Modern Mining June 2025

PUMPS & VALVES

Pumps, valves for tailings must meet more stringent demands Stringent standards and evolving operating conditions in tailings management are driving the demand for safer more reliable tailings pumping solutions, helping mines mitigate compliance risks and maintain smooth production.

Lerato Ramanala, Product Manager at Weir.

Warman AHPP high pressure pumps offer exceptional durability in handling abrasive and dense slurries.

O ne notable trend in the mining sector, says Villen Mandree, Product Manager Pump Products at Weir, is the increasing length of tailings pipelines. “While in 2012 the total length of a tailings pipeline in operation was about 8 000 kilometres, this had increased to over 13 000 kilometres by around 2020,” says Mandree. “The main driver is that tailings dams are being placed increasingly further from the plant, as rising tailings volumes go hand-in-hand with the gradual decline in ore grades.” The decline in ore grades generally leads to higher plant throughput and more waste material. The result, he says, is that mining companies and their OEM partners must continuously improve their methodologies and equipment to transport tailings material over longer distances in a safe and efficient manner. He notes that one of Weir’s key sustainability goals is to deliver innovative technology and solutions to move material using

less energy and water – and to create less waste. “At Weir, we are firmly aligned with global sustainability goals, focusing on using fewer natural resources and minimising environmental risk through our solutions,” says Mandree. “Our WARMAN high pressure centrifugal pumps and GEHO piston diaphragm pumps are industry leaders in this regard, with their performance further supported by our durable DELTA INDUSTRIAL knife gate valves.” He says Weir works closely with mining customers and EPC/EPCM companies from the earliest stages of projects, to help design the most effective and sustainable solution. “The tailings dam itself is just the last stage in the waste removal process. The tailings must first be safely moved across these long distances – where the consequences of any equipment failure are severe,” he explains. “The distance of the pipeline exacerbates the friction losses from the tailings; this demands pressures from our WARMAN pumps up

Villen Mandree, Product Manager Pump Products at Weir.

34  MODERN MINING  www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | JUNE 2025