Case Study: SlurryPro Sliding Base Allows For Safer & Easier Inspection
The Problem
Slurry pumps are mostly large in size and notoriously difficult when it comes to undertaking maintenance and repair.
To open a pump usually takes several hours as components such as pipework have to be removed. Then the heavy casing must be opened, and the front casing manually removed. This is often a two-man job, and the manual handling of heavy parts, often in restricted spaces, brings a health and safety risk, particularly of musculoskeletal disorders.
Our Solution
The idea of the SlurryPro Sliding Base came from a visit to a mine in Ireland during which Atlantic Pumps Sales Co-ordinator Nathan Rowles saw site engineers open a slurry pump in a manner which, although simplifying the process, made Nathan realise the problems and hazards sites in the UK and worldwide faced when opening slurry pumps.
Returning to Sheffield, Nathan discussed the issue with Ed Smith, the Operations Team Leader at Atlantic Pumps. The discussions led Ed to design a base design using CAD upon which a pump could be mounted and slid open. The development and build, also undertaken by Ed, was without problem and took just six weeks.
Above: The SlurryPro Sliding Base
The SlurryPro Sliding Base allows the heavy pump casing to simply slide open for inspection and maintenance to be undertaken, thus allowing it to be easily opened and closed by just one person, and without any lifting aids.
In addition to eliminating manual handling by multiple individuals and reducing health and safety concerns, the SlurryPro Sliding Base also speeds up servicing and is an ideal solution for where space is limited.
Increased Safety and Reduced Downtime One site that has benefitted from the installation of a SlurryPro Sliding Base is Angerstein Wharf near London, which is operated by the CEMEX company.
Above: Atlantic’s Mark McCreadie on a site visit to CEMEX Angerstein Wharf
In the case of CEMEX Angerstein Wharf, the mains water pump used to take one day to strip, replace and rebuild. The process contained high risk manual handling of the heavy pump casing and a full day’s downtime.
Using the SlurryPro Sliding Base instead of a fixed base has eliminated high risk manual handling and reduced downtime by 50%. This reduction in downtime is due to only having to unbolt the four casing bolts to slide the wet end and motor apart to expose wear parts.
The suction pipe doesn’t need to be removed and replaced and the pump casings stay connected to the frame, eliminating high risk manual handling and therefore reducing the risk of hand injuries.
A lot of health and safety products mean more expense for a site; however, the SlurryPro Sliding Base is a health and safety feature that also optimises production, with considerable savings. By reducing the downtime by half, the plant can produce nearly £30,000 more of saleable material.
