Intricate job for Damen DOP150 pumps in South Africa

Two 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗗𝗢𝗣𝟭𝟱𝟬 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗺𝗽𝘀 undertaken an intricate maintenance dredging job in South Africa recently.

According to Damen, DOP submersible dredge pumps are not only used for standard harbour maintenance dredging, they can be integrated in intricate industrial pond maintenance as well. Thus has been the case at a mine’s Pollution Control Dam (PCD).

This industrial pond is used to safely capture and store mining by-products. As these still contain valuable commodities, they are dredged into two mobile dewatering facilities.

The project set-up was straightforward: a Long Reach Excavator (LRE) was located next to the thickening dams.

The DOP150 was powered by the hydraulics of this excavator.

Due to the aggressive environment – the sediment being highly corrosive – the DOP pump was treated with special corrosive resistant coating before starting the dredge job.

The pond cleaning operation is part of a long industrial chain. To ensure a continuous process, a second DOP150 dredge pump set was always at hand on stand-by.

When one unit was undergoing regular maintenance, the second would take over the dredge job.

The dredge job encompassed the sediment removal from two mobile thickening dams. This high-concentration sediment was pumped to a set of filter presses.

The dry pressed filter cake is then loaded onto trucks and carted to the smelter, where valuables are regained.