Mechanical Technology September 2016

⎪ Pump systems, pipes, valves and seals ⎪

Extending pump wear life and saving water at iron ore mines

Itaminas, one of Brazil’s largest iron ore mines, has cut maintenance time by 75%, achieved three times the life on wear components and cut back considerably on the use of water by installing Metso’s Orion HM series slurry pumps with expeller gland seal technology.

I ron is one of the world’s most com- monly used metals. It is the key ingredient for almost 95% of all metal alloys produced globally per year. In Brazil, the world’s third largest producer of iron ore, the Itaminas mine in Sarzedo in the state of Minas Gerais, produced 7.5-million tons of iron ore in 2014, making it the second largest sup- plier of pig iron in the country.  The Itaminas mine operates 24/7 and manufactures sinter feed, pellet feed and hematite iron ore, all of which require a continuous and reliable operation for cost effectiveness.  The process begins with the concen- trator and then moves to the magnetic separator, cyclone, product stalls and finally on to the tailings tank. The ore is then pumped to the tailings dam via a pumping system comprising five stations. Each station is equipped with three pumps, two in operation and one installed as a standby unit.  As the iron ore from the Sarzedo region has a density of 1.85 kg/m 3 , the previously installed pumps experienced very high wear due to the abrasiveness of the material being pumped. This ren- dered them unsuitable for the specific pumping duty required. The pumps were experiencing life- times limited to approximately three

months. In addition, labour to main- tain these pumps was expensive and complex. Itaminas therefore chose to try Metso’s pumps with the goal of decreasing the company’s maintenance downtime and increasing production. Experts fromMetso installed the Orion HM series pumps fitted with an expeller gland seal, which operates without the use of gland sealing water. This pump is also fitted with high chrome wet-end components, which are highly recom- mended when pumping very abrasive slurry material. “Maintenance is much simpler and less frequent now,” says Esley Cardoso, Itaminas’ operations supervisor. “The tailings pumping system has been work- ing for more than two years now without any failures.”  After the installation of Metso’s Orion HM series pumps, Itaminas has been able to reduce maintenance by 75%. In addition, because of Metso expeller gland sealing technology, the mine is saving over 6.0-billion litres of water. “As water availability is extremely scarce at the mine, by being able to eliminate the use of gland sealing water, the mine has greatly reduced its costs thanks to the new technology,” explains Guilherme Almeida of Metso technical support. To improve customer service and

Esley Cardoso, Itaminas’ operations supervisor with Audrei Moron, Metso’s market development coordinator for the Sorocaba area of Brazil.

guarantee the shortest possible shutdown times, Metso also provided a consign- ment of stock parts and components to Itaminas. “They only pay for the parts they use. With the maintenance work- load reduced, Itaminas can direct the team members to other tasks,” notes Metso sales engineer, André Rizzotti. The stock programme involves monthly stock evaluation with monitoring and sugges- tions for improvements being made by Metso experts. Not only has this arrangement re- duced costs for the mine, it has provided the company with immediate access to parts whenever needed. This reduces unplanned downtime and ultimately maximises production levels. In total, Itaminas has installed over 70 Metso pumps at its mine, making it one of Metso’s largest installed bases in Brazil. q

After the installation of Metso’s Orion HM series pumps, Itaminas has been able to reduce maintenance by 75% and extent the life of the wear compo- nents threefold, from three to nine months.

The Itaminas mine in Sarzedo in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil pro- duced 7.5-million tons of iron ore in 2014, making it the second largest supplier of pig iron in the country.

Mechanical Technology — September 2016

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