A hard wall mining hose built for suction and discharge applications was recently installed at a treatment plant in Namibia, helping to reduce downtime and operating costs.

The existing rubber hoses had to be replaced every four weeks due to excessively high wear rates, leading to ongoing downtime and the risk of losing concentrate as a result of hose failures. In addition, the concentrate media at Namdeb’s Sendelingsdrift treatment plant contains diamonds and additional security was required when hose failures resulted in concentrate leakage, adding to the costs.

Weir Minerals Africa recently installed a Linatex 808 hard wall rubber hose with a wear indicator system at the Sendelingsdrift treatment plant, aimed at withstanding the slurry flow rate of 84 l/s with a slurry density of 2.65 t/m³. The wear indicator system installed on the hose is designed to indicate when the hose is nearing the end of its life, eliminating the need for physical inspections. In addition, the plant would save the cost of additional security requirements by eliminating premature hose failures.

The Weir Minerals Africa service team conducted a trial using the Linatex 808 rubber hose and found that it delivered more than 162 000 t before showing signs of failing, compared to a delivery of 32 000 t of ore by a competitor hose. The hose lasted seven-and-a-half months before being replaced, which was said to be more than six times longer than the competitor’s hose and represented a significant cost saving for the customer. The Linatex rubber hose was found to have processed over 2.5 million tonnes of concentrate and a similar volume of slurry during this time.

Designed for dual delivery and suction applications, the rubber hose can be custom manufactured to any size and is available with a range of flange types.