Since being appointed the South African distributor for coupling manufacturer Straub’s couplings range, pumps supplier Mechanical Rotating Solutions (MRS) has completed several mining projects that included the supply and installation of these couplings.

“The removal of a suction pipe for pump maintenance or repair usually requires that the flange bolts are removed either manually – which is highly time consuming – or using a cutting torch. This entails acquiring the necessary permits to conduct welding, flame cutting, soldering and similar operations in a plant,” explains MRS CEO Franscois Steenkamp.

Using couplings, such as the Straub Grip and Open Flex, reduces pipe assembly to just 15 minutes. As such, Straub couplings require no special tools or pipe-end preparation.

“Straub’s progressive sealing effects ensure that, when the pressure in the pipe rises, the contact pressure on the sealing lips increases, owing to the flow through the pressure equalisation channel,” he enthuses.

MRS predominantly supplies the whole of Africa’s industrial markets with innovative Straub pipe couplings, KSB pumps and valves, and the full HCP range of pumps, among others.

It is a supplier of “world-class” mechanical seals, rotating and engineering protection, as well as sealing equipment, says Steenkamp. The company is also an accredited agent for mechanical seals manufacturer AESSEAL.

“Making use of special repair composite materials, all makes and types of heavily damaged pumps can be restored to their original profile, reducing further deterioration and frequent maintenance costs while increasing pump efficiency. Additional specialist coatings incorporating chemicals, high-temperature resistant, erosion or an amalgamation of these properties ensure that MRS has the product for almost all service conditions.”

Further, the company’s unique mobile borehole trailer eliminates the need for hiring a crane to sink borehole pumps of more than 2 t, which ensures a significant cost saving for the client.

Subsequently, the multistage centrifugal pumps have been a popular choice in water reticulation plants installed by MRS in recent years.

These pumps offer a flexible range of flow and head, which, along with their high degree of energy efficiency, makes them the ideal choice for many pumping applications. Their ability to deliver high-pressure output using one pump body and motor combination is also an added benefit, he states.

Meanwhille, MRS installed a double configuration of two 18.5 kW style 525 V in-line vertical multistage booster pumps, complete with isolation and nonreturn valves, at a coal mine in Mpumalanga last month. These pumps were expected to deliver 66 m3/h at a 60 m head.

“The benefit of the double configuration setup is that one pump can be on standby while the other is in operation, and will start to operate when water demand increases. The vertical multistage pumps provide several benefits, such as a smaller footprint and energy savings, and can operate in a range of flow/head scenarios,” Steenkamp concludes.