Competitors are feeling the heat from the hard-working Grindex Bravo 600 submersible slurry pump, which has replaced under-performing products at two mine sites in Limpopo and North West provinces recently.

The attraction, according to Jordan Marsh, sales manager at Integrated Pump Technology, has been the Grindex Bravo 600’s reliability and efficiency. This is due largely to its innovative cooling jacket between the outer casing and the motor.

“Mines have a frequent requirement for a hard-working pump to transfer slurry from process tanks, where levels change quickly and the material often becomes quite viscous,” says Marsh. “In these dry-bed applications, many pumps struggle with the density or even burn out when no longer submerged.”

The Grindex Bravo 600, though, has proven ideal for these applications, being supplied in South Africa as standard with a glycol-filled cooling jacket to keep its temperature down. This allows it to function reliably even when exposed above the slurry level.

“Plant operators are not always able to be present to check the levels in these tanks, or to add water to dilute slurry, so the specific gravity of the material can rise considerably,” he says. “This is where the Grindex Bravo 600’s agitator comes into its own, agitating the solids into suspension for easier removal. It even handles particle sizes up to 40 mm.”

To demonstrate the pump’s performance under these arduous conditions, Integrated Pump Rental offers mines a trial unit to run over an extended period. These tests are now resulting in purchases, says Marsh, after the customer is satisfied that the pump delivers. Both the impeller and casing are manufactured from hard iron, making for a robust product with long working life.

“This 22 kW pump also punches above its weight in terms of output, achieving the same performance as our competitors’ 30 kW pumps,” he says. “This makes the solution energy efficient, saving mines on electricity costs.”

Integrated Pump Technology has been distributing Grindex pumps in sub-Saharan Africa since 2014. So confident is the company about these advanced workhorse pumps, that the company offers a 30 month warranty on the units. Its well-equipped engineering facility in Jet Park undertakes maintenance and repairs to OEM standards.