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PRODUCT News
August 2015
MODERN MINING
63
Dewatering solutions for open pits and
slimes dams generally comprise a choice
between undertaking civil construction for
pump stations or selecting a mobile pon-
toon or skid-mounted pumping solution.
Experience indicates that the land-based
pump station does not always have the
same flexibility that pontoon or skid-
mounted pump sets would offer.
Howard Jones, Weir Minerals Africa’s
Product Manager – Dewatering Africa
and Middle East, says that this is apparent
in the fact that pontoons are installed at
the source, making pumping more effi-
cient as the pumps face consistent suction
conditions.
In addition, pontoon or skid-mounted
pumping solutions can be readily migrated
to wherever they are required. This elimi-
nates the costly and time consuming
alternative of developing a new pump sta-
tion for each location.
Weir Minerals Africa is one of threeWeir
Minerals global design centres that focus
on pontoon and structural design spe-
cifically, with modifications implemented
for local conditions. The selection of the
pumping unit could include any of the
well-established Weir Minerals brands
such as Warman® and Multiflo® and could
vary from pure dewatering or dirty water
pumps to submersible dirty water pumps,
as well as heavy duty slurry submersible
and other end suction products.
Multiflo® pontoons are constructed
with integral access walkways which could
either be fixed to the bank or floating.
The walkway holds the cable and pip-
ing from the docking station to the shore
and provides ready access to the pumps
for inspection or regular maintenance.
Light masts, as well as LED strip lighting,
form part of the offering and are supplied
according to clients’ requirements.
The pipes comprise Linatex® rubber
hoses which are also locally manufactured
by Weir Minerals Africa and offer the cus-
tomer extended wear life because of the
specialised rubber compounds used in
their manufacture.
Solutions available from Weir Minerals
include complete steel pontoon barges as
well as linear low density polyethylene flo-
tation devices with steel frames for lighter
applications, where mobility from one
pond to another is required. These designs
can handle mostWeir Minerals pump offer-
ings, with a load bearing capacity from
500 kg to 10 t, including the structure.
Rene Calitz, Weir Minerals Africa, tel (+27 11) 929-2622
Flexible dewatering solutions fromWeir Minerals Africa
One of two Warman DWU 125 dewatering pumps mount-
ed to a pontoon and walkway during assembly phase.