PUMPS AND PIPELINES pumps serve harsh , demanding applications involving abrasive or corrosive substances and fluids with high solids content . Its administration office and manufacturing plant are in Büchen , Germany , with sales and service locations in Madrid and Pittsburgh .
Speaking of diaphragm pumps , ABEL ’ s HMQ series pumps have stood the test of time at a Latin America-based gold , silver and copper producer , helping transfer tailings over a distance of some 2,000 m for close to six years .
In the lead-up to the installation in 2015 , the underground silver mine had been growing production , reaching up to 2,300 t / d . At the same time , the company had been focusing on reducing operating costs and improving production processes .
To achieve efficient tailings transport , it was necessary to provide the mine with a pump technology capable of transporting the thickened tailings with the highest possible solid content . Piston-diaphragm technology appeared to be the best option to tackle this task , ABEL said .
The installed equipment also needed to guarantee maximum operating availability .
“ Any unexpected downtime or interruption would be costly , causing the mine treatment line volume requirements not to be met as its supply would be interrupted ,” ABEL added .
The transfer of tailings to this new reservoir using 8 in ( 203 mm ) piping amounted to some 2,000 m , with a preliminary basic engineering technical study proposing the installation of a chain of centrifugal pumps arranged in series to tackle the high-pressure fluctuations of the pumping application .
“ As an alternative to this proposal , ABEL examined the value proposition for the client and recommended installing only one single piston-diaphragm pump ( HMQ series ),” the company said .
Since the main objective was to ensure maximum availability of the system , as well as provide the lowest possible consumption of resources , ABEL ’ s proposal was selected as being the best solution for the process , it said .
The ABEL HMQ pump in question handles a product flow rate of 150 cu . m / h with 70 % solid content and ensures a discharge pressure of 22 bar ( maximum design pressure of 60 bar ). These pumping parameters are met with a power consumption of less than 100 kW ( maximum 250
The ABEL HMQ piston-diaphragm pump was installed and commissioned in mid-August 2015 at the Latin America underground silver mine and has been in continuously operation since
kW at 60 bar ), in accordance with the customer ’ s efficiency requisites required on all its projects . “ The ABEL piston-diaphragm technology offers peak operating versatility and maximises efficiency levels for any given operation parameters – ie fluctuations of pumping properties ( solid content , viscosity of the mixture , flow rate , product density ) do not impact the operating efficiency of the pump ,” ABEL said .
The ABEL pump was installed and commissioned in mid-August 2015 and has been in continuously operation since . IM