Global water technology company Xylem Water Solutions has taken up various openpit dewatering projects and continuously engages in projects for openpit mines.

These include application discovery, engineerinag, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and servicing projects.

The company also supplies pumps, pipework, valves, controllers, remote monitoring, electrical cables and fuel tanks for various projects.

Xylem has recently completed the first phase of a dewatering project for an openpit mine in Rustenburg, in the North West.

The company was tasked with auditing the systems, selecting the correct units for the application, aftersales commissioning and usage verification and operation.

“We were also able to provide insight into good practices, as well as recommendations relating to the system,” says Xylem strategy and marketing manager Chetan Mistry.

During the second phase of the project, the Xylem team will excavate deeper on the existing openpit, which will require more equipment, and the re-design and adaptation of the system. This will be done using existing and additional systems on a consolidated project.

Further, Xylem Africa embarked on a rental project in May, in Mozambique, where a Godwin HL160, a Godwin HL200 and a Godwin CD150 pump, as well as two Godwin HL250 pumps, were commissioned at a titanium mine.

The diesel-driven Godwin pumps were custom-fitted into shipping containers and waterproofed to enable the units to function when submerged in water and slurry.

The units allow for water to be fired into the surface mine to create a semi-liquid medium that is pumped for processing.

Mistry explains that Xylem’s team was able to provide its expertise to design, commission and support the units.

He adds that successful collaboration with partners and access to the Xylem workshop in Kempton Park, Gauteng, also contributed to the project’s success.

In the medium term, Xylem aims to collaborate with mines to optimise their total water management either directly or through partnerships.

“We believe that we are in a unique position, through our products and solutions across the water cycle, to follow this approach, supported by the services that we offer such as mine audits, system design and rental options. We have world-class solutions that have been at the cutting edge of technology to ensure the best performance.

“We will continue to invest in these key competencies while increasing investment in research and development to further enhance our solutions to remain a market leader, and continue to optimise water for a sustainable future,” concludes Mistry.