Tag Archives: Linatex

Weir Minerals improves plant uptime at mineral sands, gold mines

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Industrial minerals, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Precious metals, , , , , , , , ,

Two African mines are achieving increased production time and plant availability after converting to Weir Minerals rubber lining solutions, the company says.

A mineral sands operation in Mozambique approached Weir Minerals just over two years ago, after experiencing high wear on its pipe and launders. This was leading to frequent maintenance, leaks and downtime. The Weir Minerals team observed that part of the challenge was worn out and corroded metal work on the mine’s wet concentrator plants due to the proximity to the coast.

Access to reline the existing launders was difficult and posed safety risks necessitating a more effective solution, the company said.

The solution was to replace the competitors’ products – chemically-cured rubber – with Linatex® rubber and Linard® 60 rubber. This was done during the mine’s monthly shutdowns.

Whereas the competitors’ rubber lasted only two to three months, the Linatex and Linard linings are still in operation after 25 months, according to the company.

The Linard 60 rubber lining solution was also applied at a gold mine in South Africa’s North West province. The mine’s maintenance team had been replacing the rubber lining on mill feed hoppers and spouts every 10 days, but the Mechanical Foreman was looking for a more resilient solution.

The Foreman was not familiar with Linatex rubber products, so a trial using Linard 60 rubber was arranged, with the entire feed hopper and spout lined with this silica-reinforced natural rubber.

The results saw wear life increase to 12 weeks. With only the partially worn areas requiring relining, there was a reduction in relining costs. This, in turn, increased plant availability, resulting in fewer stoppages and reduced operating costs.

Linatex premium rubber is a proprietary vulcanised natural rubber produced through a process that uses high quality natural latex, according to Weir. “It has outstanding strength, resilience and resistance to cutting and tearing – with high performance in wet, abrasive conditions,” the company said.

Linard 60 rubber, which is silica reinforced, retains the natural strength and nerve of latex, while combining with the toughness needed for handling coarse materials, according to the company.

Weir Minerals Pumped Up by new dewatering game for miners

Environmental, Mining equipment, Water management, , , , , , , , , ,

Weir Minerals says it has created a “fun and simple game” to educate its customers on the OEM’s dewatering capabilities.

Pumped Up! uses a variety of Weir Minerals dewatering equipment to move water around a fictional mine site, according to Ian Ross, Global Product Manager for Dewatering at Weir Minerals.

Each of the 10 levels present players with a different dewatering obstacle to overcome, from recycling, to flooding, to underground mines and long distance pump requirements. Levels increase in difficulty, and the number of points awarded is determined by how long each level takes to complete.

Products included as part of Weir Minerals’ dewatering solution in Pumped Up! include Warman®, Geho®, Floway®, and Multiflo® pumps as well as Isogate® and Delta® valves, and Linatex® hoses.

The game was released as part of Weir Minerals’ 2019 Take Control Of Your Water dewatering solutions campaign. Through articles, expert profiles, and case studies, the campaign demonstrates how Weir Minerals use its engineering and project management capabilities, together with a wide range of equipment, to deliver an optimised dewatering solution unique to every customer site, the company said.

Head to www.dewateringsolutions.weir to play the game.

Weir Minerals Africa on the importance of application-specific valves

Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Weir Minerals Africa has stressed the importance of using quality original equipment manufacturer (OEM) products “engineered specifically for their application” when it comes to using valves in abrasive and corrosive slurry conditions.

Without such components, valves can be quickly worn out and costly downtime can occur, the company said.

Ronald Govender, General Manager – Process Equipment at Weir Minerals Africa, said: “With our comprehensive range of slurry valves, we can help customers select the right equipment to suit the pressure of their system, the chemical make-up of their slurries, and the physical nature of the solids they process.

“We can provide the right wear options, actuation mechanisms and control accessories that will ensure optimal plant uptime.”

Weir Minerals’ Isogate® range of slurry valves is proven to be reliable and versatile, according to Weir, operating under wide pressure and temperature ranges. “For longer life, valve sleeves come in a variety of materials including genuine Linatex® premium abrasion-resistant natural rubber. To reduce downtime and overall cost of ownership, all wear parts are easily replaced in the field,” the company said.

The range includes mechanical pinch valves, with open or closed body, and pneumatic pinch valves with one-piece sleeve or two-piece liner. Isogate knife gate valves are known for their heavy-duty performance, even in coarse slurries, with pressure ratings from 10 to 51 bar, Weir said. These are uniquely designed with both ease of maintenance and low overall cost of ownership in mind and are engineered to handle the harshest and most abrasive process flow conditions, according to the company.

Weir Minerals’ check valves are single, non-return units that benefit from 20 years of in-field experience in the most arduous slurry applications, Weir said. Within this range, Autoball® valves, which are actuated with differential pressures, enable quick changeover between duty and standby pumps.

“An exciting addition to our offering is the Delta Industrial™ range of knife gate valves, which set the standard for high performance in slurries,” Govender said. “These valves guarantee zero leakage, due to their unique transverse seal and shear gate design.”

The design protects the primary elastomer seal from the slurry flow to avoid wear, while a precision-machined metal seat provides a secondary seal. “The transverse seal features an upper and lower scraper, with an elastomer that is energised by a pliable compound – even while the valve is in service.”

Designed for the most demanding processes, Delta Industrial valves have been in use for over two decades in mill circuits, tailings transport, mineral separation and leaching applications for slurries up to 120 bar working pressure.

“We bring a full basket of valve solutions to customers,” Govender said. “Other valves in our liquid service range include butterfly, diaphragm, globe and trunnion-mounted ball valves.”