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range of high density liquids. The Mudflo is also paired with twin Multiflo ® CB33 hydrau- lic cutters with Weir ESCO ® excavation teeth. The cutters mechanically agitate the settled solids, allowing abrasive and highly charged slurries, and mud, to be efficiently pumped. Weir ESCO ® teeth utilise the two-piece Ultralok ® tooth system to prevent premature breakage, avoid tooth loss and protect the integral locking system to ensure continuous operation of the pump. Weir ESCO, as the world leader in ground-engaging tools, be- came part of the Weir Group a few years ago. Koorts notes that Weir Minerals’ expertise in abrasion was therefore valuably augmented by Weir ESCO’s expertise about impact. Other key product combinations in the Multiflo Mudflo pump are Weir Minerals’ Ultrachrome ® A05 chrome alloy casting for high wear resistance, and a suction strainer to prevent excessively large particles clog- ging the pump. This ensures optimal uptime for the unit, while facilitating high levels of performance: the Mudflo 200 pump is capable of pumping between 150 m 3 /h and 1 200 m 3 /h, up to a head of 82 m. The maximum particle size it can handle is 80 mm, while the maxi- mum temperature of the liquid being pumped can be as high as 35 °C. “This new innovation can be assembled on land, eliminating the safety risks associated with assembling pumps over water,” he says. “Our new hydraulic hose management system further reduces risk by preventing hose en- tanglement and avoiding trip hazards, while still providing a reliable hose bend radius to ensure smooth oil flow. “Our Multiflo brand is a well-established range of mobile solutions including pumps and skids, which can be electrically powered or diesel-driven,” says Koorts. “We have also expanded into the application of pontoons recently, which has earned us considerable success through the incorporation of equip- ment such as pumps, hydraulics, cyclone separators, valves and hoses, in which Weir Minerals excels.” He highlights industry’s need for mobile dewatering solutions and also flotational de - watering solutions, for which Weir Minerals has developed a depth of expertise in the sci- ence of buoyancy. The Multiflo Mudflo pump can be applied to many different dredging applications including tailings storage facili- ties, harbour or marine maintenance, sand and gravel mining, maintaining water storage ca- pacity in retention ponds, slime removal from sludge ponds, and land reclamation. “The way this solution has evolved shows the progress we have made in recent years towards integrating our product lines to add value to our offerings,” says Koorts. “ETO is fully embraced by our engineering teams to achieve results that are more than just the
Engineered for abrasive applications, the design can be applied to many different dredging applications including tailings storage facilities, harbour or marine maintenance, sand and gravel mining, maintaining water storage ponds, slime removal from sludge ponds and land reclamation.
The Multiflo Mudflo pump was initially designed to address the constant challenge of mud caused by high rainfall, which was impeding production.
The Mudflo pump can be assembled onto the dredge unit on land, eliminating safety risks of assembling pumps over water.
ity to customers means we develop a detailed understanding of their specific requirements,” he says. “This gives our ETO capability a special relevance to our customer base, as we can ensure that our innovations are fit for purpose.” www.minerals.weir
sum of their parts.” In this case, the company’s dewatering experts were able to draw on the best technology from Weir Minerals’ Multiflo, Warman and Weir ESCO brands – combining them with advanced hydraulics to create an innovative result. “Our presence in the field and our proxim -
July-August 2022 • MechChem Africa ¦ 5
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