- Stop Losing Primestop their existing pumps losing prime in service
- Always Primedmake sure that they were always primed
- No Dry Runningwouldn’t experience any harmful dry running
Pumps Losing Prime at a Mining Site
Their existing units were losing pressure, also known as prime, when operating because of low incoming water pressure. This was causing significant water shortages across their site.
In fact, the inlet pressure to their centrifugal pumps was so low that the pumps had to be stopped or have their pumping capacity vastly reduced, to prevent expensive damage to their pumps.
Why Was Water Pressure Dangerously Low?
There were a number of factors. They were being caused by a continuing lack of government investment in vital national infrastructure, demand from other users nearby as well as leaks within the suction pipe.
The client recognised that identifying the exact cause of the problem could take years. So they were looking at timely and cost-effective ways for them to maintain production within their mine without suffering stoppages and incurring downtime.
In short, they had to stop their existing pumps losing prime in service, make sure that they were always primed and wouldn’t experience any harmful dry running. They asked North Ridge pumps for advice.
So What Was Our Specification for This Client?
The mining company wanted to explore various options for solving their problem. After looking into the issue and discounting submersible and vertical immersion pumps, we recommended that they use a surface-mounted self-priming pump.
Unlike many pump manufacturers, we don’t just specify a single type of pump or pump technology. At North Ridge Pumps, we can choose the best pump for every application – offering the optimum mix of performance and lifetime cost.
In fact, as the UK’s biggest pump supplier with over a quarter of a century in business, we have massive experience in specifying pumps for a wide range of applications.
A Tailor-Made Pump Solution
From our discussions, we knew that the client already had compressed air on site for this particular application. We therefore selected a pair of our XHLE end suction centrifugal pumps fitted with an air-driven air ejector for pump priming. This will enable these high flow self-priming pumps with air ejector to achieve a suction lift of 6.5M.
Traditionally, self-priming pumps feature an open or semi-open impeller to handle solids or unexpected particles. As these self-priming freshwater transfer pumps are end suction pumps with closed impellers they will operate at a higher efficiency due to the impellers having sidewalls.
This means that these high flow self-priming pumps with air ejector can operate at around 81% efficiency. An equivalent self-priming pump may only be able to reach around 60%-70% efficiency due to the impeller design.
Low NPSH and Many Years of Uninterrupted Service
In addition, the 1000rpm motor helps to ensure that NPSH requirements are kept low and enables the pump to operate for long periods without needing frequent servicing.
Built with ductile iron casings and impellers for many years of uninterrupted service, these self-priming freshwater transfer pumps will deliver around 400M³H at 40M head.
Need a Self-Priming Pump?
If you have an application or process needing a self-priming pump or aren’t sure if you need a different type of pump, talk to North Ridge Pumps today to see how we can help.
