In the South American countryside, there’s a large-scale, coal mining operation that requires some serious dewatering. In fact, the engineers at this massive, open-cut mine in Colombia needed a heavy-duty pump that could handle an extra high-head of over 170 metres. Even more, it needed to be very reliable and operate continuously, 24 hours a day.
William Hinson from AllightPrimax (based in Charlotte, South Carolina) travelled to Colombia from the USA to help install this heavy duty dewatering solution.
It was William, with oversight from Darren Coles, Sykes Group International Business Manager, who recommended a XH200 pontoon-mounted pump, driven by a SA-700 HP electric motor at 56HZ.
“This heavy-duty AllightPrimax industrial pump – with a powerful electric motor – is perfect for dewatering an open cut mine that’s nearly 200 metres deep in some places” said Darren.
In fact, the client’s so happy with the results – not to mention the smooth customer service they received from the Allight Primax team – they’ve already followed-up and ordered two more pontoon-mounted pumps with the same extra high-head capacity.
Darren explained how “William travelled to the Colombian mine-site and personally supervised the installation and commission process. Sharing his vast expertise, he worked closely with the local team to set it up and ensure the pump was working well.
“His personal service really helped with two more orders off the back of that.”
Darren also explained that the pumps include some very special custom-made features. They were specifically built to perfectly match the remote location in Colombia.
“These pumps need to operate continuously in a remote location, so they’re under pressure to consistently perform. Any unexpected breakdown and consequent repair would be a very expensive proposition – not to mention the logistical difficulties of executing a repair in that isolated region” he said.
The AllighPrimax team workshopped this operational necessity and fitted the XH200 pump with a gland packed option, complete with an auto-greaser. This provides added lubrication at start-up, ensures reliable priming and helps avoid excessive wear and tear.
“This clever configuration will potentially provide significant savings over the long life of the pump” said Darren proudly.
Even more, said William, “the 316 stainless steel internals of the pump will mitigate corrosion that cast iron or carbon steel components would usually experience in that particular environment.”
The heavy-duty AllightPrimax pump has been a great success and now dewaters 24/7.
To learn more about mine-site dewatering in the USA or South America, email our international pump team directly or visit our website.
