During the third quarter of 2009, a new grass roots gold mine opened in the state of Zacatacas, Mexico. GoldCorp's Minera Penasquito mining project soon became the largest open pit mine in Mexico and a significant contributor to its annual production and profits. The huge project encompasses traditional mining, crushing, grinding and flotation circuits of sulphide ores. Significant by-products of silver, zinc, and lead add considerably to the viability and profitability of this state-of-the-art mineral processing facility.

A Need for Multiple Pumps

The facility needed products and services for several of the process pump applications found in this massive mining endeavor. The largest single order was for the reclaim water pumping system, which returns water from the tailings pond to the plant for use in multiple processes.

The system consisted of eight barge-mounted vertical turbine pumps equipped with 900 hp motors. The pumps and motors, located in the tailings pond and gravity fed to the processing plant, deliver 10,000 gal of water per min each, or a maximum of 80,000 gpm, to a secondary booster pump station that houses eight additional 1,000-hp, can-type vertical turbine pumps. In the mineral processing circuit of this plant, after the metals have been extracted from the ore, the waste material is sent by gravity flow to the tailings pond. The excess water in the tailings is reclaimed and pumped back up to the processing circuit via this barge mounted pump station and a secondary booster station for reuse. The system's 100-plus million gal per day of total flow are reused continuously. Additional make-up water is added to the system, as needed, for use int the mineral process facility.

The process required pumps that would not only handle the abrasive nature of the dirty mine water, but pumps that are also adaptable to varying conditions expected over the 22-year estimated life of the mine. Multi-stage turbine pumps that could be de-staged at future intervals as the tailings pond levels rise and the pump system head requirements decreases over the life of the mine were chosen. In addition, special chrome oxide bearing and shaft surfaces that will greatly extend the wear life of the pump components were supplied for the project.

The 900 hp vertical turbine pumps are situated on the Minera Penasquito mine's b
The 900 hp vertical turbine pumps are situated on the Minera Penasquito mine's barge

 

A Boost to Mexico's Gold Production

The more than $2-billion-USD investment made by GoldCorp in the Peñasquito mine has been important to the domestic mining sector in Mexico and will position Mexico as one of the five largest gold producers in the world. It will generate 2,500 direct jobs and 12,500 indirect jobs. On March 23, 2010, Goldcorp celebrated the mine with a visit from Felipe Calderón, the president of Mexico.

In the second quarter of 2010, a second sulphide line, which further expanded production capabilities, was completed. The annual production life of the mine will ramp up to approximately 500,000 ounces of gold, 30 million ounces of silver and more than 400 million pounds of zinc.
With gold and other commodity prices continuously on the rise, the possible profitability of this mine is impressive.

All pump systems are installed and the barge readied for operations in the mine
All pump systems are installed and the barge redied for operations in the mine's pond.

Pumps & Systems, September 2010

Mike Dwyer, Project Manager for Mining Accounts, has 23 years' experience with Quadna and 31 years total in the pumping industry. He can be contacted at 2803 E. Chambers Street, Phoenix, AZ 85040, 602-323-2370. Quadna, a DXP Company, engineers, fabricates and services mechanical systems that move fluids and gases for industrial applications.