Gold mine in South Africa choose the Lowara technology.

17/05/2002

On the 17 April Alex Marusso, Area Manager Lowara, Jannie Bekker, Divisional Manager and Albert Ramathlhare, Internal Sales Engineer of Hypower Pumps - sole distributor for Lowara pumps in South Africa visited Western Deep Levels, Mponeng Mine, South Shaft, Fochville, Orange Free State part of the Anglo Gold Group in South Africa.

Wake up at 05:00 am, skip breakfast and jump on the car for an hour drive to reach the deepest gold mine in South Africa. A short stop to buy a bottle of water, at that stage I was not sure about the reason I had to bring water with me. At the gates it took us 30 minutes to get rid of bureaucratic formalities and then at last we are inside. It really does not look like a mine externally, there are many blocks of offices and warehouses built on one floor and a lot of people walking around quickly.
I do not feel any excitement till they took us to the dressing room where they provided us with a helmet, a lamp, first aid kit, boots and a miners suit.
We were lead through corridors and stairways downward to a big elevator that the miners call cage. It is a cage indeed, since we had to fit in 60 persons and when it seemed that there was no more room and still someone had to get in two miners at the entrance started to push till all of us were squeezed like sardines. At the end everybody got in and the cage started to descend, in 4 minutes we were at 3200 meters below ground level.

The mine is the deepest in South Africa and the object of the visit was to inspect the Lowara pumps operating at such depths under arduous conditions at the rock face.

The rock face is 3037m. below ground level (1,2 km. below sea level ) and 2,5 kms. horizontal walking distance from the lift cages. The travelling time in the lift cages carrying 60 miners is 4 minutes.
The mine is to be deepened to 3840m.
The stops where the whitish/grey gold bearing rock seam is mined runs at 35 degrees to the horizontal and the hanging or headroom is 1,5m.

A Lowara model SV1610F110T is providing a maximum of 5 pneumatic drills with water to lubricate and cool the cutting drill and the operator who is working in temperatures of 40° C. The drills are being used to drill holes 150 mm deep, 30 mm. diameter into the gold bearing rock face, where plastic explosive is placed to detonate the rock. The temperature of the rock at these depths once penetrated with a drill is 52°C.

Each Lowara pump is fitted into a fabricated steel cradle bolted at the base and wedged at the motor flanges. This is carried at the surface and then transported down the mine by the lift cage, then by train to the working area. It is then dragged in the cradle up the stopes over loose rocks to a suitable vertical position.
The clear water supply is piped to the pump and is then piped to the drillers. A 525 V. 3ph.50Hz. power supply and control box is connected to the unit.

The drills were previously supplied by one of our biggest competitor and now local managers decided to install Lowara pumps due to the fact that Lowara pump performs are better than the other ones, and spares are less expensive. Lowara pumps can also use standard motors if there is a breakdown; they like the Lowara motor with its lifting lugs.
The mine likes the wooden crates in which each Lowara pump is packed; and they appreciate the assistance and the Lowara presence directly to the mine.

We have trained the maintenance staff on the mine to fit new mechanical seals and motors on site if required. For any other requirement like quotation and repair they have always the assistance of Hypower Pumps.

Because of the rough handling of the pumps it was unseating the fixed portion of the mechanical seal. To overcome this the pumps are transported with the 5mm. plastic wedge fitted between the coupling and the pump motor bracket.

We have been told by the managers of the mine that they want to replace all existing pumps on the entire mine including all shafts with the Lowara pumps. They are interested in purchasing complete pumps and motors from Lowara in 525v.3ph.50Hz.
Very shortly Lowara will break the Guiness Book of Records once again when the mine is operating at 3,8kms. below ground.

As matter of interest is that it takes approximately 20 tons of rock to produce 1 ounce of gold and the extraction cost of 1 kg. of gold, for the mining company is 5.000USD

This one in South Africa is a very interesting and particular application of Lowara products and technology in the field of underground activities.

ITT-Lowara (www.lowara.com), headquarters of "Residential and Commercial Water - EMEA" part of the ITT Corporation and located in Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza - Italy, is a leader in the manufacture of hydraulic pumps and water handling and control systems. It has 1.348 employees in Europe, 771 operating in Italy. In 2007 its consolidated sales totalled about 284 million euro, or over 390 million dollars.
ITT Corporation (www.itt.com) is a diversified high-technology engineering and manufacturing company dedicated to creating more livable environments, enabling communications and providing protection and safety. The company plays an important role in vital markets including water and fluids management, global defense and security, and motion and flow control. ITT employs approximately 40,000 people serving customers in more than 50 countries. Headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., the company generated $9 billion in 2007 sales.