MechChem Africa June 2018

KSB Pumps for University of Pretoria laboratory KSB Pumps andValves has assisted the University of Pretoria (UP) in the construction of a large controlled-temperature test unit, which will form the backbone of ongoing research into heat transfer, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics.

A n impressive new liquid tem- perature control unit at UP allows students to plug directly into hot, moderate or chilled liquids to use on research projects and will shave approxi- mately50%off students’ overall project build- up time, thereby allowing more time to carry out actual research. In addition, it is expected to save considerable costs in future. Chairman of the School of Engineering and Head of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Professor JosuaMeyer, says the multi-millionRandprojectwaspart-fundedby theUniversity, withdonations from industrial companies such as KSB Pumps and Valves of funds, equipment and the construction of the system. About the centralised temperature-con- trolled unit, the Meyer explains that the sys- I n stark contrast to the previous pump sets at the Navachab Gold Mine, which operated a mere 4-6 weeks between breakdowns in the aggressive wear environment with resultant stoppages and production losses, tenKSBLSAslurrypumps have now been in continuous operation for nearly a year. KSBPumps andValves’ AndreasGremels says that when the mine’s management be- gan to seek alternative solutions from new suppliers; KSBwas able to convince themof the LSA-series’ technical superiority. “We have now backed up this recommendation with actual on-the-job proof. Our pumps have proven that they can work reliably and efficientlywhere others simply cannot,” says Gremels. He adds that the hard metal design and additional high-pressure glandwater system is less prone to component wear. KSB LSA pumps make use of a unique high-pressure gland water system and gland service pack- age that pressurises the stuffing-box with

non-slurry laden water to prevent particle ingress that can cause wear of components. Hard metal linings and specially designed impellers further contribute to the hard- wearing nature of the pumps. “This goes to show that specifying the right pump for a technical application is critical to the success of pumpingoperations. In the case of the Navachab Gold Mine, the additional performance gains and reliability werecomplementedbytheoutstandingwork done by the technical teams of the owners, QKR Namibia. They designed and managed theinstallationoftheentireproject,including monitoring systems, andworkedcloselywith our KSB technical team to ensure optimal performance and longevity of the pumps and the entire installation,” reports Andreas. QKRNamibiaProjectsEngineer,duPreez Calitz, confirms the success of the project. “The pumpswere selectedbased on the long termwear simulations done by KSB and the full life cycle cost analysis presented during the tender evaluation process. We have temrelies on temperaturemonitoring of flow loopswherewater is conditioned through the relevant heat pumps and chilling units at near boiling or lower temperatures, as well as at subzero glycol temperatures down to -20˚C. “The user demand within each loop is controlled using a system of pumps, variable speed drives, pressure transducers and spe- cial valves to allow up to eight experiments to plug-in simultaneously, without affecting either the flow rate, working pressure or temperature of the unit. This calls for abso- lute reliability and requires the best possible equipment to be used to avoid downtime that may impede any of the research pro- grammes,” says Danie Gouws, Technologist of the laboratory. “In the research laboratory, reliability is of the utmost importance and means that the

not looked back since then! In fact, an open inspection of the pumps recently revealed a much lowerwear rate than initiallyexpected, which has resulted in lower operating and maintenance costs as foreseenover the total lifecycle of the pumps. TheseKSBLSA slurry pumps have certainlymet and exceeded our expectations and the solid technical input and support of the companyhas been superb from the outset.” Echoing the sentiment, AKRoux, projects and asset management manager for QKR Namibia, adds that thenewpump stationhas now run more than 5 000 hours without a single breakdown. He added that the project teamplaced specific focus on the evaluation of the full life cycle cost of the operation and maintenance of the pumps during the design of the newpump station and the selection of equipment. This resulted in a pump installation that consumes 18% less power under similar op- erationconditions than thepreviously instal- lation, while themaintenance requirements over thefirst 5000hours of operationswere limited to the repacking of the glands and the checking of bearing assembly oil levels. KSB Pumps and Valves slurry pumps manager, Rob Bond, says the rural nature University cannot compromiseonqualityand, therefore, procures the best, most suitable equipment that money can buy.” Through its learned-team, the University specified five Etanorm50/32/250 pump sets with 3.0, 2.2, and 1.5 kW motors, respec- tively, selected to deliver the flow rates, pressures and other requirements. With their proven reliability and unwavering performance, Etanorm pumps were seen as

Slurry pumps push the boundaries of reliability KSB Pumps and Valves has busted the ‘slurry pumps have short lifespans’ myth with the ongoing success of its Navachab Gold Mine installation in Namibia, where ten of its LSA slurry pumps have operated for nearly a year without incident.

10 ¦ MechChem Africa • June 2018