Sustainability in Slurry Pumps: How MD Series pumps deliver maximum efficiency with minimum environmental impact

Metso’s large mill discharge offering began comparatively later than other companies, with the smallest size launched only in 2015. As a result of this more modern development, many of the sustainability benefits that competitors have recently began retrofitting on their pumps have already been incorporated in the MD Series Pumps from their beginning stages.

“Water consumption, energy, material use, logistics, inventory, all of these play a role in the total sustainability picture,” says Diwakar Aduri, Global Product Manager, Mill Discharge Pumps at Metso. “Our idea was to minimize those impacts at every leg of the journey in the life cycle of the product.”

Metso has ambitious sustainability targets that are validated by the Science Based targets initiative and come under our Planet Positive approach. The design and operation of slurry pumps play a critical role in the mining process and deserves considerable attention in regards to increasing sustainability within operations.

Reducing water consumption with EnviroSet™

The MD Series pumps are designed to minimize water consumption, which is becoming a scarce resource in many mining regions. With a range of features that aim to decrease the environmental impact while improving efficiency and productivity, MD pumps can reduce water consumption by up to 50% in specific applications.

“Water has become more of a luxury these days for mine sites, so that was a critical factor we took into play when we designed the MD pumps,” says Diwakar. “Soon enough, the water will be mostly sea water, which is not fresh water. This means there will be a lot of cleaning of the processed water involved in order to safety flush your seals. Minimizing the requirement of fresh water has a significant sustainability impact.”

Metso’s MD series pumps come with the EnviroSet™ gland as a standard feature. This sealing solution is made up of high-quality packing and a unique throat bushing that controls the internal stuffing box environment, reducing gland water consumption by up to 50%. The EnviroSet™ seal has been in place on these pumps for seven years and has proven to be an effective solution for maximizing water consumption efficiency.

The latest MD Series innovations, such as the recently released MDM900, includes using a low-flow shaft seal to minimize the pump’s freshwater requirement during operation. By implementing sustainable elements in slurry pumps, Metso is in the unique position to ensure improved process efficiency, increased pump uptime and reduced energy and water consumption.

Modular design for optimal versatility

What if an operation could be increasing sustainability, cost savings, safety and convenience? With the MD series pumps, it can! And with a range of pumps that cover flows up to 13,500 m3/h, customers can be guaranteed there is a pump to fit any process need.

The modular design of the MD Series allows for easy interchangeability of all metal and rubber parts, which reduces the need for component changes when up- or down-sizing the pump. This translates to lower costs, reduced inventory requirements and a smaller environmental footprint. The back pull-out feature also includes an optional maintenance slide base for fast, easy, and safe inspection.

The modular design also reduces the need for additional parts and components, resulting in lower inventory and higher sustainability. The MD Series pumps are known for their durability in pumping highly abrasive slurries, whilst having the latest in wear reduction technology. They have specifically been designed for efficient operation and longest wear life in grinding mill circuits to match the mill’s uptime.

The ability to maintain individual elements of the pumps is a key feature of the MD Series, as it allows for a variety of optimization benefits.

“Since the pump is a combination of a mechanical element and a fluid containing element, it’s ideal if the two can be separated and maintained independently in different intervals,” says Diwakar. “In terms of timesaving, this allows for quick rebuilds. In terms of maintenance, you can change the whole pump out or just change the wet end, depending on how the cycles are. This helps in forming your maintenance schedules as well.”

Lower weight leads to lower costs and carbon footprint

Not only are the MD Series pumps designed with sustainability in mind, but they boast an added benefit of overall increased efficiency. The hydraulic design of these pumps is optimized using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), resulting in high efficiencies compared to competitors. This means that the pumps require less energy to operate, which translates to lower operating costs and a reduced carbon footprint.

The MD Series Low Rider focuses on reducing material weight and use on the power frame, further reducing environmental impact of the site. In simple terms, by using lighter parts, the pumps are easier to transport, thus lower logistical costs and environmental impact.

“In terms of materials, if your parts are not heavy , then logistic costs, transport, safety risks and more are all significantly decreased,” says Diwakar. “Each of these are benefits that increase the customer’s overall sustainability and cost savings.”

With the growing demand for environmental efficiency within the industry, Metso is stepping up to the plate to address these challenges head on. Our expertise and expansive portfolio in products, services and processes means we can improve our customers’ energy and water efficiency, increase their productivity and reduce environmental risks.

That’s why, together, we are the partner for positive change.