South African pump solutions provider Integrated Pump Technology’s (IPT’s) pump rental division is hiring out IPT’s locally designed, engineered and manufactured floating desilting dredge solution, called the SlurrySucker, to a sugar cane farm, in Swaziland, and a mining operation, in Madagascar.

IPT MD Graham Russell tells Engineering News that the development of the SlurrySucker and the launch of the rental division in March were particular highlights for the company this year, adding that IPT first opened its doors in July last year.

“A significant amount of time was spent on the design of the SlurrySucker, which involved a complete computation of fluid dynamic modelling of the dredge head, as well as strength calculation on the float frame. It is a fully engineered solution, which has been designed for recovery, disposal or desilting,” he highlights.

In January, IPT started research and develop-ment on the SlurrySucker, which was first applied at the Swaziland and Madagascar-based projects in August.

The solution is an unmanned remote-con-trolled dredging system that increases water storage and improves mineral recovery in mining applications, process water quality in industrial and mining applications, and the protection of assets such as plastic-lined dams.

IPT Africa GM Colin Adams notes that the SlurrySucker is available in two configurations, the Mini and the Maxi – they can submerse the dredge head at a depth of 4 m and 5 m respectively.

The SlurrySucker-Mini is being used at the Swaziland project to desilt a dam, while the SlurrySucker-Maxi is being used for ore recovery at the project in Madagascar.

The Mini solution has a capacity of 100 m3/h at volumes of 25% to 35% and can discharge 30 dry tons of material through a 100-mm- diameter bore. The Maxi solution has a capacity of 250 m3/h at volumes of 25% to 35% and can discharge 75 dry tons of material through a 150-mm-diameter bore.

“The SlurrySucker is a significant milestone for IPT in terms of its ability to show the adaptability and flexibility of the company, as well as its ability to develop unique solutions quickly,” asserts Russell, who believes the solution will be “revolutionary” in the global mining arena.

Along with the development of the SlurrySucker, IPT has also designed and manufactured its own line of pontoons, as well as flotation and hose flotation devices, all of which are used on the SlurrySucker, but are also available separately.

Meanwhile, Russell notes that IPT won the 2014 Distributor of the Year award in January from submersible dewatering pumps manufacturer Grindex, which is celebrating its 75-year anniversary this year.

IPT is the sole distributor of Grindex products for sub-Saharan Africa.

Adams notes that, as part of Grindex’s anniversary celebrations, the company will attend the regional distributor conference later this month at its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.

The company will also launch the Maxi SH 37 kW double-stage pump and the 25 kW submersible dewatering pump this year.

New Distributorship
IPT announced in April that it had secured the sub-Saharan Africa agency and distributorship for vacuum solutions provider Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum. The agreement covers the full line of fore and high- vacuum pumps, systems, vacuum systems, vacuum gauges, leak- detecting instruments, flanges, fittings and valves, and accessories.

Russell points out that this will allow the company to broaden its product offering to include vacuum technology. “This underlines IPT’s business philosophy of partnering with leading specialist suppliers of technology solutions that add value to complex processes.”

The Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum brand is already well known in South Africa, with a relatively large installed base of products that form part of original-equipment manufacturers’ equipment packages.

In addition to single vacuum pumps, the core competences of Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum range from delivering standardised vacuum systems through to the engineering of tailor-made vacuum solutions for industrial applications with complex performance parameters.

Russell explains that fore vacuum pumps are used in general industrial applications such as pick and place systems, food and packaging and as backing pumps for high- vacuum application. High-vacuum pumps are typically used in research laboratories and the coatings industry.

Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum business development manager Jens Schleicher says that, with IPT as its agency and distributor, the company will increase its presence in all the key regions of the world. “Our goal is to continuously improve our customers’ experience in every respect. Expanding our network of sales and support personnel and being in close proximity to where our customers are key initiatives towards achieving that.”

“We are well positioned to provide market access for these end- users to high-level product support, ready availability to parts and, of course, access to new products with the accompanying technical support. By adding complementary products to our existing offering, we are able to react to market demands and provide a well-rounded turnkey solution,” Russell concludes.