Global Pumps was approached by one of Australia's largest mine in WA. This mine is home to some of the oldest, most stable rocks on earth, formed approximately 3.7 billion years ago.
Above: A visual representation of the standpipes on site
The mine's tough challenge
As part of the site’s continued enhancement, Global Pumps were contacted to provide a solution for pumping raw water. Our specialised Projects Team were asked to design and construct a turn-key solution to fill trucks from a service yard with raw water. Due to the poor quality of the raw water, corrosion-resistant pumps were required. The raw water was required to service the mine site. The height of the trucks meant the standpipe construction had to be tall enough to pump the raw water into the truck's storage chamber.
What is raw water?
Raw water has not been treated and does not have any minerals, ions, particles, bacteria or parasites removed. It commonly refers to the water from rainwater, ground water, water from infiltration wells, and water from bodies like lakes and rivers.
Global Pumps' solution
Global Pumps worked collaboratively with our experienced workshop team to design and construct a galvanised steel standpipe construction. HDPE pipes were mounted to the galvanised steel structure to support the high flow of water being pumped. The galvanised steel and HDPE structure also offered durability for the remote location.
Mounted to the standpipe were a series of centrifugal self-priming pumps, coated in Metaline to prevent corrosion. As part of the same project, non-metallic wet end Techniflo SC series pumps were provided. These pumps were ideal for the application, and suitable for the corrosive nature of the raw water.
Leading Project Manager Manjeet and Graduate Mechanical Engineer Deklan, worked closely with the team at the consultancy firm (working on behalf of the mine) to offer a solution that met the requirements of the mine site and budget restrictions. Rigorous testing occurred in our purpose-built workshop to ensure the construction could handle the flow requirements.
Due to the sheer size and weight of these standpipes, it took over eight hours to move and test these pumps.
It was also imperative that whatever solution could be easily transported to Kalgoorlie and be constructed on-site. Deklan designed these standpipes with the end in mind - they were planned to fit on the semi-trailer that would take the components to site. It was a jigsaw puzzle of galvanised steel, HDPE pipes and pumps.
Project specifics
Want to know more about these standpipes? Or interested to see the scope of the project? Our team shares some interesting facts about the project:
Weight of each pump: 320kg
Total weight of the construction: 2 tonnes
Height of the standpipes: 5.5 metres
Flow rate: 6,000 L/min
Global Pumps’ dedicated projects team incorporate engineering experts with a combined 43 years’ experience. Working with some of the world’s leading mine sites and quarries, they understand the challenges and seek reliable, durable and tough pumping solutions.
Work-one-on-one with our team of engineers to find the reliable solution for your site. Give our projects team a call today or get in touch with our Sales Director Darren Seeley to learn more about our turn-key solutions.