https://www.miningweekly.com

Slurry pumps exported to oil-sand fields in Canada

30th August 2013

By: Zandile Mavuso

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Features

  

Font size: - +

South Africa-based slurry pumps repairer and manufacturer Hazleton Pumps manufactured and delivered two 5.4 t Hippo submersible slurry pumps, worth R1.5-million each, to Fort McMurray’s oil-sand fields, in Canada, in June.

The company received an urgent order to manufacture two 250-300M Hippo submersible top-suction slurry pumps, with the instruction that these pumps be flown to Canada to assist in avoiding the threat of pollution.

Hazleton Pumps mentions that the Hippo submersible top-suction pump is designed to pump at a high discharged pressure and pump liquids with entrapped air. The motor chamber is filled with oil, which lubricates the bearings and the seal faces and also assists in dissipating the heat. The motor windings are manufactured in all standard voltages for 50 Hz and 60 Hz power supply.

The waterway design of the pump provides cooling and permits continuous operation without motor submergence. The sealed oil-filled motor chamber is fitted with a moisture detector to detect water entering the motor housing. Also, the double mechanical seals are at submergence pressure and not at discharge pressure.

The company further notes that the pumps are designed for fully, partial and nonsubmerged conditions. The twin volute casing is designed to balance hydraulic forces exerted on the pump shaft during operation, which promotes extended bearing and mechanical seal life.

Top-suction design eliminates air binding, which enables the pump to run dry and quickly reprime when required. The twin volute design provides a balanced lateral thrust for optimum operation of the cantilever shaft. Matched and angular contact-pair thrust bearings provide high capacity for the handling of highly specific gravity slurries.

“Oil sands (or tar sands, or more technically, bituminous sands) are a major source of unconventional oil and have only recently been considered as part of the world’s oil reserves. Natural bitumen reserves are estimated at about 250-billion barrels globally, of which about 70% are located in Alberta, Canada, covering an area of more than 140 000 km2. However, about 80% of this occurs along the Athabasca river, near Fort McMurray, and is considered suitable for surface mining,” says Hazleton Pumps director Maureen Wehmeyer.

She adds that the pumps are required to be flameproof and operate at a power supply of 4 160 V, absorbing 350 kW, while pumping slurry at a rate of 1 000 m3/h and a head of 78 m under temperature conditions varying from –40 ºC in winter, to 30 ºC in summer.

To date, Hazleton Pumps has manufactured 23 Hippo submersible slurry pumps, all of which are operating at the oil-sand fields, in Canada. Wehmeyer explains that, owing to the high cost of artisan labour in the country, it is more economical to have the pumps shipped back to South Africa for repairs when the need arises, which is an uncommon event.

“In May 2006, the first two pumps were designed and manufactured in South Africa and supplied to Canada and have been in operation ever since,” she adds.

“The normal continuous operation period for these pumps is two years before they require repairs. The two pumps that have been returned for repairs had been in ope- ration since 2008,” highlights Wehmeyer.

Although transporting the pumps back to South Africa has proven to be economical, Wehmeyer mentions that when having to re-import the pumps to Canada, Hazleton Pumps is required to make a provisional payment to the South African Revenue Services of about R500 000.

“We will only receive the money back after the pumps have been dispatched to Canada, which can take up to three weeks. This includes the time that the pumps are kept in storage at customs while the shipment is being cleared. This has a major effect on the turnaround time of the repair,” she explains.

However, Hazleton Pumps continues to export and offer its services to more overseas countries, including Russia, Australia and the rest of Africa. The company is also redesigning the Hippo submersible slurry pump range to improve efficiency and total cost of ownership to prove the reliability and efficiency of its pumps.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION