Water presents an interesting dichotomy in mining. It’s used for mineral processing, dust suppression, slurry transport, cooling and employee needs. However, unmanaged water can be disastrous for a mine. Face and stage dewatering are two of the tougher challenges facing mine operators.
At the drilling face, mine operators have to deal with water ingress from both ground water aquifers, as well as, run down from higher parts in the mine wall. The challenge is that mine operators need to simultaneously clean process water for cooling purposes in the drilling operations, while removing groundwater that quickly accumulates in bore holes.
We’ll make sure you:
- Have the right equipment for the job. With a broad portfolio of pumps and dewatering equipment, no one offers a wider selection than Xylem. For your convenience, we offer rental and purchase options.
- Have a reliable system that works. Because we design and build our own equipment, we understand how it works best and create systems to match equipment to the needs of the mining industry.
- Have a support team committed to your safety and success. The experienced Xylem team provides turnkey services, including site drainage design, installation and ongoing equipment service, every step of the mining process.
A partner like Xylem has extensive mining experience and a range of products for all your face and stage dewatering needs.
Face-dewatering pumps are small, portable units so they can be moved throughout a mine. The water removed during boring is taken to a sump further back in the drift, where a fixed installation transports the water to another stage or directly to the main drainage station.
The objective of these stage pumps is to pump the water upward in stages along inclines and ramps, but not all the way to the surface. Those stages typically require larger submersible pumps, also available from Xylem. However, they are compact enough so they don't get in the way of the actual mineral extraction, and often several pumps work together pumping water from one stage to another.
Xylem has been the leading choice for pumps and dewatering equipment in the mining industry to own or rent because we have:
- A line of submersible pumps ranging from compact, portable units for small drainage jobs to larger dewatering pumps for a variety of mining applications where corrosion and abrasive conditions exist.
- Fully automatic diesel, electric or natural gas-powered, solids-handling dry-priming pumps for high-volume and high-discharge heads.
- A full range of hydraulic submersible pumps for general duty in dewatering, bypass, drainage and sludge applications.
- An exhaustive range of pumps and accessories for rent, with over 20,000 portable pumps and related equipment located around the globe.
Together we can manage your mining water dewatering needs to create a safer mining environment.