MINING PUMPS
The focus of KSB-GIW’ s new state-of-the-art IoT and automation lab in Grovetown will be enhancing its flagship IoT-enabled offerings, GIW SLYsight and GIW RAMSL
“ We are differentiating ourselves as a slurry pump company by providing IoT technologies. When customers visit KSB GIW Inc and view the new lab, they’ ll see that we are more than a mechanical pump company and foundry – we are a technology-driven hub for mining solutions,” said Jonathan Samuel, KSB GIW President and CEO.
Moving onto real mine projects, KSB GIW Inc has recently been awarded contracts to supply a range of high-performance slurry pumps at Teck’ s Highland Valley Copper( HVC) Mine Life Extension( MLE) project in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The MLE project is designed to prolong the mine’ s lifespan by upgrading its current infrastructure. Over its duration, the project is anticipated to yield roughly 1.95 Mt of additional copper by processing around 900 Mt of ore.
KSB GIW is a longstanding partner of HVC. The mine’ s current operations use GIW ® MDX, GIW LSA and GIW LCC slurry pumps, which are designed to deliver superior performance and durability. For the MLE project, KSB GIW is supplying an array of mill discharge pumps, SAG underflow pumps, tailings pumps, froth pumps, and various in-plant and process pumps, it says.
Gary Moore, Mining Manager at KSB GIW, said:“ This contract further solidifies KSB GIW’ s role as a preferred partner for HVC, and our continued commitment to innovating our products, services, and materials to maximise value for the mine.”
Josh Foster, Sales Engineer at KSB GIW, added:“ KSB GIW has a longstanding history of providing best-in-class GIW slurry pumps and continual, reliable after-service support to HVC and their ongoing mine operations. By combining new solutions with reutilisation efforts, KSB GIW has established itself as a trusted provider of high-performance slurry pumps offering the best total cost of ownership. As a trusted partner to HVC, the continued usage of our pumps for the HVC MLE Project will once again allow us
40 to demonstrate our commitment to our customers’ successful ongoing operations.”
Xylem’ s new offering reduces TCO
Xylem Inc has just recently launched the Flygt 2450, described as the only highhead fully submersible pump for mining applications that eliminates the need for extra infrastructure to handle abrasive water, significantly reducing total cost of ownership.
It says the pump drastically reduces wear and extends the time between servicing to up to 6,000 hours – three times the hours of standard submersible pumping equipment – due to a Hard-Iron™ hydraulic end and Dura-Spin™ diffuser technology.
At a large open-pit gold mine in the US, operators replaced a parallel pumping system with a single Flygt 2450. To date, it has delivered 5,500 hours of continuous, trouble-free runtime without requiring maintenance, cutting costs dramatically, according to the company.
Building on this innovation, Xylem is also introducing the Flygt 2401, a redesigned version of the Flygt 2400 submersible pump. This versatile model offers mining application flexibility with two hydraulic configurations: one optimised for high head lifting and the other for high-volume flow. Additional enhancements allow for faster servicing and longer pump life, including a redesigned bearing arrangement, larger connection box and streamlined pump housing.
Ken Albaugh, Director, Dewatering Services for Xylem, said:“ Water shouldn’ t have to be a complicated aspect of mining. Anything we can do to simplify water management enables the mine to boost efficiency and productivity. The Flygt 2450 addresses the specific challenges that mine water presents and makes water management simpler, safer and less expensive.”
Xylem’ s Godwin range also has a significant presence in mining, and the Godwin Rig Pump launched in Africa last September. Xylem:“ Dewatering is a hazardous task that puts workers on mining, quarrying, and tunnel sites at risk of injury. Dewatering pumps also need frequent attention as they often need to be moved to avoid damage. This leads to frequent maintenance which again puts personnel at risk.”
While dangerous, dewatering is necessary and to aid in making dewatering a safer process Xylem has developed a pump that tackles these specific dewatering challenges. The Godwin Rig Pump is selfpriming, which eradicates the time workers would be in danger when priming a pump. This pump system integrates with drilling rigs by sitting at the back of a rig while the pump is being controlled directly from the rig’ s cabin. The suction section and front pipe sit near the drilling face, removing the need for a submersible pump. The electric cables remain with the rig and away from the active drilling area or trailing behind the rig.
Xylem adds:“ The Godwin Rig Pump provides faster and longer drilling without downtime while lowering costs, with anticlogging features, dry-run protection, and a non-return valve to significantly reduce pump wear and damage. Compact and designed for rig operations, it reduces hazard risks from accessing the drill area or managing electrical trailing cables.”
The Godwin Rig Pump can operate in intermittent flows, avoiding the high wear caused by snoring. It has the unique ability to run dry indefinitely, thanks to its liquid oil bath mechanical seal, solid silicon carbide rotating and stationary elements, and highabrasion resistant faces.
This pump is equipped with a hard-iron Flygt NC non-clog impeller, enabling it to handle troublesome shotcrete fibres, and
Xylem has launched the Flygt 2450 highhead fully submersible pump for mining applications that eliminates the need for extra infrastructure to handle abrasive water, reducing TCO
the pipeline uses a pan strainer to manage large objects and other clogging hazards. It incorporates a non-return valve to protect the pump’ s prime and avoid problems such as water hammer pressure surges.
Key design and performance attributes include a suction connection with 100 mm flange; delivery connection with 80 mm flange; maximum capacity 160 m ³/ h; maximum impeller diameter 214 mm; maximum operating temperature 80 º C; maximum pressure 7 bar; maximum suction pressure 2.8 bar; maximum casing pressure 10.5 bar; and maximum operating speed 3,560 rpm.
“ Underground and quarry dewatering is very hazardous work, and it’ s also very hard on dewatering pumps. Our designers and engineers looked closely at the specific issues that hamper traditional pumps, and worked with our extensive field experience
International Mining | JUNE 2025