MechChem Africa July-August 2022

⎪ Water, wastewater and pumping solutions ⎪

Easy access to pump and hose flotation devices

Every dewatering project is different, but most require the use of accessories such as hosing and flotation systems. Integrated Pump Rental (IPR) carries a comprehensive range of Pump and Hose Flotation Devices (PFDs and HFDs) that are available for purchase or hire.

IPR carries a comprehensive range of Pump Flotation Devices (PFDs) and Hose Flotation Devices (HFDs), which are available for either purchase or hire.

W hile pumping accessories may seem to be just that, it is essential when selecting the hosing and flotation system that it is correctly matched to the dewatering pump and the application to ensure optimumoperation. Henru Strydom, operations manager at IPR explains that a Pump Flotation Device (PFD) is used to suspend the pump during pumping operations, and this is done to prevent the pump from burrowing into the bottom of the dam, stopes or pond where dewatering is being done. “UsingPFDs eliminates the situationwhereapumpcouldbedamagedor even lost if itmoves into the bottomof the area being pumped. And even more importantly, a PFDwill significantly reduce the wear on the pump, since it is not in direct contact with the sediment at the bottom during pumping operations,” Strydomsays. The exterior or outer skin of the PFDs used by IPR aremanufactured fromlowdensityhighstrengthpolyethyleneandfilledwithpolyurethane foam, which ensures that the flotation device will not sink, even in the unlikely event of the outer skin being punctured. IPR supplies three dif ferent sizes of PFDs with carrying capacities of 250 kg, 600 kg and 1.2 t. In the event that a heavier mass needs to be suspended, a number of

PFDs can be used in series to accommodate this. HFDs are used to suspend hoses during pumping applications where either pontoons or barges are used and the hose needs to be suspended abovethewater,orwherehosingis laidacrossthewater insteadofaround the perimeter of thewater. “Inthese instances,weadvisecustomers toroutethepipeworkacross thedirect lineofsighttothebargeorpontoon.Thiswill result insubstantial cost savings,” Strydompoints out. HFDs from IPR have been engineered to accommodate cables that cover the samedistance as thehoses. HFDs are available in all common hose sizes. “These products used by IPR are all ISO 9001 certified and advice on the most suitable flotation device for specific pump applications is provided by our experienced team. As with our pump offering, we take complete responsibility for all maintenance of flotation devices on site andwe keep a comprehensivemaintenance record. This allows our team to determine when proactive, scheduled main tenance is required and when equipment reaches end of life,” Strydom concludes. www.pumprental.co.za

Left: Every dewatering project is different, but most do require the using of accessories such as hosing and flotation systems. Right: HFDs are used to suspend hoses during pumping applications where either pontoons or barges are used. These are engineered to accommodate cables that cover the same distance as the hoses.

July-August 2022 • MechChem Africa ¦ 9