Valves, pipes and pumps that are installed and maintained effectively in pipelines could reduce mines’ energy consumption by between 10% and 40%, says valve and pipe manufacturer Rexus Trading MD Allistair Balutto.

However, the skill of understanding the principles of how valves, pumps and basic hydraulics interact has been lost, leading to mines consuming much more electricity than what they actually need.

“Currently, there is a lack of skills in the valves industry. The local manufacturing of valves has declined, as skills such as casting and pattern-making are not readily available. The knowledge to select and position valves effectively has also declined dramatically,” Balutto says.

There is also a lack of innovation and new tech- nology in this sector because most of the South African valves companies’ internal training programmes were discontinued after 1994, he explains, adding that this, along with exorbitant local foundry costs, led to the casting and pattern-making of valves moving overseas.

Discontinued training programmes have also resulted in a decline in the number of trained people who truly understand the workings of valves. There are also not many young people entering the valves industry.

“As a result of this lack of understanding of the value of valves, emphasis is increasingly being put on price, which does not necessarily guarantee performance or quality.

“Mining companies are more inclined to consider the initial capital cost of the valves and other pipeline components, rather than the total life-cycle cost, which includes energy and maintenance costs,” Balutto tells Mining Weekly.

This, in turn, leads to budgets being overspent owing to a lack of expertise in installing the pipeline components, which often results in excessive maintenance and energy costs, he adds.

Balutto states that, in dealing with any skills shortage, industry usually turns to government for solutions; however, government can only create an environment conducive to work and does not have the ability to solve many of the problems.

“It is up to the private sector to resolve this type of skills shortage and the recommendation is that industry has to return to where it was prior to 1994 in terms of creating the same types of training programmes.”

Meanwhile, mines should actively engage with their suppliers, with a stronger focus on complete systems.

“If training is developed along these lines, systems will operate more effectively,” he says, adding that Rexus Trading specifically focuses on complete systems.

Further, active engagement between mines and suppliers is important, as pipelines often have to continue working even after the mine has closed down.

“This creates a need for maintenance and a thorough understanding of how the pipeline operates.

“Owing to the water pumped by mines often including sulphates-reducing bacteria and other corrosive substances, the selection of material to be used in the pipeline components also has to be carefully considered by the mine and its supplier,” he concludes.