Modern Mining October 2023

in place and who want to monitor their results, Synertrex® digital solutions is a valuable tool to track actual savings over time. He notes that sensors gather operating data from Weir Minerals equipment and transmit this data to a central collection point – or gateway – in an encrypted format to safeguard its security. The information is uploaded to the cloud and processed by algorithms so valuable results can be reflected in a digital toolkit. “Customers have access to their own data and can overlay it over previous weeks and months to generate trends,” he says. “This means they can compare the performance of their equipment on the same on site or at their other locations, if relevant.” Weir Minerals’ global presence means data can be gathered from machines in similar applications across the world. For instance, Synertrex® technol ogy can look out for pre-failure trends and offer these vital insights to users everywhere. While all customers’ detailed operating data is kept confiden tial and secure, the system can alert users to trends it identifies. “This means that when our customers use Synertrex digital solutions, they benefit not only from deeper insight into their own equipment’s per formance,” concludes Jansen, “they also leverage the global experience of Weir Minerals customers everywhere and share in our continuous improve ment process.” 

Synertrex® monitoring system immediately detected excessive vibration levels. The vibration pointed to a slight misalignment between the pump and the motor. Save on damage and downtime “Having a full-time technician on site meant that the alerts from Synertrex were quickly actioned and we were able to stop the pump and realign the motor with the pump’s shaft, saving the mine about half a million Rand in potential damage,” he says. “This kind of problem is not easy for an operator to identify, but it can cause catastrophic failure – which can also lead to costly downtime.” Synertrex® digital solutions also allow Weir Minerals to verify the performance claims it makes on its equipment, explains Jansen. With the compa ny’s innovative WRT® technology, for example, tests show that power consumption can be reduced by between 5% and 12% using the impeller and throat bush combination. “This is a strong claim to make, with significant benefits to users, so we want customers to be assured of its validity,” he says. “By fitting Synertrex technology to two different pumps on a South African mine – one with WRT parts and one with standard parts – we were able to confirm an 11% improvement.” For customers who have power saving initiatives

Above: Weir Minerals staff in the local Synertrex monitoring room showcasing the capability. Left: Synertrex can be installed on a range of equipment such as pumps, screens, hydrocyclones and HPGR.

Left: A replica of the Synertrex control room displayed at a recent exhibition. Below: A Synertrex system installed on Warman pumps at a tailings facility.

October 2023  MODERN MINING  33