Tag Archives: Sykes

Sykes Group boosts mine dewatering capabilities with XH250 pump

Environmental, Mine shafts and equipment, Mining equipment, Mining services, Water management, , , , ,

Sykes Group, a leading name in the realm of dewatering pump solutions, has launched its latest innovation, the Sykes/Primax XH250 for mining and quarry applications.

The XH250 is set to revolutionise dewatering operations in these sectors, offering a reliable solution for operations that are continually expanding, reaching greater depths and widths.

The pump, which complements Sykes’ existing range of Extra High Head pumps, delivers higher heads and flow rates than its predecessors to ensure consistent equipment access to all areas of mining and quarry sites, the company says.

Key features of the Sykes XH250 as stated by the company include:

  • Versatile drive options: The XH250 is available in both diesel- and electric-drive configurations, and it can be mounted on skids, trailers, or pontoons;
  • Impressive performance: The XH250 is engineered to deliver 200 litres/second at 220 m or 250 litres/second at 200 m, ensuring reliable and efficient dewatering;
  • Innovative pump design: The pump’s design incorporates several key features to enhance its longevity and performance, including extraordinary shaft stiffness ratios, multiple priming options, advanced bearing arrangements and exceptional sealing solutions;
  • Front and rear wear plates: Sykes Pumps’ inclusion of wear plates offers the ability to make fine adjustments to the impeller-wear plate clearance, enabling customers to restore pump efficiency without the need for extensive overhauls;
  • Material options: the Sykes XH250 is available with various material options to suit specific applications, including 316 SS Impeller, wear plates, and SG iron Volute, among others. Other options are Full 316 SS, CS340, CS500, CD4MCU, H7A SS, CD4MCU, SAF2205 and SAF2507.

The company concluded: “The Sykes XH250 is a testament to our commitment to providing efficient and reliable dewatering solutions for the mining and quarry industries.”

Sykes Group became part of the Atlas Copco Group Power and Flow Division this month.

Integrated Pump Rental prevents flooding at KwaZulu-Natal coal mine

Coal technology, Equipment maintenance, Mine operation news, Water management, , , , ,

South Africa-based Integrated Pump Rental has recently come to the rescue of a coal mine in KwaZulu-Natal, providing fit-for-purpose dewatering equipment to prevent flooding in the open pit.

The unexpected failure of one of the mine’s own pumps came at a bad time. The national COVID-19 lockdown meant it would be some time before pump repairs were possible. Some heavy downpours aggravated the situation, demanding there be no delay in pit dewatering, Integrated Pump Rental said.

The answer came in the form of a Sykes HH130 high-head diesel-driven pump. The rugged, 5 t unit was promptly delivered to site by truck, and transferred to an on-site trailer for easy mobility. The 6 in pump is capable of pumping at a head of over 140 m high at a flow of between 80-90 litres per second, according to the company.

Henru Strydom, Operations Manager at Integrated Pump Rental, said: “From our experience of the mining sector, we know that water in a coal mine is acidic. The complete pump-end we supplied was, therefore, of stainless steel construction to resist corrosion and ensure reliability and uptime.”

Lockdown regulations allowed those coal mines supplying to state power producer Eskom to continue operations during Alert Level 5, even as most business activity came to a standstill. Rainfall across much of the coal-producing province of Mpumalanga raised the risk of flooding and led to Integrated Pump Rental also delivering solutions to several customers there during the lockdown, it said.

Strydom emphasises that, in addition to maintaining their vital dewatering activities, mines gain other benefits from renting pumps. There is no large capital outlay, for instance, and running costs can be controlled.

“The renting option means that we handle the maintenance, so that mines can better control their costs,” he says. “We also ensure the pump’s optimal performance, so that mines don’t risk costly downtime.”