Mining Slurry Pumps: Cutting Water and Energy Costs

As mining and mineral processing operations face growing pressure to reduce water consumption, improve energy efficiency and minimise maintenance costs, choosing the right slurry pumping technology is becoming increasingly important. Verderflex peristaltic hose pumps offer an alternative to conventional centrifugal slurry pumps, helping operators handle abrasive, high-solids materials while potentially reducing operating costs and environmental impact.

Transporting abrasive, solids-laden slurries is a demanding part of mining and mineral processing operations. Pumping equipment must maintain consistent performance under challenging conditions while controlling energy consumption, water usage and maintenance requirements.

Conventional centrifugal slurry pumps remain widely used across the industry. However, their efficiency can decline as slurry solids concentrations increase, potentially requiring additional process water to maintain reliable flow.

Verder’s Verderflex range of industrial peristaltic hose pumps provides an alternative approach. Designed to handle highly concentrated and abrasive slurries, these pumps enable mineral processing operators to transport materials with less dilution, offering opportunities to improve resource efficiency and reduce whole-life operating costs.

Reducing Process Water Consumption in Mining Operations

Water management is a significant operational and environmental consideration for mining companies, particularly in mineral processing applications where large volumes of slurry must be transported.

According to Verder, its Verderflex peristaltic hose pumps can handle slurries containing up to 80% solids, while conventional centrifugal slurry pumps begin to lose efficiency at solids concentrations of approximately 30%.

The ability to pump higher-density slurries means less water is required to transport the same quantity of processed material, reducing the demand placed on process water supplies.

Verder reports that replacing a conventional centrifugal slurry pump with a peristaltic hose pump can reduce process water requirements to less than 25% of the original volume.

In the operating example provided by the manufacturer, this represents potential annual water savings exceeding 1.1 billion litres.

For mineral processing facilities operating continuously or handling significant volumes of abrasive material, reductions of this scale could make a substantial contribution to water conservation and operating efficiency.

However, actual savings will depend on slurry characteristics, pumping duties and individual site conditions.

Improving Energy Efficiency with Peristaltic Slurry Pumps

Energy consumption is another major contributor to mining slurry pumping costs. Transporting large volumes of dilute slurry requires considerable electrical power, making pump efficiency an important factor in overall plant performance.

By handling slurries at higher solids concentrations, peristaltic hose pumps can reduce the volume of material that needs to be pumped, potentially lowering energy requirements.

In comparative testing reported by Verder, the Verderflex VF125 peristaltic hose pump required approximately 35 kWh of energy compared with more than 75 kWh for a conventional slurry pump.

This represents an energy reduction of more than 50%, with the manufacturer’s figures indicating potential annual operating energy savings exceeding 210 MWh.

For mining and mineral processing operations with extended production schedules, improvements in pumping efficiency can translate into meaningful reductions in electricity consumption and associated operating expenditure.

Lower energy demand may also support wider efforts to improve the environmental performance of mineral processing facilities.

Minimising Maintenance and Wear in Abrasive Slurry Applications

Abrasive mining slurries can cause significant wear to pumping equipment, increasing maintenance requirements and the cost of replacement components.

Conventional slurry pumps may require specialist impellers manufactured from expensive wear-resistant materials to withstand prolonged exposure to abrasive particles.

Peristaltic hose pumps operate differently, with the pumped material contained within a flexible hose rather than passing through multiple internal mechanical components.

In Verderflex pumps, the hose is the principal wear component, simplifying maintenance requirements and reducing the number of parts directly exposed to abrasive slurry.

Verder uses abrasion-resistant and corrosion-resistant elastomer hoses designed to withstand the demanding operating conditions and process chemicals encountered in mining applications.

The hoses can also be replaced in situ, allowing maintenance teams to carry out servicing without removing the entire pump from its installation.

This approach can help reduce maintenance complexity, simplify spare parts management and minimise production downtime.

Another advantage is the seal-less pumping design.

Unlike progressive cavity pumps that incorporate seals requiring maintenance or replacement, peristaltic hose pumps do not rely on mechanical seals in the fluid path.

This reduces potential leakage points and helps limit the risk of pumped materials escaping into the surrounding environment.

For operations handling chemically aggressive or abrasive slurries, these characteristics can contribute to improved containment and more manageable maintenance requirements.

Evaluating Whole-Life Costs of Mining Slurry Pumps

Selecting a slurry pump for mining and mineral processing applications involves more than comparing initial purchase prices or maximum flow rates.

Water consumption, electricity demand, reagent usage, replacement parts, maintenance accessibility and unplanned downtime all contribute to the overall cost of operating pumping equipment.

Verderflex peristaltic hose pumps offer an option for applications involving highly concentrated, abrasive or chemically challenging slurries, particularly where reducing water requirements and simplifying maintenance are important priorities.

However, selecting the most appropriate pumping technology requires careful consideration of the operating duty, including slurry characteristics and site-specific process requirements.

For plant engineers and procurement teams, assessing the total cost of ownership can help identify opportunities to improve pumping efficiency and reduce long-term expenditure.

By considering energy consumption, process water demand and maintenance requirements alongside equipment purchase costs, mining operators can make more informed decisions about slurry pump selection.

For suitable applications, Verderflex hose pump technology provides a practical route towards more efficient slurry handling, supporting lower resource consumption, reduced maintenance demands and improved operational performance.

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For more information:

Verder Ltd
www.verderliquids.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1924 221 000
info@verder.co.uk