Volume 9 Edition 3 2012 - The ASIA Miner

Slurry Pumpsis designed to accommodate most mechanicalseals by removing the split stuffing box. “Ifminers want to convert from packing to mechanicalseals, they can remove the split boxand replace it with a mechanical seal withoutmajor modifications,” Morris said. “It is alsoset up with multiple flush ports.”The i-Alert conditional monitoring systemidentifies problems early. It measures vibrationand temperature. “Similar to a Check Engineindicator light on a vehicle, it’ s greenwhen operating normally,” Morris said. “Whenoperations deviate from the baseline, it startsto blink red. You can see that light in the milland when it’ s blinking technicians knowsomething is wrong. On one of the tests r e-cently, the light turned red, and when they investigated,they discover ed one of thepull-down bolts on the pedestal was loose.They tightened it and it turned to green.”One of the major safety features is the multiplelift points. “Pumps are not always in a topdischargeposition, so we placed lift pointsaround the casing so you can lift it no matterthe position,” Morris said. “Another gr eatsafety feature is the double-wall design, whichis good to 250 psi (17 bar working pr essure).If a breach occurs, the casing shell pr otectsworkers and the surrounding equipment. Wehave also designed in an optional pressure reliefdevice [burst disc]. It pr events over pressurizationif the pump gets sanded in. Whenthe suction or discharge side is blocked withslurry, the steam generated as the pump heatsup could cause an explosion. Once the temperatureinside the pump exceeds a certainlevel, the device releases the pressure.”ITT Gould’s New XHD Slurry PumpITT Corp. recently launched the new GouldsXHD, an extra heavy-duty, lined slurry pump.The company bills it as a next-generationproduct that can handle the heaviest slurryunder the toughest conditions. The new XHDpump will enable mines to move slurry withimproved reliability and at lower operatingcost, according to ITT.The XHD is designed to be maintained evenwhile running, and to r equire less downtimefor service procedures—with parts that aremore accessible and adjustable than in otherslurry pumps. The pump’ s short bearinghousing is adaptable to existing foundation,so operators can retrofit existing pumps. Thepump’s features include:enables adjustment even while the pumpis running, compensates for wear andmaintains optimum impeller clearancefor peak performance;• A split stuffing box that improvesaccessibility for easier and faster packingmaintenance;• Dual impeller adjustment that providesquick, easy access for operators to performimpeller corrections;• A replaceable wet end cartridge thatallows operators to change parts morequickly and efficiently with the help ofa unique, tapered impeller shaft; and• i-Alert condition monitor, ITT’s proprietarytechnology measures vibrationand temperature, and signals users witha blinking red LED when it detects apotential problem.“The mining industry has seen dramatic improvementsin extracting and crushing methods,and now this new pump pr ovides thatsame leap in pr oductivity for moving slurry,”said John Manna, vice president of global marketing.“We’ve designed the XHD pump basedon detailed customer input and testing. Ourfield results indicate the XHD pump will set newindustry standards for r eliable performance,quick maintenance and efficiency savings.”The XHD pump is designed to work optimallyon both Service Class III (heavy) and Class IV(very heavy) slurries as defined by the HydraulicInstitute. The pump is available in six dischargesizes ranging from 80 mm (3 in.) to 300 mm(12 in.), and in four power frames. Its flow rangeextends to 2,950 m3/hr (13,000 gpm), and dischargepressures to 85 m (280 feet).Lowering the TCOStan Connect, global pr oduct director, ITTGoulds recognizes that miners are always lookingto reduce their TCO. “This is not a newconcept for ITT Goulds,” Connect said. “In fact,we have played a leading role in promoting thisconcept throughout many of the pr ocess industrieswe have served for the past 10 to 15years. The PumpSmart product is one of thetechnologies the company has developed tolower TCO.” From data ITT Goulds has collected,they know the largest cost component(about 50%) for a typical mineral pr ocessingplant is in energy and operations, which relatesdirectly to the efficiency of slurry pumps.The second largest cost, according to Connect,results from the cost of maintenance andlost production to perform unplanned maintenance.“The XHD has been optimized for single-cyclewear, which means that the partshave been engineered for even, synchronizedwear by eliminating hot spots,” Connect said.“This allows the miners to benefit fr om extendedperiods of operation while also allowingthem to plan for maintenance outages.”Maintenance is, however, a fact of life. Threemajor areas for maintenance on slurry pumpsinclude: replacement of wear parts and maintenanceof both the shaft-sealing packingareas and the bearing support frame. “TheXHD offers wide open access to the shaft sealingarea,” Connect said. “When combined withthe innovative 2-piece stuf fing box, maintenanceof shaft packing is a br eeze. The wetend cartridge concept allows miners to replacethe working end in the field and quickly restartthe production process. It also allows them torebuild the frames in a shop environment.”• An adjustable suction seal ring, whichITT Gould’s XHD can be adjusted while running to maintain optimal impeller clearance.May/June 2012 | ASIA Miner | 65