Anglo American Platinum’s Mogalakwena Mine was able to increase throughput and reduce energy consumption in its secondary mill circuit with the installation of a Warman® MCR® 450 pump. The pump solution, equipped with a rubber lining and metal impeller, was provided by Weir Minerals Africa.

The mine, near Mokopane in Limpopo province, is the world’s largest open pit platinum mine with among the lowest operating costs. In line with the mine’s focus on productivity, Weir Minerals Africa proposed this pump solution as it offered a higher volumetric capacity in anticipation of future increases in throughput requirements.

The larger impeller of the Warman® MCR® pump allows lower pump speeds and consequently less wear. The rubber liner of the Warman® MCR® pump is lighter and the hydraulic design has improved efficiency and wear characteristics. This allowed the mine to raise its production target from 600,000 to 700,000 dry tonnes per month.

The replacement pumps were retrofitted to the existing footprint, without disturbing existing motors, gearbox drives or pipework. On-site Weir Minerals Africa technicians were deployed during the commissioning phase. Once installed, the Warman® MCR® 450 pump milled 4,400 m3 per hour, shifting 760,000 dry tonnes per month.

Online for 78.9% of the plant operational time, the pump was able to deliver significant savings through lower power consumption. After 3,000 hours in operation, the Warman® MCR® 450 pump was examined to evaluate the wear rate of the hydraulic components. Localised wear was evident on some of the components, and the mine decided to continue running the pump to point of failure. The improved wear life will result in a significant saving for the customer.

The independent study conducted after the initial installation confirmed the pump’s improved performance. The study also recommended converting all mill discharge pumps at the operation to Warman® MCR® 450 pumps, to maximise pump performance and reduce energy consumption.

Based on the mine’s satisfaction with the way the pump met its objectives, it has placed an order for three Warman® MCR® 450 pump conversion kits to retrofit the remaining Warman® AH® 20/18 RE pumps installed in the secondary mill circuit.