Polyurethane product manufacturer Urethane Moulded Products (UMP) is working closely with the mining industry to create abrasion-resistant polyurethane body liners and impellers for slurry pumps, which will extend the pumps’ product life, UMP CEO Trevor Carolin tells Mining Weekly.

In 2011, UMP launched a new polyurethane formulation, the UMP131, for use in sand applications, whereafter the company experienced yearly sales growth rate of 17%.

“The UMP131 formulation, which replaced the UMP241, has twice the fine-particle wet-abrasion capabilities of the UMP241 and has outperformed rubber with regard to abrasion resistance and lasts, on average, thee times longer than rubber in certain instances,” states Carolin.

The polyurethane formulation could also be used in pumps for chrome and for coal mining operations.

The UMP131 is currently used in chrome and mineral sands mining operations internationally, mostly in Chile, South America, and locally, at mining operations.

Carolin is upbeat about increasing the product’s market share in the South American mining market, as he believes there are many growth opportunities in that region.

Additionally, the product is used in other African countries, such as Zambia and Botswana.

He says UMP has supplied diamond miner De Beers’ Orapa opencast diamond mine, 240 km west of the city of Francistown, in Botswana, with various pumping and piping solutions, including the UMP131 formulation.

UMP is also supplying its latest offerings to London-listed diversified natural resources group Vedanta Resources’ Konkola copper mine, in Chingola, in the Copperbelt province of Zambia.

Other Fields

The company has recently developed specialised computer technology that can determine the abrasion and dynamic properties of a pumping application.

The technology runs on electronics and electrical engineering group Siemens’ soft- ware program, NX Nastran, which is a finite- element analysis program.

The computer program was initially used specifically for the modelling of polyure- thane wheels and the analysis of its physical properties, but, currently, assists the company in producing polyurethane pump impellers and shrouds.

The technology also assists UMP in examining the polyurethane formulations and in determining whether it will tear under stress and how it can be strengthened so that the impeller can handle the pumping pressures or power inputs and torsional effects of the slurry.
“UMP is one of the few companies worldwide that can run nonlinear finite-element analysis on hyper elastic materials. The company has been using NX Nastran since July 2011,” notes Carolin.

Advantages

Polyurethane holds many advantages, including cost savings.

“If a consumer calculates the operational cost of every ton using polyurethane components versus the operational cost of every ton using rubber components, the polyurethane is cheaper,” Carolin notes.

He adds that it is 10% better as a coefficient of friction than rubber and, owing to its abrasion resistance, it enables the pump’s materials to flow better, therefore, saving on electricity costs and the need for bigger pump motors.

Polyurethane formulations can also be adjusted, as its hardness can be engineered more easily than that of rubber, enabling it to be tailored specifically to the needs of particular applications.

Challenges

Carolin notes that mould technologies for polyurethane formulations and tooling are not cheap, which adds to the operating costs of the company.
“Polyurethane products can, at times, be difficult to market, as they are slightly more expensive than rubber,” he says, adding that polyurethane lasts, on average, two to three times longer than rubber.

Carolin explains that polyurethane raw chemicals and formulations have to be imported, as there are no required manufacturing facilities in South Africa, which adds to the overall cost of the polyurethane offerings.

UMP, as part of its marketing strategy, puts great emphasis on the long-term savings of poly- urethane, as opposed to the short- term costs of the initial purchase.

Carolin says that UMP has not been greatly affected by the mass importation of cheap Asian products, to date, as the imported polyurethane is not of the same quality as UMP’s offering.

However, he does expect Chinese importers to improve their offering, which the company will monitor.

“The Chinese are good at high-volume production requirements. UMP, on the other hand, is more focused on low-volume niche applications, which is why the company can provide a client with application-specific offer- ings, as opposed to generic solu- tions. “This enables UMP to differentiate itself and ensure it continues to retain current and attract new customers,” he asserts.

UMP mostly supplies original- equipment manufacturers with pumping systems and has conducted in-house testing, comparing its own polyurethane formulas with those of competitors. The company has found that, on average, its formulation lasts three times longer.

Going Forward

UMP is considering exporting to the South and North American mining markets, owing to the lucrative opportunities that exist in those regions, says Carolin.