The Problem Submersible Pumps Solve In Mining

Submersible dewatering pumps are used when excess groundwater is coming in and it needs to be dewatered so mining contractors can keep their operations going.

In other cases they don't have groundwater and they need to introduce water for their tools or for their jumbos or their drilling rigs. This applies whether they're drilling paste holes down through to other levels or drilling to do major works on the face of the mine.

Submersible Dewatering Pumps In Mining

Mining operators always have some sort of element of water management whether it be the introduction or the evacuation of water.

Sometimes engineers can make mistakes and they can punch through and hit an aquifer. Working spaces can fill up quite quickly.

If you hit under an underground aquifer, your first thought is, "How big is it?" You didn't know it was there. You hit it and you've fractured it. You wonder how much water is going to come pouring out? It's a worrying time.

There are several immediate consequences that come into play at that point.

Slows Mining

It slows up the mining if there's water there.

Reduces Income

It slows down production. This is an issue because everybody earns their income drilling per metre. It’s all about how many tonnes they can get out.

Increases Cost

It increases cost because you've got to use different explosives if it's wet. They're often not as effective in those conditions.

Dewatering in Australia

In Australia we tend to view dewatering as an afterthought. This is a very arid land. It really doesn't become critical until you hit an aquifer. Then you’ve got to deal with it quickly.

Dewatering is very large scale. At PumpEng we specialise in underground de-watering. We also do some work in surface de-watering which you find in iron ore mines. They'll have an open pit and they still have similar problems.

How They Work

Even the average plumber in a metropolitan area can dig a hole and hit water. Working in circumstances like these is called groundwater suppression or Spear Pointing. It's where they draw the water out so they can do their work. At the end they pull the equipment out and the water table comes back in.

What you're doing is just dropping the water table so you can work and then bring it up again. This work is all about managing water tables.

While we do cover a lot of industries, the major sector we work in is mining. We work for mining companies and mining service contractors to help them solve the problem of taking water out of mines. This is mainly for dewatering, but it's also for circumstances where they're bringing water in and they've got to manage that water.

That's what we do traditionally and we're well-known for that.