EngNet » Product & Service News » INCREASING PRODUCT THROUGHPUT WITH CUSTOMISED CRUSHING AND PUMPING SOLUTIONS FROM WEIR MINERALS

INCREASING PRODUCT THROUGHPUT WITH CUSTOMISED CRUSHING AND PUMPING SOLUTIONS FROM WEIR MINERALS

Product News Tuesday, September 15, 2015: Weir Minerals Africa (Pty) Ltd

Weir Minerals Africa is able to offer a fit-for-purpose complete custom crushing solution which is engineered to customers’ specific application requirements. Significantly, Weir Minerals Africa is able to not only address the crushing plant requirements, but can also provide product solutions for wet plant needs including slurry pumps, hydrocyclones, rubber hoses, dewatering screens and slurry valves.

 

The Weir Group PLC acquired Trio Engineered Products®, an OEM of crushing and separation equipment for the mining and aggregates markets, in 2014. “Coupled with Weir Minerals Africa’s local experience and understanding of local operating conditions, Trio Engineered Products® has years of global application and service experience in the crushing equipment sector,” says JD Singleton, general manager – Trio products at Weir Minerals Africa.

 

The extensive range of Trio® equipment allows Weir Minerals Africa to offer either a standard or custom crushing solution directly from the Trio® manufacturing facilities. The Trio® product range includes grizzly feeders, apron feeders, belt feeders, gyratory crushers, jaw crushers, cone crushers, horizontal impact and vertical shaft impact crushers, circular motion screens, horizontal incline screens and complete material handling solutions.

 

“We analyse a number of factors when assessing an operation. These include the source or raw material, specific gravity of the material, the bulk density of the feed, the hardness of the material, the throughput requirement, the top size of the feed and the final product size requirement,” Singleton points out.

 

“In addition, site specific requirements including the footprint available to accommodate the plant and the infrastructure would dictate what options are possible in terms of the plant itself. Thereafter, Weir Minerals Africa will produce an engineered solution tailored specifically to the required outcome, for optimised throughout, as well as maximised uptime,” Singleton explains.

 

Once the plant has been installed, the dedicated Trio® field service team will undertake the commissioning and optimisation of the plant and customers are provided with immediate access to a dedicated support facility.

 

Solutions can range from individual pieces of equipment, fixed plants to skid mounted modular units which can be used between sites and mobile wheel and tracked plants. Throughput capabilities range from 50 up to 1500 tph crushing capacity.

 

Singleton says that Weir Minerals Africa’s successful footprint is based not only on the quality of Trio® products, but moreover on a dedicated team of product specialists, applications engineers, process engineers, designers, technical support personnel and a roaming aftermarket field service team.

 

Weir Minerals Africa’s training of customer operational and service employees forms another critical part of the service offering, as it addresses the maintenance needs on the plant and ensures that the customer’s team fully understands these requirements.

 

The aftermarket support is considered critical to the successful operation of a crushing circuit. Weir Minerals Africa is able to leverage its geographical footprint, making critical inventory available on the customers’ doorstep, through 10 branches in South Africa as well as branches across Africa in Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Zambia, DRC, Ghana and Dubai.

 

Similar to the emphasis on customised crushing solutions, assessing the pumping system requirements of a wet plant is important to ensure that the most appropriate elements are selected for the application. This would typically include the pumps, piping and valves.

 

According to Rui Gomes, slurry pumps product manager for Africa and Middle East, local manufacture of pumps ensures a quick turnaround on supply and aftermarket service.

 

An example of where new technology can play a role in reducing costs for an operation is the Warman® MCR® range of mill circuit pumps, which offers improved mill discharge performance. These pumps easily manage the large size particles in dense abrasive slurries and are suitable for applications ranging from the most difficult mill discharge to water flushed crushing. Fitted with R55® rubber liners, the wear life of this pump has been significantly enhanced and operating costs have consequently been lowered. The range is popular within the gold and copper sectors, and in mineral sands applications.

 

The recent expansion of the Warman® WBH® range of pumps gives customer access to an improvement in wear life, with a subsequent reduction in maintenance and operating costs. The Warman® WBH® heavy duty slurry pump is typically used in mill discharge, slurry transfer and process pumping applications with the added flexibility of either a metal volute or rubber liners, depending on the application.

 

Developed specifically for slurry handling duties in the mining and chemical industries, the Warman® SLR pump range features a moulded high efficiency elastomer impeller. The deep side sealing vanes are designed to reduce wear and improve dynamic sealing. Coupled with the large diameter Hi Seal® expeller design, the SLR pumps are highly efficient at sealing the pump, even with challenging suction conditions.

 

“The ability to react to changing trends and plant operation requirements with customised solutions and exemplary aftermarket service is a huge differentiator for Weir Minerals Africa,” Singleton concludes.