APE Pumps has completed two orders placed by Iran's Sungun copper mine, one for a train of eight pumps to operate as a very large multistage machine transferring slurry to the tailings dam, the second for four pontoon-mounted axial flow pumps to recycle dam water. The two orders are together worth some US$6,4 million to Wadeville-based APE Pumps.
John Montgomery, the engineer behind the design of the twelve machines covered by the two orders, said when commenting on the order that South African engineering companies are stepping in to fill part of the void left by European firms reluctant to enter into contracts with Iran.
APE's multistage pump train for Sungun comprises eight high pressure (70 bar) slurry pumps fitted with modified impellers to improve efficiency and performance, and delivering a capacity of 1 000 m3/h to manage slurry transfer in the recently expanded mine. These pumps were installed mid 2014 to complement two similar slurry pump trains, one operational and one on standby, manufactured by a competitor and installed in the original concentrator plant.
Pontoon assembly adjacent to the tailings dam at Sungun mine.
The open pit Sungun mine is located at high altitude (2 390 m) in the Qarabagh Mountains of East Azerbijan province, north-west of Ahar city. It yields ore with a grade of 0,07 %. Annual ore production of approximately 14 Mt is deposited in a large tailings dam after copper extraction.
Iran's scant average annual rainfall of 230 mm dictates that the mine recycles its tailings dam water for reuse in the extraction process, and it is for recycled water transfer that the pontoon pumps were ordered. Sungun Mine has a recycled water target of 85 %.
The pontoons were assembled and fitted with APE's vertical turbine pumps in a small excavation immediately adjacent to the tailings dam. When assembly was complete, the wall of the excavation was broken through to the dam, allowing the pontoons to float free.
Each equipped with two standard 18-inch APE vertical turbine pumps driven by 600 kW WEG motors, the two pontoons are fitted with weatherproof housings as well as de-icing agitation pumps as protective measures against the very cold winters of East Azerbijan.
APE Pumps, tel (+27 11) 824-4810
Caption
Pontoon assembly adjacent to the tailings dam at Sungun mine.
