Weir Minerals has launched a new pumping solution incorporating the Gemex belt tensioner with the Warman AH slurry pump.
The system was developed after research into the power consumption and lifespan of slurry pumps revealed misaligned and poorly tensioned drive belts to be a major cause of poor energy efficiency and excess wear.
By integrating a hydraulically adjustable and mechanically lockable motor platform onto the pump’s bearing assembly, the system removes the need to re-align the motor each time the drive belt needs to be replaced, reducing the downtime required from hours to minutes.
Monty Riemann, Gemex product manager at Weir Minerals, said: “When properly tensioned and aligned, a belt system is one of the best ways to drive a pump, lowering the cost of ownership by allowing the optimal rotational speed to be selected and reducing vibration.”
However, the need to replace the belt periodically is a major drawback, requiring downtime and increasing the possibility of poor performance through incorrect alignment and tensioning.
The Gemex system was added to Weir Mineral’s product portfolio following Weir’s acquisition of Sweden-based Gema Industri AB, the developer of the system, at the beginning of 2012.
