Ten years on, the Warman DWU pump remains a ‘local hero’ In the competitive world of pumps, gaining the technological edge is not easy; but ten years ago the South African engineering team at Weir Minerals Africa achieved just this – and the results are being enjoyed worldwide.
J ust over a decade ago in September 2011, the first Warman ® DWU (dirty water unit) pump was sold to a mining customer in Phalaborwa in South Africa. “The product was not necessarily a startling breakthrough,” says Weir Minerals Africa head of engineering Christian Stehle, “but was rather an innovative evolution of an existing product – as almost all technical advances are. “This high-lift dirty water pump was the perfect solution for a gap in the market that had not been fully recognised,” says Stehle. “It really reflected the value of Weir Minerals’ long his - tory in pumps, working closely with customers and understanding their changing needs.” Developed locally from the design of its Envirotech ® pump range, to this day the Warman ® DWU pump remains fully manufac - tured in South Africa. In addition to its enthusi- astic customer base in Africa, it has also found regular markets through the Weir Minerals
footprint abroad, he says.
“Having joined Weir Minerals Africa in 2004, I became very involved in the development of the Warman DWU pump concept from the time of the initial request
around 2007,” he says. “So the range is very close to my heart, and as a team we are extremely proud of its local and global success.” Filling the gap Critical modifications allowed the dirty water pump to essentially fill the gap between two well-serviced market segments: the slurry pump – built for high levels of solids sus- pended in liquid – and clear water pumps. The problem of dirty water arises when the suspended solids in the pumped medium cause excessive component wear rates and pre-
mature mechanical failure. “The Warman DWU pump addresses this challenge, accounting in large part for its success. There are many pumps
A Warman DWU installed on a Multiflo pontoon barge. Designed to achieve relatively high heads while running reliably over long periods, the pump can easily accommodate pumping over long distances.
10 ¦ MechChem Africa • January-February 2022
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