Water is current everywhere in mining and its management varies according to its position within the mining processes. In a recent in-depth article by pumps main KSB, the corporate outlines how this in turn influences the number of applied sciences used in pumping water. “Alongside the secure supply and recovery of process water is the challenge of eradicating floor water. Process water and groundwater contain abrasive and corrosive parts in various portions which have an opposed have an effect on on pump performance and life. Working conditions, distant locations, various temperature ranges and the shortage of electric power are also extremely influential components.”
The copper mines in Chile and the iron ore mines in Western Australia may be many 1000’s of miles aside, however these mining operations nonetheless require dewatering and the secure disposal of potentially contaminated water. “The same may be mentioned of the coal mines of Mozambique and the silver mines of Mexico. What all of them have in common is a requirement for environment friendly and effective water and slurry pumps. Well-matched options assist to maximize the longevity and effectivity of the system and also 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 valuable minerals and metals has opened up mining in nations and areas where beforehand the trade was small scale or non-existent. Consequently, mining corporations and equipment producers have had to develop new methods and products. And with the main mining corporations having operations in many global locations, becoming a preferred tools supplier is important. “The dewatering market is slowly shifting from a pure CAPEX perspective to an increasingly OPEX perspective,” reports Brett Lewis, Mining Manager at KSB Australia. “This is particularly true for the massive mines that understand that poorly designed tools that often fails, causes a major enhance in replacement and servicing price. Some mining firms are actually committing to a carbon neutral goal within the subsequent 20 to 30 years, so are focussing on high effectivity tools. They wish to section out diesel reliance by connecting most bores to their native electrical grid.”
KSB says it’s conscious that mining companies are recording pump efficiency and are accumulating information to check brands and higher rank their qualities or deficiencies. “This is good news for KSB as the corporate is dedicated to delivering high reliability and efficiency pumps, so serving to to reduce 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 incessantly working with the same international mining firms, KSB has been in a place to develop appropriate options. KSB’s involvement in the iron ore industries in Brazil and Australia demonstrate two 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 preserve steady manufacturing water needs to be pumped to a dewatering lake which has a dynamic water level that should be raised two or 3 times a year. เกจวัดแรงดันดิจิตอล 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 stage so there is not a need for the pumps to be repositioned. This ends in cost-savings to the customer. After 20 successful years it has turn out to be the usual for this sort of tools in South America.
“The floating station supporting the pumps over the pontoon delivers the move fee requested by the client,” explains Jardel Ribeiro, Sales Manager, KSB Brazil. “Sometimes the pumps, high power motors and related equipment leads to the dimensions of the floating station being increased. Stabilizing tools that weighs greater than 200 t requires plenty of planning, in addition to the challenge of constructing a system in such a remote area.”
Boreholes in Australia
In the Pilbara Region of Western Australia iron ore is mined in several places around the Chichester hub zone, an space between 5 and 9 km wide and eighty km long. The mineral deposit sits between 90 m and 117 m beneath the floor. With the groundwater and water table frequently replenished in moist seasons and cyclones adding to the inundation, more than 75% of the iron ore is under the water desk. If too much water mixes with iron ore, it turns into low grade and unsuitable for export, which leads to huge income losses. Also, surface dewatering processes are extraordinarily costly if the water may be very high.
The accepted dewatering process throughout the region is to pump the water out by way of boreholes. However, this is not without its challenges. ราคาเพรสเชอร์เกจ and high salinity lead to excessive corrosion, whilst iron bacteria can grow on motors which forestall environment friendly motor cooling. The presence of fuel is a constant risk in some areas as this causes fuel lock on the impellers resulting in heavy vibrations, which places a fantastic pressure on the motor, loss of move fee and motor failure.
This means that normal off-the-shelf products aren’t all the time appropriate and the incidence of failures is excessive. Typically, most bore pumps fail inside 12 months, and typically only some weeks. At its Hope Valley facility in Western Australia, KSB supplies mine operators with its UPA multistage borehole pump, customised to withstand website circumstances. Although a more expensive product than its rivals, the UPA has been proven to ship a significantly longer working life and lowered costs of possession. KSB’s proprietary technology that inhibits the expansion of iron micro organism makes the UPA a winner.
Trailer mounted items
In Africa the surroundings and minerals being mined require progressive approaches to dewatering. In the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, home to a number of open reduce and underground copper mines wet seasons wreak flooding havoc. Here, KSB is delivering several completely different pumping solutions involving each UPA Z borehole pumps and surface-mounted Omega pumps. “To prevent mining operations from being shut down, a fast localised response is required,” says Rob Bond, Area Manager Mining-Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our resolution 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 including vacuum pump, management panels, screens and so on that delivers excessive head pumping.”
A related answer can be supplied for the open solid Moatize coal mine in Mozambique the place the water levels must stay low for continuous production reliability. Whilst borehole pumps offer good reliability on a relentless basis, when the wet season begins, extra sources are in demand KSB SA offers skid-mounted Omega items. To date, KSB SA has equipped 152 models and all are working reliably.
Latin America
In Mexico’s Zacatecas silver mines underground water is a constant downside. According to Roberto Valenzuela, Sales Manager Mining KSB Mexico, the water contains solid particles so the excessive strain encapsulated UPA borehole pumps should be wear-resistant for long term efficiency. Because the dewatering pumps work at a excessive pace, the impellers and the wear ring can suffer from untimely put on. Using Multitec horizontal multistage pumps with KSB’s C6 standard chrome coating, wear is greatly minimised. “We have had pumps running in this mine for over two years without the impellers being modified,” says Roberto Valenzuela. “It is an answer that no competitor offers, and provides worth for the customer via reduced upkeep, spare elements and larger mining uptime.”
In Chile’s Atacama Desert copper and gold is mined at altitudes ranging between 2,000 m and four,500 m. Remote websites, mine depths and the unavailability of electrical energy needed to drive high capability pumps complicate dewatering. High volumes of water contaminated by minerals can delay drilling and blasting and end in environmental pollution. KSB Chile has met these challenges by supplying encapsulated borehole pumps and cantilevered Etanorm pumps, pushed by diesel motors.
“Our customers require high-pressure pumps in a modular configuration that could be moved with the growth of the open pit,” feedback Patricio Araya, Mining Head KSB Chile. “The answer is to use horizontally positioned borehole pumps with a particular configuration for sand filters encased in a stress shroud. This offers the customer flexibility and versatility as a outcome of the tools is compact, develops excessive pressures and is simple to maneuver across the website.
To accommodate increasing flows and discharge stress pumps are configured in collection and in parallel specifically for the client’s necessities. Being coupled to diesel engines allows continuous, autonomous operation in locations 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 factors corresponding to adverse suction head at excessive altitudes. KSB gear for mine drainage is equipped in standard versions, with variations for rafts or well pumps installed in strain jackets. Having viable options for dewatering adds value to the shoppers operations and can be essential as a outcome of each year minerals are found at deeper levels.
Innovation in Indonesia
Indonesia is amongst the world’s largest exporters of thermal coal, and also a serious participant in copper, gold, tin, bauxite, and nickel. Here KSB pumps are acknowledged for their outstanding capacity to carry out in extreme open pit mine sites. Its improvement of dewatering and dredge pump sets (DnD), as an answer for mining applications, particularly for open-pit mine websites is one example of KSB’ dedication to steady product enchancment and improvement. To date, greater than 260 DnD pumps with GWI® LCC and LSA pumps have been put in in mines throughout Indonesia and South East Asia. In 2013, KSB Indonesia launched a new mannequin, the DnD Cruiser with enhancements requested by clients.
KSB builds the entire diesel pushed pump unit on a barge, full with fuel tank, vacuum pump, management panel and so on, and ships them on trailers for simple commissioning at website. Because monsoon rains are seasonal dewatering can be a seasonal activity and this implies pumps can stand idle for a quantity of months during the dry periods. Recognising this example, KSB has introduced a rental programme, whereby the pumps are provided fully-kitted out in accordance with the customer’s requirements. By not having to buy the pump units, customers are relieved of the prices of possession and know that when they require models they come ready for operation.
Summary
KSB’s mine dewatering techniques allow the secure and environment friendly decreasing of groundwater in open pit dewatering, underground drainage and borehole drainage purposes. Regardless of a mine’s location, the type of mining operation being carried out, the geological and the aggressive and corrosive nature of the water, KSB has fluid handling technologies that will fit all eventualities. This situation has come about through the cross-fertilisation of ideas, applied sciences and experiences gained over many a long time by our companies around the globe, supported by intensive funding in analysis and improvement. Wherever a pumping answer is required, we will bring a co-ordinated response to the table.
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