A new process could offer a solution to reducing carbon emissions in iron and steel making.
BioIron™ uses raw, sustainable biomass and microwave energy instead of coal to convert Pilbara iron ore to iron in the steelmaking process. BioIron has the potential to be carbon neutral and can result in net negative emissions when linked with carbon capture and storage.
We have proven the process works using a small-scale pilot plant, and now we’re planning to test it on a larger scale.
Why is low-carbon steel important?
Making steel – the process of converting iron ore into iron and iron into steel – uses a lot of energy. Because of this – and the fact it’s used in so many things – steel making is responsible for around 8% of all global emissions.
Most of these emissions are created during the industrial process transforming iron ore – the raw material – into metal. Decarbonising the way iron (and therefore steel) is made could make a significant contribution to reducing global emissions.
We worked with experts from the University of Nottingham, England and Metso Outotec, a specialist in sustainable technologies, to prove BioIron works on a small scale, and now we’re scaling it up to a continuous pilot plant with a capacity of one tonne per hour.
Rio and Metso strengthen BioIron partnership
Metso has been awarded a detailed design and engineering contract from Rio Tinto for its continuous pilot plant (CPP) on behalf of the BioIron process.
The BioIron process uses raw biomass instead of metallurgical coal as a reductant and microwave energy to convert Pilbara iron ore to metallic iron in the steelmaking process.
According to Rio Tinto, it has the potential to be carbon neutral and can result in net negative emissions when linked with carbon capture and storage.
The new contract awarded to Metso from Rio Tinto serves as an extension of the work both companies have been doing together on the development of the BioIron process since December 2022.
Rio Tinto proved the effectiveness of the process using ores from its mines in Australia in a small-scale pilot plant in Germany after testing by Rio Tinto, Metso and the University of Nottingham’s Microwave Process Engineering Group was conducted for 18 months.
Through this new contract, Rio Tinto aims to move further towards the full-scale implementation of the BioIron technology through the CPP operation, and Metso will deliver the detailed design of the CPP’s reduction furnace and other equipment for the BioIron process.
Rio Tinto general manager of steel decarbonisation David Leigh said this is an important step in developing the BioIron technology.
“This work is the key next step in the development of the BioIron technology and builds on the success of the research and development team,” Leigh said.
Metso director of ferrous metals Matthias Gabriel echoed similar sentiments.
“We are very excited to continue the close working relationship with Rio Tinto and to provide engineering and design support as we move to the next phase of development of the BioIron technology,” Gabriel said.
Pump type Electrical submersible One-phase and Three-phase
Classification IP 68
Max submersion 20m
Cable SUBCAB
Discharge connection Hose
ISO-G or NPT
Limitations ph 5-8
Max liquid temp 40°C
Product code 8110.281; Based on the same basic design as the drainage pumps, the sludge pumps come into action when the liquid gets dirtier than can be handled by the drainage pumps. The design even permits converting between drainage and sludge models allowing you to adapt the pump according to the varying conditions.
Derrick Corporation’s gold screening equipment can minimise maintenance and increase production.
Derrick Corporation’s innovative gold screening equipment allows customers to get more out of their operations.
Gold has been an integral part of the Australian mining environment for centuries. But as ore deposits get deeper and harder to access, processing equipment must keep up to ensure the precious metal can be mined for years to come.
Derrick Corporation has committed itself to developing new and innovative screening equipment to advance gold processing, while also contributing to a favourable investment return for its customers.
“A lot of our innovations come from providing solutions to our current customers,” Derrick general manager mining Garth Hay told Australian Mining.
“For example, the development of the G-Vault (urethane interstage screen) came from a customer complaint about their interstage screen being one of the bottlenecks of their system.”
Over a number of years, Derrick has developed screening solutions to minimise the maintenance a customer has to undertake and to reduce environmental impact.
These new designs and capabilities permit screens to replace more traditional flowsheet elements.
“A Derrick Stack Sizer can replace the hydrocyclones in a grinding circuit, resulting in greater recovery at reduced power consumption per tonne,” Hay said.
“Derrick machines provide superior performance in a smaller footprint, which can offer a huge advancement for a gold plant. By replacing old hydrocyclone technology with modern high-frequency vibrating screens, overall plant capacity can increase by 20 to 50 per cent.”
The G-Vault complete interstage unit is the latest addition to the Derrick gold processing portfolio. The G-Vault employs a modular approach, combining a screen surface with a robust and easy-to-connect support structure.
“The G-Vault features tapered openings and can withstand higher temperatures, contributing to its non-blinding characteristics,” Hay said.
“These non-blinding and abrasion-resistant properties result in a screen with higher throughput, increased life and less maintenance, all of which lead to a more efficient recovery of gold.”
The G-Vault, which has been installed in multiple locations around the world, has been met with wide acclaim.
“Customers are happy to report benefits from a maintenance and production standpoint,” Hay said. “From a maintenance side, we are decreasing man hours spent on maintaining a piece of equipment which in turn helps to reduce risk on-site. From a production standpoint, the G-Vault can increase flow, help mitigate carbon loss and run a consistent CIP (carbon in pulp) or CIL (carbon in leach) system.”
One of Derrick’s primary objectives is to minimise operational costs by developing highly durable machines.
For example, the Derrick integrated vibratory motors feature maintenance-free components that eliminate the need for routine maintenance and downtime. Used in conjunction with Derrick’s long-lasting Polyweb urethane panels, these motors enable clients to achieve optimal availability of their equipment.
The extensive research that goes into the development of these machines helps to ensure a high gold recovery rate and seamless user experience.
This research has evolved into the development of a range of screening solutions to address various gold-processing needs, including hydrocyclone overflow trash duty, tailings carbon safety, in-tank interstage carbon retention, de-gritting, loaded carbon, carbon sizing, carbon dewatering, gravity protection separation, and carbon column safety.
“Our focus has always been to reduce operation expenses by creating more robust machines,” Hay said.
“We have found our customers achieve higher availability with our machines. For example, once the G-Vault is installed, it can be operated for approximately six months before it is required to be changed.
“Other similar solutions may need weekly maintenance, which comes at extra man hours and a loss of tonnes. The G-Vault provides operational, production and safety benefits that increase profitability.”
With a new Australian office now open in Queensland, Derrick is ideally placed to help its customers make the most of its gold processing solutions, no matter the location.
It has long been a trusted mining partner of countries across the world, but there is urgency for Australia to expand its downstream options as the world decarbonises.
Any new industry can present a race to the top, with early adopters best placed to capitalise on new market share and gain a competitive advantage.
This is the case in the context of decarbonisation, where more and more countries are recognising the commercial opportunities that come with establishing the net-zero power sources of a cleaner future.
The situation represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and Australia is beginning to understand the role it can play in supporting the green transformation.
Having established itself as a mining superpower, Australia is already a key supplier of the materials driving the world’s renewable energy technologies. But the country can be more than the world’s green-energy quarry, with opportunities to look further downstream and establish vertically integrated renewable industries onshore.
One avenue could be to develop a local battery supply chain, something the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) sees as a particularly urgent commercial pathway.
“The clean-energy transition is moving faster,” FBICRC chief executive officer Shannon O’Rourke told Australian Mining. “Government spending on clean energy has increased 30 per cent in the past two years.
“Greater subsidies are driving electric vehicle (EV) demand and increasing commodity prices and volumes. In the past 18 months, the opportunity for Australia has doubled.”
FBICRC released a report in March suggesting Australia’s battery opportunity could contribute $16.9 billion to the Australian economy by 2030.
The report, Charging Ahead – Australia’s Battery Powered Future, highlights Australia’s mining and geological upside, particularly in the production and endowment of critical minerals, and how this can support capabilities further downstream.
This not only encompasses battery manufacturing but other segments in the value chain, such as refining and active materials.
“Australia is cost-competitive across the entire value chain,” O’Rourke said. “We are eight per cent cheaper than Indonesia to produce advanced materials and five per cent cheaper than the United States to produce cells.”
Australia also has a significant advantage in refining, with the potential to be the world’s cheapest producer of lithium hydroxide monohydrate (LHM) through upstream integration in the supply chain. This is the result of Australia’s abundant lithium reserves and mining capacity, which creates natural synergies with downstream applications.
Some Australian companies are already harnessing onshore lithium hydroxide opportunities, with Mineral Resources (MinRes) and IGO producing the refined product from their downstream processing facilities in Kemerton and Kwinana, respectively.
The Kemerton plant sources spodumene concentrate – a raw lithium material – from the Greenbushes lithium mine in WA, which is part owned by MinRes’ Kemerton partner, Albemarle Corporation.
IGO’s Kwinana plant, which it owns in partnership with Tianqi Lithium Corporation, also sources spodumene from Greenbushes.
The lithium hydroxide produced from Kemerton and Kwinana is then shipped offshore for further processing before it is upgraded to active materials such as lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) or nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) – two key cathode inputs for renewable batteries.
But demand for Australia’s upstream products is not solely coming from overseas, with a growing local renewable energy sector seeking more materials than ever.
“Australia’s local demand is skyrocketing,” O’Rourke said. “Bloomberg reports that Australia has the largest pipeline of energy storage projects behind China, and a recent Sunwiz report shows that Australia’s behind-the-meter battery storage market is up 55 per cent year on year.”
The Australian Government is funding eight large-scale batteries to be built across the country, storing renewable energy and reducing the reliance on fossil-fuel power generation. Project locations extend from Victoria’s Surf Coast all the way up to Queensland’s tropical north.
Building independent capabilities is important, but for Australia to effectively harness its battery opportunity, it needs to tackle the matter holistically.
“Building an ecosystem is like trying to solve the chicken-and-egg problem,” O’Rourke said. “A healthy ecosystem needs multiple suppliers, customers and producers, supported by service companies, a flexible workforce, the research sector and government.
“Building that incrementally could take decades, and no other country is taking that approach. Industrial growth is non-linear and needs to be supported by trade and accelerated by domestic support.
“Australia is in a good position. It has multiple projects either announced or operating across all elements of the value chain including refining, materials, (and) cell and system manufacturing.
“We have a complete value chain today, including cell manufacturers. The challenge is building out more capacity and scaling up.”
FBICRC believes Australia can be competitive all the way from refining to manufacturing, but the country must find its sweet spot.
“We do not need to match China’s scale; rather we need to achieve minimum economic scale,” O’Rourke said. “Our minerals strength, our secure supply and our ESG (environmental, social and governance) credentials help sharpen our competitive edge.
“Australia has two cell manufacturing projects which meet this minimum scale: Recharge Industries’ 30-gigawatt-hour-per-annum project in Avalon (Victoria) and Energy Renaissance 5.3-gigawatt-hour-per-annum project in Tomago (New South Wales).
“The NRF (National Reconstruction Fund) and other support mechanisms can help Australia’s lighthouse projects get to scale and develop their supporting industries to build a competitive ecosystem.”
The Australian Government introduced the NRF in October 2022, contributing $15 billion to transform several future-facing industries, including renewable energy and downstream opportunities within the resources sector.
Federal support has also been flowing via the Critical Minerals Development Program, which recently provided close to $50 million in grants for emerging upstream and downstream projects.
This included $6.5 million of funding for Australian Strategic Materials’ Dubbo rare earths project in NSW, $4.7 million for International Graphite’s ‘mine-to-market’ graphite strategy in WA, and $4.6 million for IGO’s integrated precursor cathode active material (pCAM) facility in WA.
IGO is developing its downstream project in partnership with Andrew Forrest-backed Wyloo Metals, demonstrating the power of collaboration in Australia’s downstream ventures.
Collaboration is also a key part of FBICRC’s work and underpins its own pilot plant, is exploring the local production of NCM cathode materials.
“There is a strong collaborative spirit supporting our cathode precursor production pilot plant facility, where we are currently manufacturing high performance materials to world standard,” O’Rourke said.
“Four universities and 18 other businesses have come together to build and demonstrate an Australian manufacturing capability.”
Key mining industry players such as BHP, Allkem, IGO, Cobalt Blue, Lycopodium and BASF have come together with FBICRC to further Australia’s understanding of the active materials industry.
Australia’s battery opportunity is there for all to see, and there are enough developments to suggest that an integrated supply chain could be established.
But for it to happen, Australia must be firing on all cylinders, with stakeholders right across the battery supply chain working together to make this dream a reality.
This magnetic separator is installed at a rock crushing plant – check out what this magnet is extracting.
These chunky contaminants can damage parts of machinery, which are costly to repair. Not only do these magnets prevent the damage, they also play an important role in improving product purity.
AspenTech is providing intelligent digital solutions to the mining industry, helping reduce downtime and emissions while maximising asset performance.
Mobile and fixed equipment plant maintenance is one of the costliest parts of a mining operation. This stems from the fact that site operators typically rely on preventive maintenance schedules designed by the original equipment manufacturer.
But this system is too rigid to depend on, and can fail to account for variations in the use of equipment, different working environments and the effects of extreme weather. It’s the equivalent of ignoring the warning light in a car because it’s still got three months until the next service.
There is a better way of doing things, and it’s called prescriptive maintenance. AspenTech’s Aspen Mtell solution offers the mining industry exactly that.
Aspen Mtell is a predictive and prescriptive maintenance solution that uses machine learning to monitor equipment in real-time for imminent and future failures.
“Companies are facing increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint and improve operational efficiency in order to meet global climate targets,” senior industry marketing consultant for AspenTech, Brandon Richardson, told Australian Mining. “To deal with these challenges, many companies are turning to digitalisation solutions.
“AspenTech offers advanced digitalisation solutions specifically designed to assist companies in the mining industry to achieve their sustainability goals and improve operational efficiency, while also minimising costly environmental and safety risks.
“AspenTech’s asset performance management solutions provide a comprehensive suite of tools, including Aspen Mtell, to monitor and optimise performance of mining assets.”
By monitoring machine performance round-the-clock, the Mtell software can recognise patterns indicative of degradation and impending failure. These early warnings give site operators the chance to plan maintenance weeks – and sometimes months – ahead, rather than reactively working through equipment failures at the expense of time and money.
“The high costs associated with maintenance, repairs, and downtime can be a significant burden for mining companies,” Richardson said.
“AspenTech helps address these challenges by providing predictive maintenance solutions that can reduce downtime and maintenance costs.”
Aspen Mtell has been tried and tested in the field, and the results speak for themselves.
“A particular mining client was having difficulty predicting when maintenance was required on their trucks, resulting in frequent breakdowns and increased maintenance costs,” Richardson said.
“By implementing Aspen Mtell, the company was able to analyse sensor data from the trucks and develop predictive models called agents that could accurately forecast maintenance needs.
“This allowed the company to proactively schedule maintenance, reducing unplanned downtime and improving overall equipment reliability.”
Aspen Mtell is also making operations safer. In one instance, the software flagged a failure in a customer’s oil heater.
“In those types of industrial machines, a failure would have meant hot oil vaporising cold water, which would have caused a rapid steam explosion,” Richardson said.
“A failure would have had catastrophic safety implications, but thanks to Aspen Mtell, the site operator was able to take pre-emptive action and avoid an accident.”
Aspen Mtell pairs well with another AspenTech solution, known as advanced process control (APC). APC provides real-time control and optimisation of equipment, helping mining companies make their operations run as efficiently as possible.
“APC enables mining companies to optimise their production processes and reduce energy consumption,” Richardson said. “AspenTech APM and APC solutions help mining companies to make data-driven decisions that improve process efficiency, optimise production, and reduce environmental impact.
“The integration of AspenTech APM and APC solutions ensures that mining companies can achieve their sustainability objectives while remaining competitive in an uncertain economic environment.”
Energy efficiency and safety play a huge role in achieving environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets, meaning solutions like Aspen Mtell are vital for staying competitive in an evolving mining market.
And ESG targets are much more than just a peripheral consideration.
There is tangible value for mining companies in maintaining safe and responsible worksites, and in reducing emissions in line with the global push for net-zero.
Social and environmental practices are becoming essential for mining companies to secure a social license to operate. Demonstrating such responsibility helps project approvals go smoother, which directly translates to a faster timeline and profitability.
In this way, intelligent solutions like AspenTech APM and APC not only help keep expenses under control, but add real value for AspenTech’s mining industry clients.
“AspenTech is committed to helping its clients in the mining industry achieve sustainable, cost effective, and optimised operations,” Richardson said.
“The company has a network of experts of who can provide support and guidance throughout the implementation process, ensuring clients get the most out of their investment.”
The Astec GT2612V high-frequency screen has assisted a nickel miner in New Caledonia in re-processing nickel waste.
Astec and mining contractor Salmon NC have developed a bespoke waste retreatment screening solution for a major nickel miner in New Caledonia. And Astec’s screening offerings don’t stop there.
As we near a net-zero reality, there is an increasing need for more materials to develop the necessary green technologies.
Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar require up to five times more copper than comparable non-renewable technologies, while the World Economic Forum believes demand for lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) could surpass three million tonnes by 2030. The world produced 540,000 tonnes of LCE in 2021.
LCE, derived from lithium raw material, spodumene concentrate, is a critical material in renewable batteries used in electric vehicles (EVs).
While primary production will remain key, as mineral demand increases into the future amid growing decarbonisation, mining companies will need to be more creative in how they commercialise their material.
A nickel mine in New Caledonia, some 1200km east of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, is doing just that.
SLN (Société Le Nickel), which operates a nickel smelter and several mines on the island, has established a unique method for recycling nickel slag – a major by-product of the nickel refining process – with the assistance of mining contractor Salmon NC and leading mining equipment supplier Astec.
The recycled nickel slag is sold into a variety of markets, including the abrasives industry in the US, where it is used as a sandblasting medium.
While heavy equipment hire has always been Salmon NC’s bread and butter, chief executive officer Chris Salmon turned to Astec when it came to finding the specialty equipment needed to re-process nickel slag.
“I’d known Astec from a past life when I was involved in basalt quarrying, and they’ve always come really well referenced,” Salmon told Australian Mining. “I’d reached out to some industry contacts explaining what I was trying to achieve and Astec’s high-frequency screens were mentioned a couple of times by people I trusted.”
Salmon got in touch with Shaun Quinn, Astec’s senior account manager, materials solutions – northern region, and before too long an Astec GT2612V high-frequency screen had made its way to New Caledonia.
“Shaun was very helpful in identifying the type of unit we wanted,” Salmon said. “We were looking at fixed and tracked solutions, but we chose the tracked machine because we needed mobility around how we were building our stockpiles.
“We’ve been impressed by Astec’s after-sales support, too. We need that support given we’re quite isolated in New Caledonia.”
The Astec GT2612V high-frequency screen has 10 vibrators that directly-induce vibration into the bed of material at between 3600–4200 revolutions per minute (RPM), to ensure increased probability of stratification and material separation.
A unique media rotary tensioning system used on the high-frequency screens means operators of the GT2612V can quickly and efficiently change screen media when switching between applications, supporting a more efficient and productive operation.
And while the GT2612V is powerful, it’s also versatile.
“The screen itself is made up of four six-by-six-foot panels, with the first panels on each deck having three independently adjustable vibrators,” Quinn told Australian Mining.
“The screen operates between 28–43° of inclination, with the vibrators running at up to 4200RPM with as much as 2mm of stroke, so you can ensure they are optimised for each application.
“On average, these machines can induce around 10g of force into the material if you’re running them flat out, but you can also de-tune individual sections accordingly to stop ‘pop-corning’, or the bouncing of the raw material, from occurring.”
The GT2612V was delivered and commissioned to New Caledonia in November 2022 and has been processing large volumes of material ever since.
The process involves feeding stockpiled nickel slag through a static grid to remove larger agglomerates before it reaches the high-frequency screen, which then refines the product into a usable material.
“Minus-50mm material is sent to the high-frequency screen, which separates anything bigger than 4mm,” Quinn said. “Anything smaller is finished product in this application.”
The GT2612V’s adjustability came in handy when the Salmon NC team discovered the nickel slag material was more abrasive than anticipated.
“This briefly caused some operational issues for us,” Salmon said.
“But the Astec support team was fantastic. They helped us make tweaks and adjustments to settings and flow rates, and alter the way we were processing the material to best deal with its abrasive nature.
“Now we’re getting the best out of the machine itself, and the best operational efficiency.”
Since the six-foot-wide GT2612V arrived in New Caledonia in November 2022, Astec has developed a larger eight-foot-wide, 18-foot-long high-frequency screen. Quinn said the new model, launched at CONEXPO in Las Vegas in mid-March, enables greater capacity.
But when finding the right screen for a customer and for a particular application, bigger is not necessarily better.
“It comes down to what customers are looking for,” Quinn said. “If they don’t have room to set up a fixed plant, and if they want something that’s mobile and able to be utilised in a tighter, confined space – as with Salmon NC and the nickel slag application – the tracked screen is ideal.
“But if you’ve got a bit more room, and you’re going to go down the path of investing in a fixed plant, Astec’s new eight-foot-wide screen is going to be something to consider.
Astec’s high-frequency screens will be increasingly important as mineral demand increases amid growing decarbonisation.
“The bottom line is the technology works and, with its multiple tuning options, we will ensure screens are optimised to suit any application and material.”
Quinn said that just a few weeks on from CONEXPO, Astec had already sold two of the eight-foot-wide screens into the local market.
Astec can also build a ‘hybrid machine’ for its customers.
“The offshoot of these machines is our multi-frequency screen,” Quinn said.
“These incorporate a conventional screening action throughout the whole screen but also utilise our high-frequency technology on the bottom deck.
“The high-frequency action provides additional vibration directly into the media on the bottom deck which helps with separation in finer material or wetter applications.“
Whether it’s the GT2612V, the new eight-foot-wide screen, the multi-frequency option, or any other bespoke screening solution, Astec has a solution to suit any mineral processing application. Astec’s screens are proven in repurposing mine waste for a major nickel miner in New Caledonia, and many other Australian mining companies and contractors can attest to the supplier’s capability.
Martin Engineering, a global leader in high-performance conveyor components, has introduced a new standard in wear liner technology.
The Manufactured Canoe Liner is made from durable urethane molded around a rugged steel plate to absorb impact and abrasion from the punishing bulk handling environment.
With the protective plate integrated directly into the urethane liner, the design delivers superior shielding of the skirt sealing system and chute wall from heavy, fast-moving cargo. The result is extended equipment life, longer periods of dust and spillage control, improved safety and less maintenance, reducing the overall cost of operation.
“This is a shift in the engineering and role of wear liners,” Martin Engineering manager of conveyor products Dave Mueller said.
“Like most conveyor components, the design has evolved into a component that is more effective, safer to maintain and more reliable.”
Previously, most wear liners were sheets of steel welded onto the internal chute wall of the conveyor loading zone. These protected the wall from the punishing effects of splashing, shifting and abrasive material. But since they are wear parts, periodic replacement of these early designs involved enclosed chute entry and hot work using a blow torch, which required certification and supervision, while running the risk of igniting explosive dust.
The steel plates generally did not effectively protect the rubber skirt seal, leading to more frequent skirt replacements. Moreover, the wear liner’s position often left a gap between the liner and the skirting, which captured small lumps of material that could damage the belt. These design issues resulted in excessive downtime, premature equipment replacement and extra labor to monitor and maintain.
The Martin Manufactured Canoe Liner is an engineered urethane strip molded directly around a protective steel plate. The unique approach avoids the bonding issues common to previous designs, preventing urethane separation from the plate that could damage the belt and enclosure.
Each section has a series of two inch (51 mm) long bracket holes for vertical adjustment. The bottom belt side of the liner is cut to an optional 20º, 35º, or 45º angle to maximise belt sealing and protect the softer material of the skirt seal from premature wear.
Depending on the weight and abrasiveness of the conveyed material, customers can choose a urethane thickness of 1.3-2 inches (33-51 mm).
Delivered in storable cartridges 48 inches (1219 mm) in length, the units can be cut on site to match the needs of the chute. The cartridges can also be installed vertically on top of one another to accommodate taller chute walls or raised enclosures. Like the lower sections, the upper units can be adjusted as well.
As material gradually erodes the Manufactured Canoe Liner, the bottom trough angle continues to protect the skirting. If there are significant gaps between the belt and liner, each individual cartridge can be adjusted by a single technician using a socket wrench.
Replacement is easy by simply removing the worn units, mounting each new cartridge, and cutting the end piece to fit. This reduces what used to be a one or two day job to one to two hours.
“Martin is constantly seeking to innovate every aspect of the bulk handling process with the goal of making it safer, more effective and easier to maintain,” Mueller said.
“The introduction of the Manufactured Canoe Liner achieves our objectives by improving efficiency and lowering the cost of operation.”
Weir Minerals, manufacturer of the Warman slurry pump, has released the latest edition of its Warman Slurry Pumping Handbook.
The sixth edition, compiled by one of the most trusted names in slurry pumps, features detailed engineering data required for most slurry pumping applications.
Drawing on decades of Weir Minerals’ in-house expertise in innovative engineering and slurry pumping technology, the new handbook has updated reference material based on new information, improved understanding and technological developments within the mining industry.
With customers always in mind, the handbook aims to empower engineers to achieve optimal performance from their Warman slurry pumps. An increased global focus on the environment, energy consumption and water conservation will influence slurry pump design and considerations – making this latest handbook an essential tool for all current and future pump engineers.
“Pumping slurry has many challenges and I’m excited to publish our latest handbook, packed with fundamental theory, application advice, standard practices and latest Warman learnings from the field, all aimed to help our customers, present and future, deliver with excellence,” Weir Minerals slurry pumping technology group director Marcus Lane said.
Weir Minerals are continually striving to shape the next generation of smart, efficient and sustainable solutions with cutting-edge science and innovation. The comprehensive handbook includes over 140 pages of detailed information, including performance charts, impeller design, part configuration, assembly and slurry considerations, all fully supported by accurate technical renders and specifications.
“The high quality of the reference material in this essential resource reflects the leading status of the Warman slurry pumps,” Weir Minerals global engineering and technology vice president John McNulty said.
“As the industry leader, we have a responsibility to develop our future engineers; we will make the latest version of the Warman Slurry Pumping Handbook available not only to our customers, but also to the leading schools worldwide, so they can learn from the best in the industry.”
As part of Weir Minerals’ commitment to investing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and developing the next generation of engineers, copies of this resource will be gifted to the leading mining and engineering educational facilities around the world, including the winner of the 2022 Warman Design & Build competition, Deakin University in Australia.
By paying close attention to the sealing solution used in the gland area of slurry pumps, mining operators can increase productivity – and profitability.
Slurry pumps are the workhorses of mining operations, helping to efficiently transport ore in the form of slurry throughout the site. Unfortunately, they are also often one of the more trouble-prone parts of many plants, with the abrasive nature of mining slurries taking a high toll on pump components.
A particular stress point is the gland area, where mechanical seals or packing are used to prevent leakage. Sealing solutions that are of poor quality or that are ill-suited to the application at hand can greatly increase maintenance demands, and lead to unplanned stoppages and excessive water use.
Mining operators looking to increase the efficiency of their slurry pumps – and in turn the whole operation – should spend time analysing their slurry and choose a tailored sealing solution that can cope with the inherent stresses.
Some of the factors to consider when analysing the slurry include the hardness and abrasiveness of the slurry; the amount and weight of solids being carried; and the salinity, chemical composition and temperature of the slurry. These can all impact heavily on component wear.
Armed with this information, operators can make a more informed choice about what kind of features are required from a sealing solution, be it a mechanical seal or packing. While uptake of mechanical seals is varied across mining settings, they have the potential to extend time between maintenance intervals by up to four times compared to packing. However, a slightly higher level of training is required among maintenance staff.
How to choose the right seal and packing
So, what factors should be considered when choosing a mechanical seal?
A good seal should have a stationary sprung design with non-clogging springs and micro-polished dynamic O-ring surfaces. It should also have the flexibility to add erosion protection features, like polyurethane in applications where the slurry is extremely abrasive.
Additionally, a good mechanical seal should also be flexible enough to add support features to prolong operating life, such as quench/drain and flush. It should have line-to-line seal faces, and be designed with generous cross sections and a robust drive mechanism that can mount on hardened pump sleeves.
For packing, the yarn needs to be sufficiently strong to prevent the slurry from penetrating into the fibre. It should be woven in a manner that creates a torturous leak path.
The packing needs to be low friction for low energy consumption and to reduce any damage to the rotating shaft, despite the presence of slurry. It should also be flexible enough to transfer the axial energy into radial load and maintain a positive seal for prolonged periods. Thereby reducing the amount of follower adjustments required during the life of the packing.
In conclusion, slurry pumps play a crucial role in mining operations. By examining operating conditions and requirements and choosing an appropriate sealing solution, pump uptime can be increased, water consumption reduced, and high productivity maintained.
Want to know more?
To find out how to choose the best pump sealing solution for mining slurry operations, download the white paper.
