Mining is considered one of the world’s oldest industries, tracing its roots again to those prehistoric days when somebody grabbed a digging instrument and commenced burrowing into the bottom. In the various millennia since, mining has grown into one of many world’s most essential and widespread commercial enterprises, with operations spread throughout the globe while tasked with recovering an almost inexhaustible record of priceless commodities.
In reality, in accordance with the World Mining Congress’s World Mining Data 2020 report, 17.7 billion metric tons of mined merchandise had been recovered in 2018, up from 11.3 billion metric tons in 2000 and almost double the 9.6 billion metric tons in 1985. Asian international locations accounted for fifty eight percent of the 2018 production, with North America second at 15.1 %, followed by Europe (8 percent), Oceania (6.eight percent), Latin America (6.3 percent), and Africa (5.three percent). Individually, China (23 percent), the United States (12.1 percent), Russia (9.2 percent), and Australia (7.2 percent) have been probably the most prolific producers, with their complete fifty one.1 percent of production more than the remainder of the world mixed.
This means that the mining industry is a robust one, with stable growth anticipated to continue in the coming years in lots of areas of the world. It additionally signifies that mining operations will proceed to rely on pumping technologies that supply robust, dependable, and secure service in a variety of critical liquid-handling operations. This white paper will illustrate why positive displacement air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps can be the finest choice for many of these applications.
THE CHALLENGE
While mining might look like nothing more than a rough-and-tumble operation—holes are dug by heavy equipment or with explosives, opening the hidden ode to entry from above—there are, actually, many complicated and generally delicate operations that must be carried out correctly if the mining operation is to carry out at its highest level of efficiency.
From a macro standpoint, this requires a pumping know-how that may operate reliably in harsh and distant places, even when submerged, or when tasked with dealing with particulate-laden liquids or toxic/corrosive products, and in addition one which is able to be maintained and repaired in order that downtime is lessened. The pumps should also be gentle enough to be manually moved from location to location inside the mine itself.
For a few years, a well-liked choice for use in these circumstances was centrifugal pumps. While centrifugal pumps are able to create the excessive circulate rates which are required, they have a number of operational “pain points” that hamper their use in mining purposes: an inability to self-prime or run dry; special seals wanted to prevent leaks; special linings wanted to deal with solids; high motor speeds of as a lot as 1,800 rpm; and comparatively high upkeep requirements and prices, particularly when charged with transferring solid-heavy liquids.
Another popular selection has been the progressive cavity pump, however, like centrifugal pumps, they have a quantity of operational shortcomings. These include an incapability to consistently handle liquids with high ranges of abrasives, which results in elevated upkeep costs, wear on expensive stators and rotors that can finally have to be replaced, and general greater buy, operating, and repair/replacement costs.
Here are a variety of the specific liquid-transfer operations that happen in a mine and the ways that some pump applied sciences can fall quick in satisfying them:
Mine dewatering: Removing excess produced water from the mine is a important 24/7/365 operation and the water that is recovered is often full of particulates that can be as large as 0.12 to zero.16 inches in size. If used on this utility, centrifugal pumps require particular materials of construction, which can be value prohibitive, to guard against impeller wear attributable to the abrasive particles. Centrifugal pumps are also not dry-run succesful, which adversely impacts their stage of efficiency in this utility.
General service: For frequent liquid-handling purposes, you need an easy-to-operate pump that reliably can run dry, strip traces, function at low speeds whereas nonetheless delivering excessive move rates, and be easy to take care of and restore. Centrifugal pumps merely do not possess these capabilities.
Corrosive liquids: Much like solid-laden liquids, corrosive ones can wreak havoc on the wetted components of centrifugal and progressive cavity pumps. This sometimes calls for a need to make use of special mechanical seals, which can lead to exorbitant maintenance, restore, and alternative prices.
Press filter: Press filters are used to scrub the liquids which may be produced in the mines and, again, centrifugal pumps can fall short in this application because the solid-laden liquid can harm the pump’s internals except particular, costlier materials of construction or linings are used. Also, the nature of press-filter operation creates a powerful discharge-pressure variation that may drive the centrifugal pump to function away from its finest efficiency level (BEP), leading to high vibration and radial masses that can lead to shortened service life. A answer to that is the incorporation of variable frequency drives (VFDs) and controllers, however these are expensive and can negatively have an effect on the cost-effectiveness of the operation.
Product transfer: This is obtainable in all varieties in a mining operation, from loading and unloading from transport trucks with new and used oil for the heavy equipment, fresh and fouled water, and any chemicals which might be required. In each instance, there is the danger that the pump will be forced to run dry because the truck or storage vessel is emptied, while discharge-pressure variation can even generate high vibration and radial hundreds. As previously illustrated, ส่วนประกอบpressuregauge cannot run dry, in order that they need protection from this condition or the addition of special seals. However, all of these upgrades still can’t completely protect in opposition to a catastrophic failure.
THE SOLUTION
While centrifugal pumps—despite their popularity—have confirmed to not be the simplest solution in many liquid-handling applications in mining, one pump know-how that has confirmed to be an optimum choice is AODD—in phrases of maximizing reliability, cost-effectiveness, ease of operation and upkeep, and safety for mining personnel and the setting.
AODD pumps are capable of carry out effectively in mining applications because their methodology of operation permits them to simply handle variable flow rates and pressures, whereas being dry-run and line-stripping capable, and nimble sufficient to switch liquids that are shear-sensitive or high-viscosity, in addition to slurries laden with rocks, pebbles, and different particulates.
The easy design of the AODD pump options few shifting parts and comparably decrease speeds than different pump technologies, which improves reliability and simplifies upkeep, whereas the pump’s seal-less construction results in fewer leaks, which is a crucial consideration when dealing with the many hard-to-seal, corrosive, or hazardous liquids which are prevalent in a mining operation. AODD pumps can be found in each metal (most generally aluminum, ductile iron and cast iron) and plastic (polypropylene and PVDF) housing constructions, whereas a extensive array of elastomers can be used within the diaphragms, which eliminates many chemical-compatibility considerations.
A wide number of AODD pump configurations present operational flexibility that can also end in optimized performance at many ranges. The capacity to characteristic AODD pumps in a variety of applications, from basic general use to delicate chemical-handling processes, allows operators to more cost-effectively outfit their mines. AODD pumps can be less costly to operate, especially these models which are outfitted with a next-generation mechanically actuated air distribution system (ADS). At their most basic, AODD pumps excel within the typical rugged and harsh operating situations found within the world’s mines, which reduces breakdown incidents together with corresponding downtime and repair costs.
Specifically, Wilden, whose founder, Jim Wilden, conceived the AODD pumping principle sixty-five years in the past, has been devoted to creating technologies that meet the needs of mining operations. Today, Wilden offers three AODD pump fashions that are built to excel in mining applications, out there in ductile iron, forged iron, aluminum, polypropylene and Kynar materials of development:
Brahma® Series: The Brahma pumps, which characteristic a bolted configuration, have been built for use in functions that require the dealing with of liquids featuring large solids. The Brahma pumps have a singular top-inlet/bottom-discharge move orientation and flap valves that permit the passage of enormous solids with no risk that damage will happen as a outcome of product entrapment or the settling of solids within the pump’s internal circulate paths. Brahma pumps are available in two models—PS810 (2-inch) and PS1510 (3-inch)—that are outfitted with the revolutionary Pro-Flo® SHIFT ADS, which has been designed to reduce air consumption by as much as 60 percent. The T810 and T1510 fashions are powered by the Turbo-Flo™ ADS, the industry’s first air motor for AODD pumps. The flow-rate vary for the four Brahma pumps is 166 to 258 gallons per minute at pressures up to 125 psi with solids-handling functionality ranging from 2 to three inches.
Stallion® Series: The Stallion pumps feature a clamped design with carrying handles for lightweight portability. Their design options massive internal clearances and flow-through paths for simple passage of huge solids with no likelihood for clogging. An altered ball/seat check-valve meeting further allows solids passage, whereas a polyurethane screen base at the inlet will increase the pump’s sturdiness. The PS4, PS8, and PS15 (1.5-, 2-, and 3-inch) fashions are powered by a Pro-Flo SHIFT ADS, with the T4, T8, and T15 (1.5-, 2-, and 3-inch) pumps featuring the Turbo-Flo ADS, Wilden’s most strong ADS design for the toughest environments. Flow charges amongst the six models vary from 57 gallons per minute to 232 gallons per minute at working pressures up to 125 psi. Solids sizes that may be dealt with range from 1/2 to 1 inch.
Pro-Flo SHIFT Series: Pro-Flo SHIFT pumps function clamped or bolted configuration. Their design options totally different chamber materials, including metallic and plastics, even Kynar, which is capable of dealing with excessive ranges of abrasive materials. The Pro-Flo SHIFT is also essentially the most environment friendly AODD pump in the market, able to decreasing up to 60 % air consumption. This makes it the finest choice for handling corrosive and abrasive merchandise in mining processes. The pumps have a product vary that goes from 1.5 to three inches and flows from 2 to 271 gallons per minute.
All of the Brahma, Stallion, and Pro-Flo SHIFT pumps are capable of be outfitted with a huge selection of diaphragm styles—including the newer Chem-Fuse, EZ-Install, and Reduced-Stroke models—in a various array of materials, corresponding to Wil-Flex™ (Santoprene®), Geolast®, Polyurethane, Buna-N®, EPDM, Neoprene, FKM, and PTFE. This diaphragm range offers customers the widest selection of diaphragms in the marketplace, all of that are capable of providing prolonged imply time between failure (MTBF) for optimized uptime with lowered upkeep, restore, and substitute costs.
All of these capabilities make AODD pumps the best choice for the aforementioned frequent liquid-handling functions in mining: dewatering, basic service, corrosive-handling, filter press, and every day product transfer.
CONCLUSION
In abstract, Wilden AODD pumps are the greatest choice for mining applications because they offer considerable operational advantages, like comparable low-speed operation, dry-run, line-stripping, self-priming, and deadhead functionality, along with increased operational security and a discount in maintenance/repair costs that may be incurred by pumps that are not designed to handle abrasive/corrosive or solid-laden liquids.
Wilden AODD pumps also outperform different AODD technologies in different important ways: easy design with the lowest variety of parts for sooner, easier, and safer repairs and the bottom variety of spare parts to stock; recent improvements in supplies of development that enhance the pump’s MTBF; and improved effectivity via the usage of the Pro-Flo SHIFT ADS, which finally results in faster product transfer with lower air consumption. Wilden additionally continues to innovate through the event of the next-generation Chem-Fuse and EZ-Install diaphragms, both of which improve service life and safety whereas not compromising the dealing with of difficult liquids.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Fernando Meneses is the regional supervisor North Latin America for Wilden, a number one manufacturer of air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps. He can be reached at fernando.meneses@psgdover.com. Wilden is a product model of PSG®, a Dover company. PSG is comprised of several leading pump firms, including Abaque®, All-Flo™, Almatec®, Blackmer®, Ebsray, em-tec®, Griswold®, Hydro™, Mouvex®, Neptune®, Quantex™, Quattroflow®, RedScrew™, and Wilden®. For more information, visit www.wildenpump.com or www.psgdover.com.
Share