Mining equipment supplier Becker Mining South Africa, part of the Becker Group of companies, has introduced a new range of locally manu- factured slurry and solids transfer pumps.

“The Alert Pumpmor hydrosolids (HS) pump is manufactured according to stringent original-equipment manufacturer specifications and is designed to handle large, stringy and abrasive solids in tough environments,” says Becker Mining South Africa’s Welkom branch manager, Gavin Swart.

He adds that Alert Pumpmor HS pumps are used in many applications on mines, including carbon transfer, and are manufactured by Becker Group at its Bellambie mining and industrial manufacturing factory in Welkom, in the Free State.

The open-vane design of the range ensures reduced carbon breakage, compared with the rubber-lined closed-vane design of conventional pumps.

“A total of 150 units of the HS pumps, in 80 mm and 100 mm sizes, were placed on contract at a platinum mine in Rustenburg, in the North West, where they are currently used as spillage pumps in key areas of the plant,” he says.

Further, a platinum mine, in the North West, bought seven units for dewatering purposes at one of its shafts, while a platinum producer had the unit installed on a test basis as a spillage cleaner at its plant in the North West. It is considering replacing all its existing pumps with Alert Pumpmor HS pumps.

“The heavy-duty design of the wet end of the pumps increases service life, with minimal maintenance requirements. The pumps also offer substantial power-consumption savings,” states Swart.

He says the pump’s design further enables the efficient transfer of slurry in the most cost-effective way, and its high levels of efficiency ensure significant electricity savings.

“In comparison with the pumps of our competitors, consumers save about 10% on electricity consumption because of the mechanical efficiency of the pump,” Swart asserts.

The HS model pumps, with capacities of up to 636 m3/h, can offer pressures of up to 40 m. Owing to the recessed, nonclog impeller, solids or fibrous material of up to 200 mm can enter the suction inlet and be expelled through the pump discharge, depending on the size of the pump.

The wet components of the pump are extra- thick cast chrome iron, which has been hardened to withstand abrasive materials and acids of between pH4 and pH8, and temperatures of up to 130 ºC.
“The pump’s shaft is manufactured from EN8-grade carbon steel, while its bearing frame is constructed from cast iron,” says Swart, adding that high-strength pipe columns maintain alignment between the bearing frame and its casing.

The stuffing box of the pump reduces blowback of the materials being pumped around the shaft sleeve without requiring sealing contact and it has no submerged bottom bearings.

“There are six pump sizes in the HS range – smaller models handle specific gravity (SG) of up to 1.1, while larger models handle SGs of up to 1.5. The HS pumps are also available with submersible motors, designed for efficient operation in hazardous environments,” he says.

All components are locally manufactured, making the pumps readily available, and a large stockholding of spares and raw materials ensures quick delivery.

Swart notes that another advantage of the design is that the bulk of the spares are interchangeable with other models, which reduces inventory management costs and simplifies on-site repairs.

Alert Pumpmor pumps are available from Becker Mining South Africa in horizontal end suction, vertical spindle and submersible configurations in different materials to suit specific applications in mining and general industry.

The company employs a fully inte- grated International Organisation for Standardisation quality management system as part of a dedicated design, manufacturing, testing and repair facility.