When a mine’s pumps run well, so does the mine. Weir can help customers get their pumps in order.
Weir is committed to improving productivity for its customers, centring its ethos on combining knowledge, wisdom, and technology.
“As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), we’re focused on partnering with miners to provide them with not only equipment solutions based on their operational requirements, but also product and process expertise,” Weir minerals divisional director – centrifugal pump product management Elias Aho said.
Mines can be challenging environments, often located in remote regions that are difficult to service.
This remoteness means equipment is subject to a lot of stress, which can lead to failures and loss of production.
This is true of all equipment, explained Weir, but particularly pumps.
“If a pump stops working, production on that line halts,” the company said. “At a Peruvian copper mine, two replicated feed cyclone pumps were installed to reduce costs.
“Weir’s engineers had previously advised operators that replicated pumps and spare parts would increase their maintenance burden and expose them to a greater risk of unplanned shutdowns and production loss.”
Image: Weir
Responding to the concerns, the operators agreed to compare the performance of Warman pumps versus replicated pumps to understand the total operating cost of each.
“While the circuit’s Warman pumps with genuine OEM parts achieved their forecast wear life before wet-end replacement, the replicated pumps suffered eight premature failures in six campaigns,” Weir said.
“The longest-lasting replicator frame plate liner insert managed just half of the genuine Warman part’s life before failing.”
Without a stand-by pump, these failures increased the maintenance burden for the miner and impacted production. One failure resulted in slurry leaking from the frame plate, requiring the emergency shutdown of a ball mill.
“Weir has a global network of state-of-the-art factories and foundries manufacturing its Warman pump spares,” Aho said.
“Slurry pumps and parts require specific heat treatment, along with a variety of proprietary moulding and pouring techniques for high-quality casting with all the required mechanical properties.
“Our genuine Warman parts are manufactured to be the proper dimensional and hydraulic fit with our supplied volutes and liners. These complex manufacturing processes can’t be reverse engineered.”
The failure of critical components can lead to safety concerns, posing significant risk of injury.
“The slurry can be toxic, corrosive and hot,” Aho said. “It can also cause high-energy brittle fracture projectiles, which endanger personnel working in the vicinity.
“Even tiny gaps between imperfectly replicated components can lead to leakage, vibration or excessive stress concentration.
“With Weir’s stringent quality control and extensive safety testing, customers can be assured that their genuine Warman parts are manufactured from the highest-quality materials and designed to operate under demanding conditions.”
This feature appeared in the August–September 2024 issue of PNG Mining.