Water is current everywhere in mining and its management varies according to its role in the mining processes. In a current in-depth article by pumps major KSB, the company outlines how this in flip influences the selection of technologies utilized in pumping water. “Alongside the secure supply and recovery of process water is the problem of eradicating ground water. Process water and groundwater include abrasive and corrosive parts in various portions which have an opposed affect on pump performance and life. Working situations, distant locations, varying temperature ranges and the lack of electric power are also extremely influential factors.”
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 doubtless contaminated water. “The identical may be said of the coal mines of Mozambique and the silver mines of Mexico. What they all have in common is a requirement for efficient and effective water and slurry pumps. Well-matched solutions assist to maximize the longevity and efficiency 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 seek for more rare and treasured minerals and metals has opened up mining in countries and areas the place beforehand the industry was small scale or non-existent. Consequently, mining companies and equipment producers have had to develop new methods and products. And with the major mining companies having operations in plenty of international locations, changing into a most popular gear provider is important. “The dewatering market is slowly shifting from a pure CAPEX point of view to an increasingly OPEX perspective,” stories Brett Lewis, Mining Manager at KSB Australia. “This is particularly true for the large mines that notice that poorly designed equipment that often fails, causes a major increase in alternative and servicing price. Some mining firms are now committing to a carbon neutral target within the subsequent 20 to 30 years, so are focussing on excessive efficiency gear. They want to section out diesel reliance by connecting most bores to their local electrical grid.”
KSB says it’s conscious that mining corporations are recording pump performance and are accumulating data to compare manufacturers and higher rank their qualities or deficiencies. “This is sweet news for KSB as the company is dedicated to delivering high reliability and effectivity pumps, so helping to minimize back the carbon footprint of mining dewatering operations.
Is there a ‘one-fits-all’ pump solution?
KSB says the answer to this may be a resounding ‘no’, but “by sharing experiences between workplaces and also frequently working with the same worldwide mining corporations, KSB has been able to develop acceptable solutions. KSB’s involvement in the iron ore industries in Brazil and Australia demonstrate two completely different approaches to dewatering, both employing vertical multi-stage pumps.”
In Brazil’s Minas Gerais State open pit iron ore mines extreme floor water, monsoons and underground lakes are problems. To preserve steady manufacturing water needs to be pumped to a dewatering lake which has a dynamic water stage that should be raised two or 3 times a 12 months. KSB Brazil’s resolution is a floating station fitted with KSB vertical turbine B pumps positioned over a pontoon (Fig.1). The pontoon rises and falls with modifications in the water level so there is no need for the pumps to be repositioned. This ends in cost-savings to the customer. After 20 profitable years it has become the standard for this type 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 energy motors and associated tools results in the size of the floating station being elevated. Stabilizing gear that weighs more than 200 t requires lots of planning, along with the challenge of constructing a system in such a remote space.”
Boreholes in Australia
In the Pilbara Region of Western Australia iron ore is mined in a quantity of areas around the Chichester hub zone, an space between 5 and 9 km broad and eighty km lengthy. The mineral deposit sits between 90 m and 117 m beneath the floor. With the groundwater and water table often replenished in moist seasons and cyclones including 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 ends up in massive income losses. Also, surface dewatering processes are extraordinarily costly if the water could be very high.
The accepted dewatering process throughout the region is to pump the water out by way of boreholes. However, this is not with out its challenges. High water temperatures and high salinity end in excessive corrosion, whilst iron micro organism can grow on motors which prevent environment friendly motor cooling. The presence of gas is a continuing menace in some areas as this causes fuel lock on the impellers resulting in heavy vibrations, which locations an excellent pressure on the motor, loss of flow fee and motor failure.
This means that commonplace off-the-shelf merchandise usually are not all the time suitable and the incidence of failures is high. Typically, most bore pumps fail inside 12 months, and generally only some weeks. At its Hope Valley facility in Western Australia, KSB offers mine operators with its UPA multistage borehole pump, customised to resist site circumstances. Although a dearer product than its rivals, the UPA has been shown to ship a significantly longer working life and lowered costs of possession. KSB’s proprietary know-how that inhibits the expansion of iron micro organism makes the UPA a winner.
Trailer mounted units
In Africa the surroundings and minerals being mined require progressive approaches to dewatering. In the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, residence to a quantity of open reduce and underground copper mines rainy seasons wreak flooding havoc. Here, KSB is delivering a number of different pumping options involving each UPA Z borehole pumps and surface-mounted Omega pumps. “To forestall mining operations from being shut down, a quick localised response is required,” says Rob Bond, Area Manager Mining-Sub-Saharan Africa. “Our resolution has been to provide Omega pumps mounted on rough terrain trailers. We provide a complete package made up of the pump, engine/motor, couplings, gearbox, hydraulic drives and auxiliary equipment together with vacuum pump, control panels, screens and so forth that delivers high head pumping.”
A similar answer can additionally be offered for the open forged Moatize coal mine in Mozambique where the water levels should remain low for continuous production reliability. Whilst borehole pumps provide good reliability on a constant foundation, when the rainy season starts, more assets are in demand KSB SA provides skid-mounted Omega units. 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 drawback. According to Roberto Valenzuela, Sales Manager Mining KSB Mexico, the water contains strong particles so the excessive stress encapsulated UPA borehole pumps ought to be wear-resistant for long term efficiency. Because the dewatering pumps work at a high pace, the impellers and the wear ring can suffer from premature put on. Using Multitec horizontal multistage pumps with KSB’s C6 standard chrome coating, put on is tremendously minimised. “We have had pumps running on this mine for over two years with out the impellers being modified,” says Roberto Valenzuela. “It is an answer that no competitor presents, and adds worth for the shopper via lowered upkeep, spare elements and greater mining uptime.”
In เกจวัดแรงดันเบนซิน ’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 result in environmental air pollution. KSB Chile has met these challenges by supplying encapsulated borehole pumps and cantilevered Etanorm pumps, pushed by diesel motors.
“Our clients require high-pressure pumps in a modular configuration that could be moved with the expansion of the open pit,” comments Patricio Araya, Mining Head KSB Chile. “The resolution is to use horizontally positioned borehole pumps with a particular configuration for sand filters encased in a stress shroud. This gives the shopper flexibility and flexibility because the equipment is compact, develops excessive pressures and is simple to maneuver across the website.
To accommodate increasing flows and discharge pressure pumps are configured in sequence and in parallel specifically for the client’s necessities. Being coupled to diesel engines permits continuous, autonomous operation in places without electrical energy for between 12 and 24 hours without refuelling. Vertical Etanorm pumps and cantilever-type UPA pumps put in on a raft enabling them to handle the accumulation of water inside the mine, eliminating components similar to adverse suction head at excessive altitudes. KSB gear for mine drainage is equipped in commonplace variations, with variations for rafts or well pumps installed in stress jackets. Having viable solutions for dewatering provides value to the customers operations and is also essential because each year minerals are found at deeper ranges.
Innovation in Indonesia
Indonesia is probably certainly one of the world’s largest exporters of thermal coal, and in addition a major participant in copper, gold, tin, bauxite, and nickel. Here KSB pumps are acknowledged for their outstanding capacity to carry out in severe open pit mine sites. Its improvement of dewatering and dredge pump units (DnD), as a solution for mining applications, particularly for open-pit mine websites is one example of KSB’ commitment to steady product improvement and growth. To date, greater than 260 DnD pumps with GWI® LCC and LSA pumps have been installed in mines across Indonesia and South East Asia. In 2013, KSB Indonesia launched a new model, the DnD Cruiser with enhancements requested by customers.
KSB builds the complete diesel driven pump unit on a barge, full with fuel tank, vacuum pump, control panel and so forth, and ships them on trailers for simple commissioning at site. Because monsoon rains are seasonal dewatering is also a seasonal activity and this implies pumps can stand idle for a number of months in the course of the dry intervals. Recognising this example, KSB has introduced a rental programme, whereby the pumps are equipped fully-kitted out based on the customer’s requirements. By not having to buy the pump units, customers are relieved of the costs of ownership and know that once they require items they arrive ready for operation.
Summary
KSB’s mine dewatering techniques allow the safe and environment friendly reducing of groundwater in open pit dewatering, underground drainage and borehole drainage purposes. 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 fit all eventualities. This situation has come about by way of the cross-fertilisation of ideas, applied sciences and experiences gained over many many years by our corporations around the world, supported by intensive investment in research and improvement. Wherever a pumping solution is required, we can deliver a co-ordinated response to the table.
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