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PIT DEWATERING in parallel. After collecting the equipment in Townsville, Queensland, Campbell Mining Services fabricated flotation frames in its workshop based on pontoon arrangement drawings supplied by Xylem and put the dewatering pumps to work in an open-pit. Two weeks later, Campbell confirmed a five- month rental agreement for Flygt pumps and accessories to assist with pit recovery at a BMA mine site in Queensland's Bowen Basin. Within four days, Xylem staff gath- ered equipment from five Australia branch offices, fitted new cables to all three pumps and dispatched the shipment. With virtually every pump in Australia working non-stop to drain floodwaters at the time, mine operators and service con- tractors looked abroad for additional resources for cleanup and recovery opera- tions. A major coal producer contacted Xylem in late December 2011 to discuss pit dewatering solutions. Over the end-of- year holidays, Xylem staff inspected the damaged pits and contacted Godwin pump specialists in the U.K. to develop a total pumping solution for the mine. The factory built and dispatched seven Godwin high-head pumps by air to Australia within seven days of order receipt, much faster than the normal six- to eight-week Weir Minerals Multiflo's MH high- wall pump allows quick response to water-related problems in mines. turnaround time. The order included five complete Godwin Dri-Prime HL Series pumps with diesel power—two HL260M, two HL200M and one HL125M—and two HL250M bare-shaft pumps. Capable of handling flow rates of 19,500 gpm (4,425 m3/hr) with head capabilities in excess of 500 ft, the pump package was used to suc- cessfully dewater flooded assets. In a similar vein, mine dewatering spe- cialist Weir Minerals Multiflo (WMM) recently announced the September launch of what it describes as a premium per- formance, custom-built highwall pump. The Multiflo MH pump, according to WMM, was designed in response to customer feedback and comes on the back of the major flooding disasters described above. Paul Avey, managing director of WMM, said, "We have really listened to our customers and developed a pump that we believe will better protect people, assets, jobs and the environment, and ultimately get sites up and running more quickly during times of flood- ing and other water-shed crises. "With a flooded mine or quarry costing up to $1 million a day in lost productivity, we believe the release of the Multiflo MH highwall pump will be extremely well received by customers because of the urgent need for a robust and reliable high- wall mine dewatering solution." The new highwall pump offers an envi- ronmentally friendly dual pipe system that separates hydraulic oil hoses from the dis- charge pipe, to reduce the risk of hydraulic oils contaminating discharge water. The submersible pump head assembly includes hydraulically driven wheels to aid highwall ascent and descent, and a heavy-duty hydraulically driven submersible pump that can handle high concentrations of silt and solids. It also has a modular design for ease of transport and assembly; provides joystick control of the hydraulic controls for easy operation; has an operator camera for in-pit visibility; and has been designed to ensure maximum flow rates of up to 200 l/sec at a 90-m head. 76 E&MJ; • OCTOBER 2012 www.e-mj.com