One of South Africa’s premier opencast coal-mines,
Middel-burg Mine, has chosen Graco Husky double-diaphragm pumps
from FloSolve for its bulk lube carrier unit.
Designed by the mine’s Alf Zim-merman and Aldert van Wyk, the
unit carries enough fluid to completely refill an oil or coolant
system in the shortest possible time. “In a breakdown
situation, it is imperative that the giant earthmoving machines are
up and running as soon as possible, as downtime represents a
significant cost for the mine,” explains Industrial Fluid
Solutions FloSolve distributor Gustav Fourie, who assisted with
design and equipment speapplication of impact crusherci-fication.
Fourie explains that, previously, the same service trucks used for
daily services and top-ups were used in breakdown situations. These
vehicles were not able to cope with the volume of lubricant or
coolant required in such situations and it became necessary to
build something that could cope. Fourie adds that the bulk lgravel and sand processingube
carrier was the answer. However, designing a unit that could
accommodate five different fluids, including over 1 000 l of
hydraulic oil and between 500 l and 850 l of other fluids was no
easy task. To add to this, a special platform, which challenged
design standards in the industry, had to be designed.
The first step was the container tancrushing cost on quartzitic sandstone south africak, which was manufactured from
a special high-density polyethylene and was designed to save space
and weight. It contains five separate cavities, with internal
baffles, to prevent side-to-side sloshing of the fluid, and
internal suction pipes to retain an uncluttered look, Fourie points
out.
He says tused stone crusher plant for sale in indiahat special breathers and dipsticks were incorporated for
level indication, and inspection hatches were made to bolt down
tightly to prevent dust entry. Refilling takes place by
quick-couplers that are centrally located and that feed directly
into the tanks as part of the pneumatically-controlled
pressure-relief system.
&ldqgold ore ball mill designsuo;The central challenge was to achieve a high pump rate of
over 60 l a minute, a parameter set by Zimmerman and Van Wyk.
“To achieve this, Graco Husky double-diaphragm pumps were
chosen because of their high flow rate and proven reliability. The
use of double-diaphragm pumps with 1:1 pressure ratios represents a
drastic move away from top-entry pumps with ratios of 5:1. But,
although the latter deliver high pressures, the former have the
flow rate required for this application,” explains
Fourie.
With the installation of a 70 CFM diesel-driven screw-type
compressor that provides enough air pressure to drive three or more
pumps continuously, the unit was almost complete.
The pneumatic control system was the crowning achievement, the
company believes.
This system allows the individual Graco pumps to be remotely
started and stopped, but also relieves pressure back to the main
tank once a specific pump is switched off. This ingenious network
uses two- and three-way stainless-steel valves driven by
spring-return actuators, which ensure zero-pressure retention
during rest periods.
FloSolve director of sales and marketing Sid Beckton is
particularly pleased with the success of this project. He says that
the unit is a pheno-menal feat and demonstrates what can be
achieved when suppliers, distributors and customers work together
in real partnerships.