Australia-based mine dewatering specialist Challenge Pumps recently collaborated with an African underground mine’s project manager to simplify a complex existing dewatering system while improving reliability and reducing operating costs so the owner could focus more attention towards mining than systems maintenance.

The mine’s dewatering network relied on 52 individual pump stations – consisting of level-to-level submersibles, high head centrifugal pumps and low-flow helical rotor pumps – operating throughout the underground workings. Maintaining such an extensive network, notes Challenge Pumps, requires significant labour, increased energy consumption and exposed the operation to ongoing reliability risks.

When the underground mine started to experience increasing maintenance demands, rising power costs, limited redundancy, and growing operational complexity and risk, Challenge Pumps says it became clear that the existing dewatering strategy was no longer sustainable.

Rather than replacing existing equipment with like-for-like alternatives, Challenge Pumps undertook a complete review of the mine’s dewatering strategy.

Challenge Pumps engineered a highly effective underground dewatering system using high-head WEARTUFF mining helical rotor pumping technology and optimised hydraulic designs.

By selecting WT107 primary and WTX3 travelling pump stations, steel rising mains, and high-density polyethene pipework for lateral runs, Challenge Pumps says the entire network was redesigned for enhanced efficiency.

The redesigned system not only reduced operating costs but also improved reliability through full duty-standby redundancy.

The result was a “dramatically simplified” dewatering network that reduced the number of pump stations from 52 to five, states Challenge Pumps, adding that taking into account its whole solution, the mine’s yearly maintenance costs were reduced by 861% while yearly power costs were lowered 78%. Over the 25 year mine life, Challenge Pumps claims that these savings will save the miner $25-million.

Meanwhile, to simplify transportation and site logistics, the entire dewatering package provided by Challenge Pumps was prepared for export and shipped in four 40-foot containers, simplifying mobilisation and providing flexible onsite storage.