Metals And Mining Review: Specials Magazine

These days, it seems that every mine encounters one of three water challenges; it has water it needs to get rid of, it needs supply water to fuel operations or it handles both pressures across different parts of the mine. What makes this difficult is how quickly those conditions shift. Water that appears clear at the start of a shift can later carry sediment, solids, mud or acidic content as operations move forward. As the mine conditions change, so do the pump requirements and most miners are left making decisions without the exact numbers needed to size a pump or design a system. Miller Sales & Engineering (MSE) built its business around closing that gap by engineering the entire water-movement solution, so operators aren’t expected to determine those parameters themselves. “With us, operators don’t have to be pump experts,” says Scott Johnson, chief engineer and general manager. “They tell us what’s happening in the field, and we define the parameters and design the system around it.” That mindset shapes everything MSE does. Since the strength of the company’s work comes from designing around field realities, not the assumptions captured on a specification sheet, it is also why a large number of mines in the Western U.S. turn to MSE when they need a pumping system that will deliver under harsh operating conditions. Every project begins by going to the site and studying the conditions that actually dictate performance. What the water contains, where it is collecting and the point to which it must be moved. Engineers evaluate whether the fluid is clean, abrasive, acidic or carrying suspended solids; identify realistic pickup locations; map out the lift and distance the system must handle; confirm available power; and determine whether the setup needs to shift as water levels change....Read more