Big Bang Quarrying

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In Germany quarrying for trap rock got difficult when explosives got involved. At the quarry dynamite was used to remove trap rock from the surrounding grounds. During this process the vaulable trap rock falls into the middle of the axcavation pit which is filled with water. In order to recover the product, the groundwater containing sand and crushed rock needed to be lowered.

Contractor
Maschinen und Technik Sauerland GmbH & Co.KG

Tsurumi support
On site support analysis to assess the hardness of the material which needed to be removed as well as friction loss calculations in order to develop the dewatering concept.

The problem

The operator of the quarry was installed pumps made of aluminium in a protective cage that kept bigger rock particles away. However, the pumps broke nearly every year and required a full replacement with new units. The pumps motor sizes were ranging 18,5kW-22kW, hence the cost for replacement was very expensive.

The solution

KTZ pumps ranging from 11kW-22kW were installed in the same protective cages as the aluminium pumps. KTZ pumps are by design highly suitable for highly abrasive applications. The operator of the quarry is now servicing the Tsurumi pumps once a year where maintenance costs are limited to the replacement of the shaft sleeve, labyrinth ring and an oil change. The biggest benefit provided is the quick service that Tsurumi pumps allow for by its design. Meaning, that the service can be done on site, locally in the pit, limiting the pause of the process to 2 hours only!

Specifications KTZ

In the event of abrasive and corrosive utilization, stronger wear and tear will take place naturally in certain components. With regards to the above application wear and tear can take place mainly in impeller, agitator, suction plate, shaft sleeve, oil ring, mechanical seal, pump casing, strainer, motor casing and discharge coupling. Depending on the working conditions the lifetime of those parts might vary significantly and can be shorter than the legal warranty period.

In this regard, please pay attention to our general terms and conditions that we also send to you by mail on request.