Water is current everywhere in mining and its management varies according to its position in the mining processes. In a latest in-depth article by pumps major KSB, the company outlines how this in turn influences the choice of technologies utilized in pumping water. “Alongside the protected provide and recovery of process water is the challenge of removing ground water. Process water and groundwater include abrasive and corrosive parts in various quantities which have an adverse have an result on on pump efficiency and life. Working conditions, remote places, varying temperature ranges and the lack of electrical power are additionally highly influential factors.”
The copper mines in Chile and the iron ore mines in Western Australia may be many thousands of miles apart, however these mining operations nonetheless require dewatering and the protected disposal of doubtless contaminated water. “The same may be mentioned of the coal mines of Mozambique and the silver mines of Mexico. What they all have in widespread is a requirement for environment friendly and effective water and slurry pumps. Well-matched options help to maximize the longevity and effectivity of the system and in addition optimise cost-performance ratios, all attributes fulfilled by KSB’s Hard Rock Mining Division.”
The changing face of mining
The search for extra rare and precious minerals and metals has opened up mining in international locations and places where beforehand the industry was small scale or non-existent. Consequently, mining firms and gear producers have needed to develop new strategies and merchandise. And with the major mining firms having operations in plenty of global places, turning into a preferred equipment provider is important. “The dewatering market is slowly shifting from a pure CAPEX perspective to an increasingly OPEX perspective,” stories Brett Lewis, Mining Manager at KSB Australia. “This is particularly true for the big mines that notice that poorly designed tools that often fails, causes a major increase in substitute and servicing cost. Some mining companies at the moment are committing to a carbon neutral goal in the next 20 to 30 years, so are focussing on high effectivity equipment. They wish to section out diesel reliance by connecting most bores to their native electrical grid.”
KSB says it’s aware that mining firms are recording pump efficiency and are accumulating information to compare manufacturers and better rank their qualities or deficiencies. “This is good information for KSB as the company is dedicated to delivering excessive reliability and effectivity pumps, so helping to scale back the carbon footprint of mining dewatering operations.
Is there a ‘one-fits-all’ pump solution?
KSB says the answer to it is a resounding ‘no’, however “by sharing experiences between offices and also frequently working with the same worldwide mining companies, KSB has been capable of develop appropriate options. KSB’s involvement within the iron ore industries in Brazil and Australia show two completely different approaches to dewatering, each using vertical multi-stage pumps.”
In Brazil’s Minas Gerais State open pit iron ore mines extreme ground water, monsoons and underground lakes are issues. To keep steady manufacturing water must be pumped to a dewatering lake which has a dynamic water stage that have to be raised two or 3 times a yr. KSB Brazil’s answer is a floating station fitted with KSB vertical turbine B pumps positioned over a pontoon (Fig.1). The pontoon rises and falls with adjustments within the water degree so there isn’t a want for the pumps to be repositioned. This results in cost-savings to the client. After 20 successful years it has turn out to be the standard for this sort of tools in South America.
“The floating station supporting the pumps over the pontoon delivers the circulate rate requested by the customer,” explains Jardel Ribeiro, Sales Manager, KSB Brazil. “Sometimes the pumps, high power motors and associated gear ends in the dimensions of the floating station being elevated. Stabilizing tools that weighs more than 200 t requires a lot of planning, in addition to the challenge of building a system in such a remote area.”
Boreholes in Australia
In the Pilbara Region of Western Australia iron ore is mined in a quantity of places around the Chichester hub zone, an space between 5 and 9 km extensive and eighty km lengthy. The mineral deposit sits between ninety m and 117 m under the surface. With the groundwater and water table often replenished in moist seasons and cyclones including to the inundation, greater than 75% of the iron ore is below the water desk. If an extreme amount of water mixes with iron ore, it turns into low grade and unsuitable for export, which ends up in large revenue losses. Also, floor dewatering processes are extraordinarily pricey if the water may be very high.
The accepted dewatering course of throughout the region is to pump the water out through boreholes. However, this is not with out its challenges. High water temperatures and high salinity lead to excessive corrosion, while iron micro organism can grow on motors which stop efficient motor cooling. The presence of gas is a continuing risk in some areas as this causes gas lock on the impellers resulting in heavy vibrations, which places a great strain on the motor, lack of flow price and motor failure.
This implies that normal off-the-shelf merchandise are not all the time suitable and the incidence of failures is high. Typically, most bore pumps fail inside 12 months, and sometimes only some weeks. At its Hope Valley facility in Western Australia, KSB supplies mine operators with its UPA multistage borehole pump, customised to face up to web site situations. Although a costlier product than its rivals, the UPA has been shown to ship a significantly longer working life and reduced prices of possession. KSB’s proprietary technology that inhibits the expansion of iron micro organism makes the UPA a winner.
Trailer mounted models
In Africa the setting and minerals being mined require revolutionary approaches to dewatering. In the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, house to a number of open cut and underground copper mines wet seasons wreak flooding havoc. Here, KSB is delivering several different pumping options involving both UPA Z borehole pumps and surface-mounted Omega pumps. “To prevent mining operations from being shut down, a quick localised response is required,” says Rob Bond, Area Manager Mining-Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our solution has been to supply Omega pumps mounted on tough terrain trailers. We supply a whole package made up of the pump, engine/motor, couplings, gearbox, hydraulic drives and auxiliary tools together with vacuum pump, management panels, screens etc that delivers excessive head pumping.”
A comparable solution can be supplied for the open forged Moatize coal mine in Mozambique where the water levels must remain low for steady production reliability. Whilst borehole pumps provide good reliability on a continuing foundation, when the wet season starts, extra assets are in demand KSB SA offers skid-mounted Omega items. To date, KSB SA has supplied 152 models and all are working reliably.
Latin America
In Mexico’s Zacatecas silver mines underground water is a constant drawback. According to Roberto Valenzuela, Sales Manager Mining KSB Mexico, the water accommodates solid particles so the excessive stress encapsulated UPA borehole pumps must be wear-resistant for long term efficiency. Because the dewatering pumps work at a excessive speed, the impellers and the wear ring can endure from untimely put on. Using Multitec horizontal multistage pumps with KSB’s C6 commonplace chrome coating, wear is greatly minimised. “We have had pumps operating in this mine for over two years with out the impellers being changed,” says Roberto Valenzuela. “It is an answer that no competitor provides, and adds worth for the client through decreased upkeep, spare elements and larger mining uptime.”
In เครื่องมือที่ใช้วัดความดันเลือด ’s Atacama Desert copper and gold is mined at altitudes ranging between 2,000 m and four,500 m. Remote sites, mine depths and the unavailability of electricity needed to drive excessive capacity pumps complicate dewatering. High volumes of water contaminated by minerals can delay drilling and blasting and lead to environmental pollution. KSB Chile has met these challenges by supplying encapsulated borehole pumps and cantilevered Etanorm pumps, driven by diesel motors.
“Our customers require high-pressure pumps in a modular configuration that can be moved with the expansion of the open pit,” comments Patricio Araya, Mining Head KSB Chile. “The solution is to make use of horizontally positioned borehole pumps with a particular configuration for sand filters encased in a pressure shroud. This provides the shopper flexibility and flexibility as a result of the equipment is compact, develops high pressures and is simple to maneuver across the site.
To accommodate increasing flows and discharge strain pumps are configured in collection and in parallel specifically for the client’s necessities. Being coupled to diesel engines permits continuous, autonomous operation in places with out electrical energy for between 12 and 24 hours with out refuelling. Vertical Etanorm pumps and cantilever-type UPA pumps installed on a raft enabling them to handle the accumulation of water inside the mine, eliminating elements corresponding to adverse suction head at high altitudes. KSB tools for mine drainage is equipped in commonplace variations, with variations for rafts or well pumps put in in pressure jackets. Having viable solutions for dewatering provides value to the shoppers operations and can additionally be essential as a result of every year minerals are discovered at deeper levels.
Innovation in Indonesia
Indonesia is doubtless certainly one of the world’s largest exporters of thermal coal, and in addition a significant participant in copper, gold, tin, bauxite, and nickel. Here KSB pumps are acknowledged for his or her excellent capability to carry out in extreme open pit mine sites. Its growth of dewatering and dredge pump units (DnD), as an answer for mining purposes, especially for open-pit mine sites is one instance of KSB’ dedication to continuous product improvement and improvement. To date, greater than 260 DnD pumps with GWI® LCC and LSA pumps have been put in in mines across Indonesia and South East Asia. In 2013, KSB Indonesia launched a new model, the DnD Cruiser with enhancements requested by prospects.
KSB builds the whole diesel driven pump unit on a barge, complete with gas tank, vacuum pump, control panel and so on, and ships them on trailers for straightforward commissioning at website. Because monsoon rains are seasonal dewatering is also a seasonal activity and this implies pumps can stand idle for several months during the dry periods. Recognising this situation, KSB has launched a rental programme, whereby the pumps are equipped fully-kitted out according to the customer’s necessities. By not having to buy the pump sets, customers are relieved of the prices of possession and know that once they require items they come prepared for operation.
Summary
KSB’s mine dewatering techniques allow the protected and environment friendly decreasing of groundwater in open pit dewatering, underground drainage and borehole drainage functions. Regardless of a mine’s location, the sort of mining operation being carried out, the geological and the aggressive and corrosive nature of the water, KSB has fluid dealing with technologies that will match all eventualities. This state of affairs has come about via the cross-fertilisation of concepts, applied sciences and experiences gained over many many years by our companies around the world, supported by extensive funding in research and improvement. Wherever a pumping resolution is required, we will bring a co-ordinated response to the desk.
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