Flygt Assists Galmoy Mine with Pumping Solution

The Galmoy Zinc Mine via Thurles in County Kilkenny has deposits which lie in a northeast striking belt of Lower Carboniferous carbonates, mainly limestones. The scope of work Flygt undertook was to design a system to solve Galmoy Mines’ pumping problem in the G and K production areas of the mine.

Colm Corcoran, Flygt Ireland’s service manager, comments, “The G and K production areas are dependent on a temporary pumping system that was installed during the early development of this mining area. We proposed to install a permanent pumping station in the K Orebody workings which was capable of delivering water directly to the surface.”

After a tour of the mine and attendance at various engineering meetings, Galmoy Mines agreed to install Flygt’s Tandem Pump System which involved 1 No dual pump station placed in the G and K production area. This incorporates 2 x BS2250 HT / 54Kw pumps with control panels complete with variable speed drives and controlled via an ultrasonic level controller.

In addition, Flygt installed at 100 metre distances two more BS2250HT / 54Kw pumps in tandem, also with control panels with variable speed drives. Mindful of the pumping laws applying to tandem pumping, Flygt used the 4-20 milli-amp signal from the level controller as the sequence start/stopping of the tandem pumps.

In consultation with the mining industry, Flygt Ireland concurred with Galmoy Mines’ decision to install an 8" Yelomine pipe line, which will dramatically reduce the pipe losses.

Seamus Quinn and Paul Tait of the Underground Project Team of Galmoy Zinc Mine, said, “The new Flygt system gives us much greater security of production from the G and K orebodies. It also provides a number of environmental and treatment benefits. The new pumping system will relieve the pressure on the existing CW dirty pumping system which is currently close to its maximum limit.”