HOW TO SAVE 8M LITRES OF WATER A YEAR
GLOBAL Pumps’ new mechanical seal, the SlurryPro Elite, is a completely flush-less seal that doesn’t require any form of seal flush water to stay lubricated.
Based in South Australia, the company supplies mines and industry around the world with innovative pumping technology.
Global Pumps’ new seal, the SlurryPro Elite, can be retrofitted into all existing pumps and will eliminate extraneous gland water pumps, water injecting, contaminated water storage and constant management issues.
The addition of the seal will also reduce unplanned downtime of the slurry pumping process on sites.
The secret to the design is explained by Global Pumps’ Sales Director Darren Seeley.
“A patented conical design, engineered in Italy, circulates the slurry around the seal, and uses the slurry itself as the cooling mechanism,” he said.
“The aim is to eliminate the flow-off effects and band aid solutions being implemented on sites to maintain current sealing methods.”
Global Pumps’ SlurryPro Elite removes the multiple requirements of leaking glands including the safety aspect of regularly tightening gland packing on live equipment; addition of gland water distribution through the slurry pump; and the need for removing the water further down the process stream.
Eliminate the extras
With the SlurryPro Elite, Global Pumps has removed the undesirable flow-on effects of the slurry process.
In a traditional slurry pump, using either a gland pack or a regular mechanical seal, flushing water needs to be sourced from a dam or reservoir on site or transported and piped from elsewhere.
This separate source of water is injected into the pump and consequently dilutes the slurry.
In some cases, this water also leaks out from the back of the pump, creating an environmental and health and safety hazard. Slurry pumps are typically mounted in a bunded area containing a sump pump which runs to extract the leaking gland water, consuming energy.
Most of the gland water ends up in the slurry stream which must be later removed or evaporated. The SlurryPro Elite seal does not require an extra source of process water, removing the entire piping infrastructure, clean up and storage process.
Water is the new gold
In current dry conditions, mines have limited access to our precious resource. The injected water that is required to flush the gland packing or traditional mechanical seal needs be sourced from somewhere.
A lack of regional water has resulted in a competition between mines, farmers and towns for the sparse resources available, especially in Queensland and NSW.
The search for water is affecting mining around the world, not just Australia, exacerbated by the fact that mining tends to occur in the driest and most extreme landscapes.
Water has become a prime and growing concern for mining companies – it is the new gold. Anglo American Chief Executive Mark Cutifani and Gold Fields’ Chief Executive Officer Nick Holland are among those who have expressed concern over water shortages.
“Investors say to us: ‘ don’t talk to us about returns’; they want to know how we’re managing water,” Mr Holland said.
Reassuring investors
Without a SlurryPro Elite seal, a small 3” slurry pump requires a minimum of 15 L of water per hour, equating to 7.884 million litres of water annually and mine sites typically run much larger pumps and multiple of them.
In those quantities, water is one of the greatest constraints to new supplies of mined products across the industry. Installing a SlurryPro Elite can give investors the assurance that water usage in the slurry process will be minimal and will not affect production of the overall mining project.
As the junior mining model begins to look shaky, the introduction of technology that can greatly reduce water consumption is a definite incentive for investment in the project.
Less water, less downtime, smaller footprint
On site, limited access to fresh water no only adds to production and operational expenses but can cause delays in the slurry process - setbacks mitigated with the installation of the SlurryPro Elite.
The water that mines are allocated or can source is often contaminated or of poor quality.
The poor water quality introduces further complications to the pump, affecting the reliability and contributing to pump corrosion.
“Because they are injecting dirty water, miners say that the substandard water quality leads to premature shaft sleeve failure,” Mr Seeley said.
With the installation of the new seal into existing pumps, mining operations can immediately experience savings in water, increased safety and reduced maintenance..
Technical talk
The main point of difference for the SlurryPro Elite is the design of the seal faces.
Gland packing is still used in many pumps due to its low initial outlay, however when you factor in the ongoing maintenance, scheduling, lock out, downtime and loss of production, a repack can become quite expensive.
Mechanical seals result in limited downtime, very low leakage and greatly reduce environmental impact.
They consist of mechanical mating faces that stop the slurry getting out rather than a rope that hugs the shaft tightly.
As opposed to gland packing, users will find fewer bearing failures from leaking fluid, no excessive wear on the shaft sleeve from packing, no continual adjustment and a safer workplace.
Global Pumps’ SlurryPro Elite is a mechanical seal with a difference.
The fact that it does not need flushing water has transformed the entire slurry pumping process.
The construction of the conical seal faces is silicone-carbide with diamond coating.
As we know diamond is the hardest material in the world, meaning it has the greatest resistance to abrasion.
Diamond also has an extremely low coefficient of friction and is an exceptional conductor of heat.
To put this into context, its heat transmission is four times faster than copper. That means that, not only does it generate less heat in a dry run scenario, but it can quickly dissipate it.
The combination of the patented conical face design doubled with the properties of the diamond coating result in an innovative seal that requires no extra liquid lubrication beyond what the slurry itself provides.
In summary, the patented conical faces allow greater circulation around seal faces, they increase the misalignment tolerance, produce very high thermal conductivity and a faster disbursement of heat during dry running.
The SlurryPro Elite does not require flush water, has an extended life span and is easily and quickly repaired.
A wise investment
The initial capital outlay will result in dramatic reductions in the site’s water usage and environmental footprint. The installation of the SlurryPro Elite will offer long-term benefits across operations. Retrofitting to all brands of pumps is part of its value, as the only investment that needs to be made is the seal itself.
Global Pumps will come on site and discuss how the SlurryPro Elite can make your slurry process safer and easier.