PASTE SUPPLEMENT 2019
Humble beginnings to paste pumping leaders
When the Holthuis family developed the first GEHO ®
piston pump in the 1950s, they quickly set the standard
for pumping systems. Fast forward to 2019, and Weir
Minerals says it continues to push the envelope of paste
developments, designing some of the world’s most
advanced hydraulic piston pumps for the mining industry
he GEHO ® DH range of pumps was first
developed over 30 years ago, and is
still used throughout the world
for paste backfill and tailings
transportation. “We had
early
T
successes
with our DH pumps
in sewage applications
globally, but soon realised the
necessity to expand and enhance this
range for the mining industry.
Utilising our extensive experience
in mining applications, we
developed a range of hydraulic
driven piston pumps ideal for
processing paste backfill,” states
Erik Vlot, Global Sales Manager for
Weir Minerals. There are compelling
environmental reasons for mine operations to
adopt paste backfill, with an estimated 90%
recovery of the tailings’ processed water prior to
backfilling, a more structured stability offering a
safer workplace and a reduced footprint.
“We deal predominantly with high solids
concentrations, which is becoming more
important in both a water constrained and
environmentally sensitive industry. Our depth of
experience and knowledge together with the
delivery of innovative designs has provided
effective solutions to meet our customers’
needs around the world. Our GEHO pumps are
designed to handle high-density slurry,
extremely viscous paste and sludges with solids
up to 90%. With extremely high availability and
low operating costs they ensure uninterrupted,
trouble-free operation.”
the discontinuous flow of hydraulic piston
pumps, pressure pulsations can
occur in the
discharge line,
which damage the
pumping system,
The Weir Minerals GEHO ®
DHC (cone valve) pump
The Weir Minerals GEHO ® DHT (transfer
tube) pump
piping and supports, create high noise level and
can be a safety risk for operators and
maintenance personnel. Recognising this
growing issue in the industry, Weir Minerals
developed the GEHO ® DHC (cone valve) and
DHT (transfer tube) pump with a pulsation free
system. “The most effective way of dealing with
the phenomenon of pressure pulsations is to
avoid generating them. To effectively create a
pulsation free DH pump we developed different
systems for the DHC and DHT. For the DHC the
pulsation free system was developed within the
pump hydraulics. For the DHT we had to
introduce a third cylinder to compensate for the
flow variation during the switch-over of the
transfer tube. Due to the constant flow,
pressure fluctuations in the pump discharge line
are reduced to a minimum,” says Vlot.
This advanced system minimises, if not
eliminates, pressure pulsations and reduces
power requirements by 25% and investment
costs in the PD pump system by 10%. The
innovative pump technology behind GEHO ®
pumps is backed by continuous advanced
research and in-house laboratory test facilities,
resulting in superior efficiency, reliability and
availability. Weir Minerals will be presenting a
white paper on paste
backfill optimisation
at Paste 2019 in
South Africa. The
paper investigates
the development
of a process to
produce a
consistent cemented
paste backfill that is fully
sheared and presents the
lowest possible yield stress and
pressure gradients during the underground
transport phase. IM
Pulsation Free Pump Systems
Driven by a need to continuously innovate, Weir
Minerals developed pulsation free pump
systems to prevent damage, excessive wear and
noise to both the pumps and pipelines. Due to
P8 International Mining | APRIL 2019 Supplement
Pump testing facility at Weir Minerals in Venlo, The Netherlands