Sustainable Productivity Improvements Through Quality Maintenance
This article has been supplied as a media statement and is not written by Creamer Media. It may be available only for a limited time on this website.
Choosing an appropriate maintenance package from an original equipment manufacturer is a key step in the journey towards sustainable productivity enhancements.
According to Willie van Wyk, general manager at FLSmidth, the company’s range of Krebs slurry pumps come with a range of maintenance options that drive productivity and reduce plant downtime.
“Pump audits are important, as these create benchmarks for improvement programmes, using indices like inlet and discharge pressure, flow rate and solids concentration to indicate problem areas and measure performance improvements,” he says. “Condition monitoring also helps avoid unscheduled maintenance, and includes the systematic documenting of vibrations and recording of pump maintenance activities.”
Van Wyk says this approach also can reduce power consumed by pumps, and achieve longer lifespan for gland seals and bearings. As part of the maintenance programme, he highlights the features of the Krebs millMAX™ slurry pump range which allows fine-tuning while the units are still running thereby enhancing productivity.
“These adjustments to the millMAX™ range of pumps, for heavy duty output and abrasive slurries, are done on the suction side sealing through an adjustable wear ring. This avoids any recirculation and grinding of slurry which could lead to power loss,” he says. “This fine-tuning means that the pump does not have to speed up to maintain higher levels of production. By closing the gap between the impeller and suction liner, the flow and head stays constant in the pump.”
By remaining operational through the fine-tuning process, plant stoppages are avoided so efficiency and throughput can continuously be optimised. Van Wyk emphasises the value of performance-based pump maintenance and servicing agreements, which contain specific measures to document results.
“In implementing these agreements, customers have access to the expertise of FLSmidth’s Pump Technical Group, who bring their experience in a vast range of applications around the world,” he says.
FLSmidth’s focus on lifecycle cost aims to improve pump performance and cut operating costs. Essentially, choosing the right maintenance package will lower the total cost of ownership of vital pumping equipment.
Comments
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation