MechChem Africa December 2018

Engineered for use at the most aggressive duties,Warman ® Mill Circuit pumps easily manage large particles in highly abrasive slurries.The pumps are designed for severe slurry applications such as ball and SAG mill discharge, cyclone feed as well as water-flush crushing in minerals processing plants. Mill circuit pumps reduce operating costs

Marnus Koorts.

W eirMineralsAfrica showcased its flagship mill circuit pump, the Warman ® MCR ® 450 at Electra Mining Africa 2018. Marnus Koorts, product manager for slurrypumps atWeirMineralsAfrica, pointed out on display the massive 1.5 m diameter 450, saying: “Like all pumps in the Warman MCR range, this 13 ton slurry handling ma- chine is designed to increase productivity and decrease downtime, compared to older gen- erationWeir andother pumps in the industry.” Koorts says Warman Mill Circuit pumps are based on80 years of fundamental and ap- plied research, backed by wear performance field trials. “Mill circuit applications are among the toughest in a minerals processing plant, and Warman MCR pumps incorporate the latest in hypereutectic alloy and elastomer technol- ogy,” he says, adding that this significantly extends the wear life of the pump in highly abrasive and corrosive slurries, reducing operational costs.

Warman MCR with elastomer liners installed at several gold and copper mines.

Pontoon solution at Madagascar mine Regular engagement with Rio Tinto’s QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) operation and a good understanding of local conditions has allowedWeir Minerals Africa to provide the optimal solution to a customer’s recurring challenge on a process pond. A ccording toWeirMineralsAfrica’s dewatering product specialist, Neil Matthews, a mine in Mada- gascar was experiencing con- graphic and site conditions, as well as local fauna and flora.”

To provide the most suitable Weir Minerals products and solutions, the team specifiedaWarmanAH10/8pumpmounted on a Multiflo ® pontoon with the pump coupled to a variable frequency drive (VFD) to enable greater flexibility in dealing with varying site conditions. A second pontoon was fittedwith aWarmanAH6/4pumpwith a motor and fixed-speed drive, because its operating conditionswould remain constant throughout the life of mine. Both pontoons are connected to a float- ing docking station, which, in turn, is con- nected to a 20 m walkway fixed to the bank-side landing.

tinual collapse of the 20 m suction hose to theWarman ® AH ® 12/10 pumpmounted on a skidat thebackof thepond. This resulted in the need to keep priming the pump, causing regular downtime. “Unpacking the issues facing the custom- er was the first part of upgrading the mine’s process water utilisation,” says Matthews. “We discussed several options with the customer, after which our dewatering and engineering teams collaborated closely to design a solution. It was vital to consider the problem carefully in the context of geo-

Having the Warman slurry pump mounted on the skid at 30° to submerge the suction eye of the impeller solved the customer’s continually collapsing suction hose problem.

12 ¦ MechChem Africa • December 2018