If you have a mining site where water gets clogged in one place then it is important to invest in the right mining pumps to dewater the mine. A dewatering mine pump should be capable of pumping dirty water. Dirty water should be pumped continuously. So, when choosing the right pump for your mine, you should consider the following things.
Solid volume of the water being pumped
10% on the higher side. It is important to know that abrasive wear influences the costs of maintenance of dewatering. As water moves through the pump, abrasive wear is typically proportional to the velocity. This is a consideration to make when using centrifugal pumps. PD pumps allow slurries to travel slowly through the pump.
Consider the depth of the underground sump
An important factor when focusing on the depth of the sump is the pressure that the pump needs to develop. Centrifugal pumps can offer a more economical solution up to a few hundred feet. Centrifugal pumps should be staged to develop all the required pressure. This influences the complexity of piping and maintenance, abrasive wear and so on. If the vertical distance is more than a thousand feet, several stages will be required and other things come into play.
The pumping system’s mechanical efficiency
Centrifugal pumps function along a curve of flow vs head. A BEP occurs at a certain fluid flow. As the changes in pressure occur in the system due to wear, the operation moves away from the operating point. Mining pumps manufacturers suggest that you consider a functional efficiency of a certain pumping system with centrifugal pumps at near 55%. A PD piston diaphragm pump functions with efficiencies near 90%. Additionally, the path of the slurry through a piston pump doesn’t include tight constrictions. Most systems use elastomeric diaphragms to propel the slurry. The used diaphragms are passive when it comes to interacting with the slurry. Fatigue limits are usually determinate of the life of the diaphragm and not the abrasive wear.
Gland seal water
When you use centrifugal pumps, it is important to know that they need gland seal water. You should add water to the system and this is counterintuitive since the main objective is to dispose of water. One thing you need to remember is that gland seals can be very expensive and the pumps consume a lot of electricity to operate. For example, six centrifugal pumps connected in series and each using 30gpm of land seal water at seven hundred and fifty pounds per square inch. The cost of water is about twenty-five dollars per hundred gallons. The power usage is about 19k per gland seal pump. Operation is eight thousand three hundred hours per year. This means that the gland seal water will cost over three hundred thousand dollars. These costs are saved when you use PD pumps since they don’t use gland seal water.
Power costs
When choosing mining pumps, it is important to consider the power costs. Make sure you do not use a pump that uses more power than you can afford.
