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Pumps power some of the most crucial processes in a mining environment: ensures safe access to work areas. Slurry movement transports valuable material and waste efficiently. Water supply systems support processing, dust suppression and crew amenities.
When a pump fails in any of these areas, the impact can be immediate and severe. can halt production, jeopardise the safety of workers, or result in environmental contamination – particularly in tailings or wastewater applications.
In remote and underground mining sites, recovery from a pump failure is often more complex due to limited access, longer lead times for replacement components and reduced technician availability. The risk is magnified during extreme weather events when dewatering becomes even more crucial.
Understanding the root causes of pump failure is the first step in preventing it from occurring. In mining, these causes are generally amplified by environmental extremes and the abrasive nature of the materials being pumped.
occurs when pressure within the pump drops below the vapour pressure of the fluid, forming bubbles that collapse violently on the impeller. This process erodes metal surfaces and reduce pump performance over time.
In dewatering systems with high suction lift or insufficient net positive suction head pressure, cavitation is common. Air entrainment (where air gets trapped in the suction line) has similar effects, leading to erratic flow and internal damage. These conditions are worsened in uneven terrain where pipe elevation changes are frequent.
Mining slurries often contain higher concentrations of abrasive and sharp solids. If a pump isn’t designed or protected against wear, impellers, liners, volutes and seals degrade quickly. This is especially true in tailings or concentrate transport systems, where materials such as crushed rock, silica or heavy metals continuously scour the pump internals.
Using materials like hard iron, rubber lining or ceramic components can help, but even these need regular inspection and replacement under extreme loads.
Mechanical seals and bearings are frequent failure points in any pump system. In mining environments, the presence of abrasive particles, pressure fluctuations and poor lubrication practices accelerate wear.
Seals may fail due to thermal shock, over-pressurisation or shaft misalignment, leading to leakage and contamination. Bearings can overheat from improper greasing intervals or alignment issues. Once compromised, these components can trigger complete system shutdowns.
Electrical issues can arise from unstable power supplies, overcurrent situations or faulty variable speed drives (VSDs). In remote mining sites, where voltages may fluctuate and backup systems are limited, motors are prone to overloading or burning out.
Improper sizing, underspecified starters or a lack of surge protection can also increase the likelihood of electrical pump failure.
Even the most robust will underperform if it has been installed incorrectly. Misalignment between motor and pump shaft, unbalanced pipe strain or incorrect anchoring can cause premature wear. Choosing the wrong pump size or neglecting head pressure / flow calculations leads to inefficiencies, cavitation or motor overload.
A poor system design that doesn’t consider future capacity or operational flexibility will often result in expensive retrofitting and early failure.
Catching a failing pump early can mean the difference between a quick fix and a full-blown crisis that requires a complete replacement.
Key warning signs include:
Modern pump systems should be equipped with monitoring tools, such as vibration sensors, flow meters and thermal imaging to help catch these signals early. SCADA and IoT-enabled systems can send real time alerts and log trends for predictive maintenance.
Preventing pump failure begins with a proactive maintenance mindset and engineering discipline. The following strategies aid in reducing wear, extending service life and supporting consistent operation.
Choosing the right pump for the application it’s going to be used for is foundational. Engineers must match pump type and materials to the fluid characteristics (slurry concentration, corrosiveness, temperature) and ensure the pump is rated for the and flow.
For example, a rubber lined pump may outperform a metal one in high abrasion application, while submersible units may be better suited for flooded dewatering scenarios.
Maintenance isn’t just about fixing what’s broken, but also replacing parts before failure occurs. schedules for:
Custom maintenance intervals should be based on duty severity, not just elapsed time.
Installing sensors to track flow rate, pressure, motor current and vibration allows maintenance teams to identify performance degradation early. Remote access platforms make it easier to manage pump fleets across multiple locations, particularly in FIFO or unmanned sites. Cloud based data logging also supports diagnostics and performance benchmarking.
Even with the best equipment, human error can lead to pump failure. Operators should be trained to recognise symptoms of wear, cavitation or overload. Clear SOPs for starting, stopping and switching pumps help to reduce the risk of procedural errors.
Emergency shutdown protocols must be known and rehearsed, especially for tailings and dewatering systems that protect critical assets.
When a pump fails, the immediate priority is to contain the impact and restore operation. A typical response process includes:
During a high rainfall event, a critical underground fails due to seal wear. Water begins to rise rapidly, threatening access tunnels. Redundant systems are activated, but are already operating near capacity. A backup unit is flown in, installed and operational within 12 hours, avoiding production losses and potential flooding. A post-incident review reveals that earlier detection of temperature spikes could have triggered pre-emptive servicing.
For critical systems, redundancy is non-negotiable. This includes:
Having adequate planning protocols in place transforms a potential crisis into a manageable event.
Pump failure in mining is more than just an inconvenience. It’s a high stakes event that can halt production, jeopardise worker safety and significantly escalate project expenses. However, with the right strategy in place – from accurate pump selection and proactive maintenance to system monitoring and emergency readiness – most failures can be predicted, mitigated or avoided altogether.
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