Mechanical Rotating Solutions (MRS) has been servicing the filtration plant of a Mpumalanga Highveld coal mine since it first started its operations in December 2012.
One of the world’s biggest exporters of power station coal situated near the town of Middelburg on the Mpumalanga Highveld chose MRS for their innovative and reliable product range ensuring that operations at the filtration plant run at the highest possible capacity with minimum downtime.
At the heart of the filtration plant are two variable speed drive Warman WBH slurry pumps that have been equipped with the AESSEAL ® DMSF™ (Double Monolithic Stationary Flow) range of double mechanical seals specifically designed as a high-performance sealing solution for arduous applications such as can be found in a coal mine.
The DMSF™ mechanical seal is supplied with a highly efficient integral bi-directional pumping ring and deflector arrangement, which circulates and directs barrier fluid.
Believed to be the most technologically advanced mechanical seal in its class the current range of DMSF™ mechanical seals was rigorously benchmarked against and outperformed similar products in its class in many sealing attributes.
The DMSF™ mechanical seal range commanded the most extensive test program that the company had ever undertaken. These tests included stop/start, cyclic temperature, flow and duration tests, at various seal sizes and seal face combinations.
Ensuring optimal fluid management MRS installed the AESSEAL® SW2 Water Management System which connects directly to the filtration plant water line, using it as its fluid and pressure source, to feed the mechanical seal with a clean, cool and stable water barrier fluid. The SW2 Water Management System in turn is supported by South African Seal Water Units (SASWU) each with a 200 litre capacity.
AESSEAL’s SWO2 system uses an integral vessel to store flushing water for continuous recycling. The system is connected directly to the SASWU water line, which becomes the system’s fluid and pressure source: the pressure is adjusted so that the barrier fluid pressure within the system is maintained at 1 bar above stuffingbox pressure, resulting in a pressure differential that keeps harmful products away from mechanical seal faces and increases seal and pump reliability.
The installation of the double mechanical seals coupled with the fluid management systems installed by MRS has ensured that pump life has increased to 18 months minimising the possibility of downtime. Furthermore, the modular sealing system combined with unrivalled inventory levels ensure that any standard seal in any size or material combination is available for immediate despatch.
The MRS installation showing the SW2 Water Management System feeding into the Warman slurry pumps equipped with AESSEAL ® DMSF™ double mechanical seals.