Industrial equipment supplier Australian Pump Industries, better known as Aussie Pumps, is making inroads in the African market following a recent partnership with English oil group Tullow.

Aussie Pumps supplied six Mine Boss 4ʺ trash pumps to the northern Kenyan territories – bordering on Somalia – in July this year. These will be used on Tullow’s oilfields and for gas production in the region.

The trash pumps, as well as several corresponding Mine Boss 5 000 psi pressure cleaners, have been developed especially for the harsh environments of the Australian Outback and, similarly, that of Africa.

The pumps are powered by Japanese engine manufacturer Yanmar 10 hp electric-start, air-cooled diesel engines and produce notable flows of up to 1 800 ℓ/m. The pumps are designed to handle solids in suspension, up to 1.5ʺ, without clogging or stalling the pump.

The pumps are fitted with an e-stop and battery isolation as a standard safety feature required by Australian mining occupational health and safety requirements. The pumps are designed to be easy to prime and will suck water through a vertical lift of 7.6 m, which is advantageous when drawing water from wells or the semi-dried-out riverbeds on the Somali border.

Aussie Pumps continues to supply the Tullow pipeline in northern Kenya, which requires resilient and reliable pumps.

The company’s understanding of the nature of corrosive liquids on mines and construction sites is serving it well in its continuing to develop and design pumps for all environments.

Aussie Pumps further supplies Tullow with Yanmar spare parts kits that allow for easy service of the engines.

The service kits supply sufficient parts and oil for regular services to be carried out, which significantly prolongs the life of the single-cylinder engines.

The pumps feature silicone carbide mechanical seals, with couplings and strainer kits as standard. All pump ends come with a five-year warranty and the engines are supported by Yanmar’s two-year warranty.