MechChem Africa March 2020

MechChemAfrica talks toWeir Minerals Africa’s pumps product manager, Marnus Koorts, about the extensive depth and range of pumping solutions available through Weir Minerals and its widely experienced and qualified teams; and the company’s successful approach to meeting the long-term needs of mine and process plant operators. Weir Minerals’ comprehensive pumping

“ A s well as our extensive range of slurry, dewatering and special- ity pumps, we pride ourselves on developing innovative and reliable engineered-to-order pumping solu- tions that offer the best possible energy ef- ficiencies, at the lowest-possible total costs of ownership,” begins Koorts. Since the invention of theWarman ® slurry pump with replaceable liners more than 80 years ago,WeirMinerals has develop its tech- nologies andboasts someof themostmodern and innovative slurry pumping solutions in the world. In addition, through acquisitions and mergers, the company has accumulated and redeveloped a vast range of pumping products for transport and processing ap- plications across the mining and minerals processing sectors. Starting with the Weir Minerals’ slurry pump ranges, Koorts says the key to innova- tion and development of slurry transport solutions is strong lifecycle support. “Through consistent and high investment in research and development, we have been able to suc- cessfully extendwear life, reliability and total life of our slurry pumps to minimise pumping and plant operation costs. Coupled with this, we have put in place highly sophisticated

spares and aftermarket support services for plant operators’ convenience,” he tells MechChem Africa . “Our Warman AH pumps are still the world’s most widely used slurry pumps, but even these receive ongoing research investments to maximise their performance. Continued innovation makes this range in- creasingly productive, efficient and reliable, with longerwear life and easiermaintenance. Condition and demands at mining sites are increasingly harsh, while the slurries pres- ent widely varying challenges, so even our highly successful products are continuously improved,” Koorts continues. Also integral to the company’s slurrypump offering are: • Weir Minerals’ metal- and rubber-lined Warman ® (MCU ® and MCR ® ) mill circuit pumps, which include some of the largest pumps available for mill circuit duty. • Vertical spindle pumps for clearing sumps and spillages. • Carbon transfer pumps for carbon in leech (CIL) circuits, which are carefully designed to gently recirculate the carbon slurry so it doesn’t break down. • Warman ® AHF froth pumps, used for removing the froth from flotation circuits

Marnus Koorts, product manager slurry pumps at Weir Minerals Africa. and also ideal for stirring up thickened underflows to improve pumpability. • GEHO ® high pressure positive displace- ment pumps offer pumping capacities of up to800m 3 /h in some applications at dis- charge pressures of up to 250 bar. “These pumps can handle 85% solids content whenrequired,whichmakesthemidealfor usewithourIsodry®rangeoffilterpresses and thickeners formaking tailings as dry as possible,” Koorts says. Moving on to Weir Minerals’ dewatering pump range, Koorts notes that dewatering is, in general, particle or slurry free. “The key focus for dewatering is high pumping efficiency to reduce energy costs per volume

A Warman froth pump combined with Linatex rubber hose in a phosphate application.

The engineered-to-order pontoon designs incorporate Warman slurry or dewatering pumps and Linatex rubber hoses.

4 ¦ MechChem Africa • March 2020