Pin, spade, or gate valves
act as a shut-off to stop the flow of con-
crete within the slickline (Figure 3). Diver-
sion valves split line systems into multiple
lines and control the direction of flow (Fig-
ure 4). Some types of diversion valves also
serve to discharge the concrete.
Discharge valves allow concrete to dis-
charge at desired locations along the slick-
line. They are particularly useful for large
wall pours when the form must be filled in
several layers or lifts. When several dis-
charge valves are located in series along a
pipeline, it’s important to periodically open
the valve farthest from the pump to prevent
concrete from setting up in the line.
When specifications limit the distance
concrete may free-fall, tremies (drop
chutes) can be directly attached to diver-
sion discharge valve openings. A hopper
with tremie attached must be placed be-
low the discharge opening of the other
valves if free-fall is limited.
Rubber hose
Rubber hose, called discharge or
placement hose, is frequently used at the
end of the slickline because it’s flexible
and lets workers place concrete exactly
where it’s needed. Typical pump hose
construction consists of an internal rub-
ber liner reinforced with plies or layers
of fabric or steel cord and then covered
with a tough weather- and wear-resistant
outer wrap.
The proper selection of the hose is im-
portant because:
• Concrete placement hose is expensive
• Properties of the placement hose affect
overall pump performance
• The hose is a ma-
jor safety concern
Concrete place-
ment hose is relative-
ly expensive as com-
pared with other
components so cut-
ting corners on cost is
tempting. But it’s
most important to use
durable, safe place-
ment hose on every
pour.
While there are no
simple rules of thumb
in specifying con-
crete hose quality,
there are some basic
criteria that can help
assure quality.
Comparison of
thickness and compo- Figure 4. Diversion valves split a slickline into multiple lines
and control direction of concrete flow.
sition of inner liner. A
1
minimum of ⁄4 inch is
recommended to with-
stand normal abrasive
wear.
Type and number of plies or rein- cut sample to inspect construction detail
forcement. Reinforcement provides the and quality.
hose’s basic capability to withstand pres-
sure. Reinforcement must be sufficiently Editor’s note:
elastic to cushion the effects of material Information in this article is based on
abrasion of the inner liner. Chapter 4 of Pumping Concrete: Tech-
niques and Applications. The second
Type of bonding used in the hose edition of this copiously illustrated
construction. Are the various layers to- book, now available, reflects pumping
tally embedded in rubber so that they industry changes since the first edition
are separate from one another yet bond- was published in 1985. The step-by-
ed together? The constant flexing and step approach to concrete pumping
has been retained, but updated safety
pulsation common in concrete pumping information, new illustrations, and
can cause the various layers of con- metric equivalents for all units of mea-
struction to separate, thus contributing surement have been added.
to the failure of the hose.
An added chapter on separate placing
Hose flexibility and overall weight. booms covers locating the boom; in-
Since most placement hose is handled stalling the pedestal and frame; and
manually these are important factors. positioning the boom, flying it, and
Hose handling is extremely rigorous raising it. Detachable booms and self-
raising units also are described.
work because hose containing concrete
is very heavy and the pump’s pulsating The book was written and reviewed by
action causes a whipping action of the members of the American Concrete
Pumping Association (ACPA) and re-
hose. Hose flexibility is usually evaluat-
viewed by the original author, Robert
ed by its bending radius, which is pro- Crepas.
vided as a specification from the manu-
facturer. Cost of the book is $89.50. To order,
contact The Aberdeen Group, 426 S.
The outer wrap. The outer wrap Westgate St., Addison, IL 60601, or
should be adequate strength and thickness call 800-323-3550, ext 6; or fax
to protect the hose from the external abra- 708.543.3112.
sion common to hose handling. Because
PUBLICATION #C920609
the hose is one of the most expensive
Copyright © 1992, The Aberdeen Group
components many contractors request a
All rights reserved