Commenting on the adoption of peristaltic pumps in the mining sector, which it says achieves water savings of 71% on average, pumps manufacturer Watson-Marlow Pumps Group points to the simultaneous cost savings mining companies achieve.

“The importance of water cannot be underestimated, and consequently all mines must assess the impact of mining on local and regional water quantity and quality in order to retain a social licence to operate. With this in mind, best practice water management is the new trend that defines credibility for the mining industry, while negating the potential impact of additional costs,” explains Watson-Marlow Pumps Group GM Nico van Schalkwyk.

He further notes that among the key drivers for water reduction in the mining sector are the increasing price of water and the limited availability of water at mines located in desert areas or at altitude.

The company highlights that peristaltic pumps can be considered as water-saving devices because they do not require seal gland water, therefore eliminating the requirements to either treat process wastewater or provide pumped service water.

“Pumps such as these can play a key role in new management trends like water balance modelling. The less time a mine requires to pump, add or remove water in the course of processes, usually, the more this translates into reduced operating costs,” Van Schalkwyk points out.

He adds that peristaltic pumps can also be considered as inherent metering pumps, offering high repeatability. Also, many models include integral digital drives with Profibus control – which is used to operate sensors and actuators through a centralised controller in production automation applications. As a result of this, there is no need for separate variable frequency drives or complex control devices when a company uses peristaltic pumps.

Also, peristaltic pumps accommodate high continuous flow rates and are extremely durable. There are no internal universal joints, valves, dead corners or glands to impede flow and they are reversible for back-flushing.

Other benefits of peristaltic pumps include the elimination of mechanical seal flush water needed by centrifugal pumps, less storage requirement for tailings (the number of basins can be reduced) and lower environmental risk.

Van Schalkwyk says another potential area of savings for mine operators who make use of the peristaltic pumps is through accurate chemical metering. Peristaltic pumps maintain the flotation rates of ore extracts to ensure economical use of expensive chemicals and create significant process efficiencies.

“The upshot is that peristaltic pumps have become first choice in mines throughout the world, for applications that include dosing process reagents and pumping shear-sensitive polymers for flocculation and coagulation, abrasive lime slurries for pH control, or corrosive chemicals, such as cyanide, for gold recovery.

“Ultimately, more and more mining industry customers are turning to peristaltic technology. This is because peristaltic pumps can help reduce downtime and operating costs, and manage and reduce water inventories. Chemical usage and maintenance costs are also reduced, while greater conformance to environmental regulations is assured,” he concludes.