GIW Industries

The MDX 750 Saves Chilean Mine $6 million

Operators at a Chilean copper mine turned to GIW after years of dealing with poor performing mill pumps. These pumps required a costly mill outage every 800 hours. Leaders of the mine began looking for an alternate supplier that could help them achieve a reliable shutdown schedule, minimize expenses, and meet a high safety standard.

GIW responded by custom-designing an improved suction liner and impeller to be installed inside the existing competitor pump, providing improved hydraulics and wear life. During the initial run, the customer was astonished to see an ‘almost new’ suction liner after the first inspection at 1,300 continuous hours. The customer was accustomed to failures at 800 hours with their old supplier.

The mine operators were so impressed they decided to replace the entire competitor pump along with seven other pumps with complete GIW MDX-750s – the world’s largest mill pump.

The MDX-750s were equipped with GIW’s brand-new material technology called Endurasite. This innovative material is capable of resisting the effects of abrasion for extended periods. When applied to the MDX-750 high wear wet-end parts, this ultra-wear-resistant white-iron alloy vastly improves pump wear life. Thus, extending the time between shutdowns. In fact, the MDX cyclone feed pumps ran 4,000 hours between shutdowns with no operational interruptions.

As a result, annual shutdowns were cut in half, drastically improving the total cost of ownership with an estimated savings of $6m per mill line. GIW’s innovative technology has taken the Chilean copper mine’s pumps from 800 to 4,000 hours of continuous operation.

GIW Introduces Safer Solution for Automated Pump Maintenance

Efficient pump operation in aggressive wear applications is only possible through precise maintenance. One of the key procedures is adjusting the internal clearance between the pump impeller nose gap and the suction liner.

The RAMSL (Remotely Adjusted Mechanical Suction Liner) technology allows you to mechanically control suction liner adjustment during operations. This upgrade allows maintenance personnel to adjust their pump suction liners in less time than ever before. Historically, adjustments were made using hand tools near the rotating equipment. What once took a crew an average of 32 weekly work hours now takes a single worker one minute with the simple push of a button.

The RAMSL technology collects critical pump data such as real-time vibration readings and precise suction liner movements to within 0.01 mm. This allows mine operators to assess their operations without unnecessary shutdowns.

Local Customer Support & Maintenance Services

GIW’s service centres operate under the KSB SupremeServ brand. Located strategically throughout North America, these service centres help customers prolong the life of their capital investments through maintenance and refurbishment services for pumps and other rotating equipment.

GIW is dedicated to making your job easier, safer and more efficient with innovative product features. Our focus on system analytic technologies and new wear programs allow us to solve problems in the field before they occur.

You can count on GIW to provide personal assistance when and where you need it—either on the job site or at one of our service centres. This means you can spend more time running your business and less time worrying about equipment malfunctions.

Service solutions include:

• 24/7 emergency service and on-site repairs
• Asset management and qualification
• Parts wear analysis
• Pump system analysis
• Preventative maintenance programs
• Turnkey removal and installation

About KSB and GIW® Minerals

As a subsidiary of global pump and valve manufacturer, KSB SE & Co. KGaA, we have the infrastructure to supply worldwide. Through the GIW® Minerals product brand, KSB strives to be an innovative partner that provides you with the best and longest-wearing slurry solutions. At GIW, your success is our priority.