Modern Mining March 2015

PRODUCT News

APE Pumps completes orders for Iranian mine

at high altitude (2 390 m) in the Qarabagh Mountains of East Azerbijan province, north-west of Ahar city. Annual ore production of approximately 14 Mt is deposited in a large tailings dam after cop- per extraction. Iran’s scant average annual rainfall of 230 mm dictates that the mine recycles its tailings dam water for reuse in the extraction process, and it is for recycled water transfer that the pontoon pumps were ordered. Sungun mine has a recycled water target of 85 %. The pontoons were assembled and fit- ted with APE’s vertical turbine pumps in a small excavation immediately adjacent to the tailings dam. When assembly was complete, the wall of the excavation was broken through to the dam, allowing the pontoons to float free. Each equipped with two standard 18-inch APE vertical turbine pumps driven by 600 kWWEG motors, the two pontoons are fitted with weatherproof housings as well as de-icing agitation pumps as pro- tective measures against the very cold winters of East Azerbijan. Winches are used to anchor them to various points around the dam. Commissioning is scheduled for later this year. APE Pumps, tel (+27 11) 824-4810 Escape. Mohun explains that the core com- ponent of the PremAire Combination is the unique combination valve design. “It combines the first stage pressure reducer, the cylinder valve and the cylin- der gauge within one assembly, creating a small size and profile less likely to snag when working in a confined space. A hard cover for this assembly ensures additional protection and easy handling of the air cyl- inder,” she says. The belt and shoulder harness assembly provides increased comfort and ergonom- ics for long duration jobs while at the same time allowing the repositioning of the air cylinder from the right hip to the left hip or any other comfortable position without the need to doff the whole device. The holster carrier secures the air cylinder while allow- ing easy and fast detaching or attaching of the cylinder to provide high manoeuvrabil- ity in tight places. Suraksha Mohun, MSA Africa, tel (+27 11) 610-2600

Pontoon assembly adjacent to the tailings dam at Sungun mine.

APE Pumps has completed two orders placed by Iran’s Sungun copper mine, one for a train of eight pumps to operate as a very large multistage machine transferring slurry to the tailings dam, the second for four pontoon-mounted axial flow pumps to recycle dam water. The two orders are together worth some US$6,4 million to Wadeville-based APE Pumps. JohnMontgomery, the engineer behind the design of the twelve machines covered by the two orders, said when commenting on the order that South African engineer- ing companies are stepping in to fill part of the void left by European firms reluctant to enter into contracts with Iran. “We have this year received an order for

a large mixer pump related to the Iranian oil industry, and we are tendering on sev- eral other contracts in that country,”he said. “Orders from Iran are likely to increase.” APE’s multistage pump train for Sungun comprises eight high pressure (70 bar) slurry pumps fitted with modi- fied impellers to improve efficiency and performance, and delivering a capacity of 1 000 m 3 /h to manage slurry transfer in the recently expanded mine. These pumps were installed mid‑2014 to complement two similar slurry pump trains, one opera- tional and one on standby, manufactured by a competitor and installed in the origi- nal concentrator plant. The open-pit Sungun mine is located testing by a third party. Despite concen- trations exceeding 25 %, the permeation detected remained minimal,” observes Mohun. The PremAire Escape is said to be ide- ally-suited to the oil and gas sector, and was specifically developed by MSA follow- ing extensive input from global customers in this sector, who highlighted the need for a fast-to-fit and easy-to-use respirator. The standard PremAire Escape is equipped with a 3S full face mask suitable for standard escape scenarios where gas leaks are under control. For protection in situations where there is a high concentra- tion of uncontrolled lethal gas, amask-hood is also available. This combination provides two independent protection barriers. Another innovative EEBD being launched locally in the near future by MSA Africa is the PremAire Combination Airline/

MSA launches emergency escape breathing device Workers unexpectedly caught in toxic atmospheres can secure life-saving respi- ratory protection within seconds using the new PremAire Escape compressed air emergency escape breathing device (EEBD), launching locally early-2015 by MSA Africa.

MSA Africa Respiratory Products Manager Suraksha Mohun notes that the PremAire Escape device can be fitted in under five seconds. “What’s more, it pro- vides an air supply of 10 to 15 minutes, thereby allowing the wearer to escape without difficulty from any hazardous environment.” The patented PremAire Escape is designed to withstand high levels of industrial gas leaks, in harsh chemical envi- ronments such as hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S). “The major components of this device have undergone critically high H 2 S concentration

48  MODERN MINING  March 2015