MechChem Africa March-April 2023

In response to the ongoing power crisis in South Africa and the global need to reduce carbon emissions by improving energy efficiency, Integrated Pump Technology’s key accounts manager, Justin Bawden, talks to MechChem Africa about some easily implementable dewatering solutions that mine and process plant operators can adopt. Reducing energy consumption and costs for mine dewatering and water transport

I ntegrated Pump Technology offers a wide range of pumping so lutions for dewatering, sludge, slurry, wastewater, dredging and water transport/circulation and recycling applications on mines and minerals processing plants. “We specialise in Grindex submers ible pumps that can operate from a pond floor or suspended above the floor using one of many pump flotation devices. “We can also offer pump cages as a means of additional protec tion for pumps that operate in rugged environments and, apart from standard cast iron and aluminium pump units, we also offer stainless steel solutions for use with corrosive media,” begins Justin Bawden of Integrated Pump Technology. In addition to its electrically driven range, the company offers a range of diesel driven units and pumps mounted on skids or on trailers, for ease of mobility to site. “We can supply fixed and mobile installations and our diverse range enables us to customise a solution to match the needs of mine and plant operators,” he tells MechChem Africa. The pumps themselves are mostly Grindex submersible slurry

pumps from Sweden, which can be configured differently depending on the pumping media and the specific plant needs. “We also have Faggiolati pumps, which are an Italian brand that is better suited to raw water applications. They feature cutter impellers that can chop up solid or fibrous materials to enable them to be passed through the pump without clogging,” Bawden explains. Turning attention to the energy crisis in South Africa, he says many of our mines are now starting to produce their own energy in order to supply emergency demand during loadshedding. “Where energy capacity is a problem, we provide added assistance by supplying mobile diesel driven pumps. Some locations on mining sites don’t have an easy connection to power, so diesel driven pump units are the only option. In areas of the mine where there is a lack of power, the need for diesel driven pumps is critical, particularly when required for emergency use to prevent flooding or ground contamination “While energy saving is a priority, mine dewatering or plant water transport requirements place limits on how much can be done without sacrificing production targets or onsite safety. In most cases, pumping must carry on, regardless of the energy required. While meeting plant needs, though, it is still possible to adopt more energy efficient tech nologies and power management options,” he continues. Grindex pump units are designed to meet their duty requirements using the minimum amount of energy necessary. “These fully insulated, protected and submersible pumps raise the bar in terms of energy ef ficiency. Many competitor pumps require far more power to achieve the same duty as the Grindex pumps, which also offer better reliability,” says Bawden. The operational expense of running pumps is mostly related to the cost of the energy being used. This far outweighs the capital costs of buying the pump. “We did a case study for a mine in Rustenburg where we compared the total costs of buying and running one of our Grindex units to a couple of the units they were using on site. The difference was astonishing. The operator was shocked to see exactly how much the old pumps had been costing them to run. “Buying a more expensive but more efficient Grindex pump can save an operation a massive amount of energy and money over time – and the energy and cost savings start to accumulate from Day 1 of switch ing,” he says, adding that payback periods on the capital expense of an efficient pump can be as little one year. “In the long run, though, a high efficiency pump solution that is well matched to specific pumping requirements, can save a company an exorbitant amount of money.” The Grindex submersible range is also renowned for its plug and-pump capabilities through its SMART electrical surveillance system, which means there is no need for an external electrical start-up box for pumps units of 18 kW and below. The SMART system’s phase-failure guard protects against phase loss, a tem perature guard stops the pump if overheating is detected, and the unit automatically restarts pumping when a detected fault is cleared. Phase control also ensures that the impeller turns in the right direction. Integrated accessories such as the SMART surveillance unit, along with add-ons such as water level regulators, not only better protect the pump, but they are automatic, so they manage power use better,

A Grindex Bravo unit being installed in a slurry application.

8 ¦ MechChem Africa • March-April 2023