David vs. Goliath

Images

In a quarry in Germany the operator was mining for basalt using dynamite to extract the basalt from the surrounding grounds. This method in terms of mining is very efficient as you can harvest big amounts of basalt quickly. The challenge of this application is the groundwater inside of the excavation pit which needs to be removed constantly in order to collect the material. However, the groundwater contains plenty of abrasive substances resulting from the dynamite explosions including sharp, crushed rock.

Contractor
Tsurumi Deutschland

Tsurumi support
Analysis of installation and process. Furthermore, on site training and advice for maintenance procedures.

The problem

The operator was using a deep well pump to remove the highly abrasive water from the excavation pit. Unfortunately, the pump was failing many times and stopped the process, causing a lot of cost apart from maintenance. By nature, basalt (trap rock) is one of the hardest materials you can find, hence it will cause a lot of wear on any pump, hence a very strong pump was needed for this process.

The solution

Considering the high geodetic head of this applicaiton, the tsurumi engineering team proposed a solution with a high head LH675 pump. In order to increase the durability of the pump in this application, the engineering team provided drawings for a special strainer that is longer with smaller inlets to achieve the right performance. On the pictures you see the first maintenance after 2 years operation.

Specifications LH

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.