Open-pit copper mine in the Atacama region of Chile.
At a 3,000 m-altitude open-pit copper mine in the Andes, fire-suppression water lines needed new insulation before winter — and the only viable delivery route was helicopter. Pyrogel® XTE was thin and light enough to ship in time.
Re-insulate fire-suppression piping at altitude — by helicopter.
Pre-winter inspection found incumbent cal-sil deteriorating; freezing in fire-suppression lines would be catastrophic if left unfixed.
- 3,000 m altitude, remote location. World’s largest open-pit copper mine in the Andes near Antofagasta.
- Fire-suppression water lines deteriorating. Freezing in these lines during an emergency could be catastrophic.
- Cal-sil not available in all pipe sizes. And only delivery option was high-cost air freight.
Pyrogel® XTE — thin enough to fit, light enough to fly in.
Pyrogel® XTE’s compact format made helicopter delivery viable; performance held in the freeze-protection envelope.
- Thin and versatile format. Single-product solution across all pipe sizes.
- Lightweight enough for helicopter delivery. Material moved to the mine via helicopter in winter prep window.
- Faster installation. Reduced downtime, earlier restart of operations.
- No unapproved-material workaround needed. Site avoided temporary fix with non-approved local mineral wool.
Logistics, schedule, and safety — all three solved.
Pyrogel® XTE’s combination of thin profile, light weight, and broad pipe-size coverage solved a logistics problem that traditional insulation could not — protecting fire-suppression infrastructure at altitude before winter set in.
Insulating remote, high-altitude assets?
Pyrogel®’s light, thin format makes helicopter and air freight viable — Aspen can stage to your site.