This includes pump systems for underground longwall mines and for industrial press applications in the aluminium segment. At Warrior Met Coal’s Blue Creek longwall mine near Brookwood, Alabama, RMI is providing its hydraulic power solution for the actuation of self-advancing roof supports.
“The design is based on our popular five-plunger Quinmax S500 high-pressure reciprocating pump,” explained Gary Punton, RMI’s general manager in the US. “The manufacture, assembly and testing of two pump systems is planned for completion by end of the fourth quarter of 2024.”
RMI is also supplying new pumps for another of Warrior Met Coal’s operations – Mine 7 East – as part of an overhaul and upgrade programme for its ageing S500 units, which were first installed as early as 2011.
“We will be installing new S500 pumps on the pump systems serving the mine’s longwall equipment,” Punton said. “This is a testament to the longevity and reliability of our equipment, which is well referenced in the mining sector.”
In another recent contract, this time in the industrial space, RMI will provide an additional S500 pump assembly for a press system at Arconic’s Lafayette facility in Louisiana. Arconic provides aluminum sheet, plate and extrusions, as well as architectural products.
“We assembled and tested this S500 pump system in our Jasper facility in Alabama, and shipped it to the customer early this year for commissioning during the third quarter of the year,” said Punton.
He highlighted that the Quinmax S500 pump at Arconic – fitted with 650hp motors – provides a safe and reliable supply of high-pressure water-based fluids for both mining and heavy industrial applications. With its compact horizontal five-plunger design, the pump facilitates increased crank speeds and loading.
“We use finite element analysis (FEA) to validate our pumps’ performance and reliability, as well as computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to maximise the efficiency of wetted components,” Punton explained.
