North-Western Phosphorous Company (a member of Acron Group) is implementing a project to upgrade the flotation operations at the Oleniy Ruchey mine in Murmansk region. The first stage will include an overhaul of the processing plant’s pumping equipment. The total investments will exceed RUB25 million.
The existing pumps need to be upgraded because the chemical and mineralogical composition of the ore has changed, affecting the structure of the froth: it has become more stable and harder to break. The froth obtained in the flotation process is saturated with air bubbles. The air in the pumping chamber significantly reduces its efficiency and capacity.
The project involves the installation of a CARS (continuous air removal system) froth pump to separate air from the pulp. The pump impellers are specially shaped to remove air and force it into a collection chamber, where a flow inducer vents it from the pump and returns solid particles contained in the air to the main pulp flow.
‘We have installed two new pumps and plan to replace seven more. This type of pump is unique for the local mining industry and in particular for processing plants. We are the first company in the North-Western region to use CARS in ore processing’, said Aleksander Pislegin, NWPC Deputy CEO.