Weir Minerals Africa, a slurry equipment solutions provider, has designed a new range of slurry pumps now available to the mining industry.

The Warman WBH slurry pump was designed with improved efficiency and durability in mind. “We have tried to optimise the range to pro- vide not only high performance in terms of efficiency but also improve the wear life of the components,” says Weir Minerals Africa slurry pump product manager Rui Gomes.

The company uses computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology to explore the hydraulic profile of the units, which enables it to predict wear and the behaviour of slurry within the pumps. This allows Weir Minerals to improve the durability of the pump life cycle, resulting in improved efficiencies and cost savings for the customer.

Other features contributing to the improved life cycle of the WBH pump include high- capacity bearings made to withstand high loads and thrust, a streamlined impeller and volute design flow paths, high-pressure rafting with metal and rubber liners, encapsulated rubber liners, a commercial labyrinth-style end-cover seal and a rigid bearing frame.

A fully adjustable throatbush reduces recirculation in the pump by distributing the wear evenly and assisting in prolonging the life of the pump. Throatbush adjust- ments can be made from the outside of the pump while it is in operation. The Weir Minerals WBH pump has many patented features, as there are no other pumps with similar adjustment capabilities available on the market, Gomes reveals.

The company incorporated wear-reduction technology (WRT) during the design of the WBH pump and has seen an improvement in efficiency. “It has always been a core value of ours to constantly improve on the products that we supply. The company has seen a major drive to increase the life of slurry pumps to eliminate long turnarounds. The pump also assists in reducing the total cost of ownership, decreasing the downtime and improving productivity,” notes Gomes.

The full development of the WBH slurry pump’s design started two years ago and was undertaken by the Weir Miner- als Pump Technology Centre, in Australia. Input was also received from South America, North America, South Africa and Europe. The WBH was launched globally in July 2011 and should be fully up and running in South Africa by mid- to end-February.

In the Pipeline

“Weir Minerals is concentrating on providing further improvements to its slurry pump range, while also researching various elastomer compounds and alloy combinations. Research is an ongoing activity at the company, which ensures that the latest technological devel- opments, especially those relating to wear reduction, are incorporated in products.

The minerals market forms a major part of Weir Minerals’ ongoing business, with significant growth expected across the company’s diverse product offering.