Pumps with greater efficiencies consume less energy, so it is essential to select and invest in the appropriate pump for any given application, reports pump and mixer supplier ITT Water & Wastewater.

The drive in the mining industry to curb energy consumption requires mines to consider every part of the mining process, including pumps, says ITT residential and commercial water business unit manager Patrick Plasket. He believes that the Vogel multistage pumps that ITT supplies are an example of highly energy efficient pumps.

“If a Vogel pump is correctly selected for an application, the whole operating range could achieve efficiencies of above 75%, which results in lower energy consumption,” says Plasket.

He mentions that four large Vogel multistage pump units have been supplied to a large local coal mining group, through an ITT distributor, to supply water for continuous mining equipment.

Plasket says that ITT has made inroads into this pump range, as not only is the product reliable with spares readily available – considerations which were important for the coal mining order – but the after-sales service and delivery time are also good.

The pump was redesigned a few years ago and it incorporates the latest tech- nology in mechanical sealing, efficiencies and unique features, such as the feet being placed underneath the bearing housing, rather than on the casing, which allows the nozzle orientation to be changed for easier installation, explains ITT dewatering business unit manager Klint Bawden.

He adds that there is already a large installed base of Vogel multistage pumps in the mining sector, such as in coal mining to supply water to continuous miners and in clean water dewatering applications in shallower mines.

Meanwhile, Bawden says that one of Vogel’s borehole pumps is used for active dewatering, mostly in opencast mining, and in mine shafts and is capable of pump- ing heads of up to 400 m, as opposed to average dewatering pumps which stop at about 150 m.

The newly introduced TVS submersible borehole range, with 8-in, 10-in and 12-in models, has an efficiency of up to 80% when selected correctly within its operating range. It is constructed in stainless steel as standard, making it corrosion resistant and giving it unique active wear ring features.
The new Flygt 2660 Super Head (SH) dewatering pump, part of the 2000 series, will be introduced into the South African market in time for Electra Mining Africa 2010, in October. This SH unit can pump to greater dis- tances at higher pressures than the average dewatering pump; it has an 82-m shutoff and is a super tension pump with a double impeller, says Bawden.

He adds that the pump’s ability to pump at greater distances means that, in some instances, the need for booster pumps along the line may be eliminated. This pump is, however, not designed to handle highly abrasive slurries.

Further, ITT reports that there has been a good response to its Flygt 5100 series, which has applications in the mining sector. The company has run a campaign over the past few months offering an additional 15% discount when it replaces any cantilever unit with a unit from the Flygt 5000 series, says Bawden.

He says that there is a growing trend towards submersible pumps, such as the Flygt 5000, which is a plug-and-play, highly efficient and reliable alternative to traditional pumps. The pump has reduced noise levels and there is no requirement for civil work for installation. There are also safety devices in the pump that allow it to be connected to monitoring and control equipment for failure detection.

ITT also offers ongoing in-house and on-site product training for customers, including operational and maintenance skills.

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