Russia Nickel Mine - Adapting to Low-Temperature Environment with Frost-Resistant Slurry Pumps

A medium-sized nickel mine located in the Kola Peninsula of Russia is mainly engaged in underground nickel ore mining, grinding and magnetic separation operations, and is an important nickel supplier in Northern Europe. The local extremely cold climate and special nickel ore characteristics have brought great difficulties to the mine’s slurry transportation, and the mine urgently needed a reliable frost-resistant slurry pump solution.

The mine’s core pain points were the low-temperature environment and the weak corrosiveness of the slurry: the local annual average temperature is -8℃, and the minimum temperature in winter can reach -40℃, which easily causes the slurry to freeze and the pump unit’s electrical components and pipelines to crack; the nickel ore slurry contains a small amount of sulfuric acid radicals, showing weak corrosiveness (pH 4.5-5.5), and the solid content fluctuates between 45%-55%, with particle size up to 3mm. The conventional slurry pumps used by the mine had poor frost resistance: the pump body was easily frozen and cracked in winter, the sealing system failed frequently, and flow parts were corroded and worn quickly, requiring replacement every 1.2 months. Monthly unplanned shutdowns reached 6-8 times, reducing production efficiency by 18% and causing monthly losses of about $85,000.

Combined with the mine’s low-temperature and weak-corrosion working conditions, we designed a targeted frost-resistant and corrosion-resistant solution: the core equipment adopted our customized frost-resistant horizontal slurry pumps (model: 10/8ST-AH), which adopted low-temperature-resistant cast steel for the pump body and added a heating insulation layer to avoid slurry freezing; the flow parts adopted Cr27Ni3Mo2 high-chromium alloy material with corrosion-resistant treatment, which can effectively resist the weak corrosion of the slurry and the scouring of hard particles[2]; the electrical components adopted explosion-proof and frost-resistant design, adapting to the low-temperature environment; we also optimized the hydraulic model to improve the fluidity of the slurry and reduce the risk of freezing.

Up to now, the frost-resistant slurry pumps we provided have operated stably for 14 months, including two harsh winter seasons. The practical results are remarkable: the pump unit has no freezing or cracking problems, unplanned shutdowns have been reduced by 89%, flow part service life has been extended to over 13 months, operation efficiency has reached 80%, and the mine’s annual cost savings exceed $900,000. The pumps have perfectly adapted to the low-temperature and weak-corrosion working conditions of the Russian nickel mine, realizing stable production throughout the year and laying a foundation for our cooperation in the Russian mining market.