Vanadium mining pump proves its mettle 13 May 2010

South African mining specialist Xstrata Alloys reports that its British-made peristaltic pump has proved ultra reliable on arduous duties – to the extent that its only downtime has been for hose replacement and annual plant maintenance.

The device in question is a Verderflex VF40, installed in the precipitation plant at Xstrata Alloys Rhovan site, which extracts vanadium. The unit pumps abrasive mining slurry with 60% solid content at 6–8 m3/hour.

Xstrata's Christelle van Vuuren says that while centrifugal pumps struggle to perform with such slurries, the peristaltic pumps continue to prove themselves more than capable.

Indeed, she says that the VF pumps regularly handle slurries with sub-micron content in excess of 80% and with a specific gravity rating of more than 2.0.

She also points to the fact that the VF40 is designed to run dry without undue maintenance. This is an important feature for Xstrata as no gland water is used in its operation. And she praises the rotor design and flange arrangement, noting that it makes pump maintenance easy.

Indeed, she says that the speed with which the VF can be maintained has resulted in many other brands of hose pumps being substituted for Verderflex models on site.

"The Verderflex pump works well and is only off-line for scheduled maintenance," says van Vuuren. "Quite simply, it's a reliable pump."

Brian Tinham

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