Water waste is commonly deemed an undesirable, however inevitable by-product of mining processes. Yet fashionable pump sealing technology exists which can virtually get rid of this waste while conserving energy, improving pump reliability and attaining long term operational financial savings.
Water is probably considered one of the most important, and more and more imperilled, sources on earth. That เกจวัดแรงดันไฮดรอลิค is known and acknowledged by industries throughout the globe.
However, it’s also one of the unnecessarily squandered resources in mining operations. And whereas the trade has begun to embrace efficiency and sustainability-led advances similar to automation and renewable energy, it stays steadfastly set in its methods when it comes to slurry pump know-how.
Three approaches are routinely specified by pump producers to seal slurry pumps: mechanical packing, expellers (also generally known as ‘dynamic’ seals’) and single mechanical seals. All include significant limitations, including poor reliability, reduced imply occasions between failure (MTBF), intensive upkeep requirements and better operational costs.
These components alone ought to give mine managers cause for a re-evaluation of the sealing methods used on slurry pumps. However, any company with a commitment to the International Standards Organisation ISO-14001 Standard for environmental administration methods and ISO-50001 Standard for power administration methods should take note of the excessive water waste and high energy consumption that results from opting for these conventional sealing methods.
Inefficient sealing When used to seal the process pumps in a mine’s scrubber and floatation circuits, gland packing, single mechanical seals and expeller seals all demand one of the wasteful aspects of slurry processing which is seal flush water injection.
On gland packed pumps it’s important that packing is flushed with clear water to maintain it cool and lubricated, while each single slurry seals and expellers require a provide of cool, clear flush water to be injected into the method at excessive strain, sustaining a stable fluid film between the fragile seal faces to maintain them cool and lubricated, whereas forcing the damaging slurry away.
The flush water required in all three sealing approaches is provided from an exterior supply and injected into the process at a higher strain than the stuffing box pressure, in line with the business normal American Petroleum Institute (API) Piping Plan 32. Water which doesn’t leak onto the ground or into the process is distributed to the tailings dam. This additionally has an effect on the water balance of the plant.
This approach constitutes a lack of clean water amounting to billions of gallons a yr globally. One large, typical slurry pump usually consumes 10 US gallons (37.eight litres) per minute, amounting to 5.2 million US gallons (19.6 million litres) of water yearly – a surprising statistic by any measure.
At a time when global water supply is predicted to fall in want of demand by some 40% by 20301 , eradicating pointless use of this useful useful resource should arguably be a central plank of any accountable sustainability programme. Yet excessive water use, and the higher energy consumption it entails, remain embedded in the processes of many mining corporations. Worse nonetheless, it is fair to say that it’s typically accepted as simply ‘par for the course’ by reliability engineers and administration alike.
But the very fact is that water waste on any scale is a very unnecessary characteristic of slurry operations as it can be nearly totally eradicated just by using advanced double mechanical seals and fashionable water management help methods.
Improve reliability The sort of seal chosen, the environment by which it operates, and crucially, the tank help system which supplies the water to maximise seal life, mix to supply the answer to extreme water waste and vitality use.
Modern double mechanical seals have two units of faces, one sealing to the process fluid and one to ambiance, with a barrier area between the two. They are designed to meet the arduous requirements of heavy responsibility slurry applications, with fortified steel parts which are highly proof against corrosion and erosion. Large ports and elevated radial clearances imply the lubrication which is significant to optimising seal life is maintained continually and consistently.
A pressurised barrier tank system is central to the environmental sustainability of this resolution. It employs a thermosiphon process which provides clear, cool water to the barrier space between the double seals at a stress higher than the product stress, making certain a constant, secure and clean fluid movie to maintain the seal faces cool and lubricated.
As the mechanical seals generate heat, the recent water in the barrier house rises to the tank and is radiated to the environment, permitting the cooler, denser water to sink again down to provide cool lubrication to the seal faces. Most importantly, the flush water is constantly recycled, flowing throughout the seal faces in a steady loop and reducing leakage to absolutely the minimum, roughly a teaspoonful a day.
While API Plan 32 is unsuitable for servicing multiple slurry pumps in a ‘series train’ with out the necessity to install special pump methods, pressurised barrier tanks supply rankings as much as 435 psi (30 bar), making them ideal for these functions. Self-topping and self-pressurising, they are additionally nearly maintenance-free.
Where no plant water provide is on the market for topping up the tank systems, or the supply has inadequate pressure, fluid delivery items can be selected to produce the barrier fluid to seal faces. These have the added advantages of having the ability to supply a water/glycol mixture or oil to provide freeze protection in extraordinarily chilly climates.
Wide-ranging advantages The benefits of upgrading to trendy sealing options and help systems had been felt by a coal mine in Poland utilizing a slurry pump to produce coal mud at 9 bar (135 psi) to filter press. Flushed packing resulted in huge dilution of product, leading to significantly elevated filtration instances and prices. The pump was sealed with a double mechanical seal designed to fulfill the arduous requirements of the method.
The supporting seal tank system lowered leakage and product dilution to virtually zero. Return on funding was swift and the financial savings long-term. The advantages in terms of water conservation have been equally longlasting and the company’s status enhanced.
The mining business should take care of a tough and dear problem in relation to maintaining rotating tools. But the planning, processing and disposal of flush water constitutes an operational and monetary burden which is totally avoidable.
And when an organization can remove water waste simultaneously growing reliability and lowering long run operational costs, the choice to improve to fashionable methods ought to absolutely be a moral imperative in addition to making sound business sense.
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