Aussie miners – where would we be?

This story has been contributed by Warwick Lorenz, Managing Director of Australian Pump Industries. Warwick has spent decades in the earthmoving, construction and mining industries. Here he pays tribute to shareholders who risk their money and the capable men and women who make the mining industry what it is today.

It’s no secret that Australia’s mining industry is the backbone of our economy. No it isn’t baristas or McDonalds fast food stores. It’s the people who work in some of the toughest operating conditions in the country to produce the billions of dollars in exports that keep us going.

Even though the 2024 estimate is a sharp reduction to $417B from $466B in 2022-23, the estimate is consistent with the forecast from the Resource and Energy Quarterly. The export dollars generated in 2024-25 are forecast to fall at around $380B!

Don’t be disappointed! It’s still a mighty effort and without it we wouldn’t have anything like the facilities, mainly in the big cities, that we have today. Although the experts tell us that world economic growth is relatively soft, the demand for Australian minerals will continue, particularly as lithium and copper exploration rigs find more material to support the electrification of the world.

I’m proud to be part of Australian Pump Industries and to have the opportunity to work with mining companies who are the forefront of these astonishing results. Imagine being in New Zealand with nothing but dairy products, some lumbar and wool to get them by.
For sure, we aren’t the only company that has experienced major inspiration from working with Australia’s miners. Our miners are innovative, dedicated and are not frightened to be critical when they see things that can be improved. That’s where our engineering team comes in, operating with the basic premise of “designing and building products as if we were going to use them ourselves”.

Aussie mine boss pumps

Our inspiration for the Mine Boss range was born from experience supplying what were basically commercial product into some quarry operations. We soon learnt that the rigors of quarries and mine sites are different to normal commercial construction or earthmoving applications.

Our trash pumps, 2” all the way through to big 6” pumps were originally developed for the hire and construction market. We realised that mining companies needed more robust machines in line with the industry’s special requirements.

The result was super heavy duty stainless steel frames with integrated lifting bars and pumps fitted with emergency stop, battery isolation and fire extinguisher.  The pump itself is the heart of the product, not those accessories but they make those pumps ‘mine fit for purpose.’

At this stage, the biggest heavy duty trash pump we do is a 6” self primer with a 360 kilo body. With most components from America, we build these units onto 80 hp Deutz (German built) air cooled diesel engines and set them up on heavy duty skids. Trailer mount units are also available.

The pumps are unbreakable.  That huge cast iron body with a whopping big open impeller enables them to pump 6,000 litres per minute.  Not only that but, they will handle solids in suspension up to 3” in diameter and pump heads as high as 47.6 metres.

They’re also great self primers with a vertical lift of 7.6 metres without the use of compressors or vacuum pumps.  They are the pumps that saved the town of Juba from flooding South Sudan in 2022. They make a major contribution to flood mitigation with local government bodies and mines in Australia too. They operate in coal mines in Queensland and northern Western Australia. They do a mighty job, with some still working hard after 18 to 20 years of service.

For abrasive and corrosive liquids, we glass coat the inside of the pumps and the impeller with great results. 

Fire down below

It’s common knowledge that mine sites can be a major fire hazard. We’ve put a lot of pumps into mines around the country, in particular our Fire Chief Mine Boss. Configured in a rugged stainless steel frame with lifting bar it is available with single or twin impellers to deliver first class performance.

The Fire Chief outperforms and out features all others and is regarded as the world’s best lightweight portable fire pump.  Fitted with 10 hp Yanmar diesel engine, the big twin impeller 3” version can produce flows of 200 lpm at 80 metres head.  That’s a capability that can really put out a fire fast. They are also be used for dust suppression and machinery wash-down.

Fire trailers are a common sight on mine sites and are often used for more than just fighting fires.  Using the Aussie Fire Chief Mine Boss version is the way to go.

Hydrostatic testers … an indispensable tool

Testing the integrity of pipelines for water, oil or gas has become an essential part of the industry. Aussie’s Mine Boss hydrostatic test gear can handle flows up to 125 lpm with models also capable of testing up to 500 bar.

The machines are powered by a top quality international diesel engine brands and are built into sturdy stainless steel frames with steel wheels with flat free tyres.  Bigger machines can be trailer mounted.

“We build 40 or 50 bar hydrostatic testers with up to 125 lpm flow in compact stainless steel frames for ease of movement”, said Aussie’s Chief Engineer, John Hales.  “For bigger machines, like the 500 bar units working in Africa and PNG, we offer trailer or skid mount”. 

All Aussie’s hydrostatic testers are fitted with adjustable pressure regulators that enable the operator to set the required pressure.  They’re equipped with a unique double lock off valve system as well.  That double lock, double gauge system enables the operator to isolate the pump from the main job and check that line pressure is maintained.

Compact 40 bar machines, with up to 40 lpm flow, are also suitable for ute-mounting.  They come in a stainless steel frame and can operate in remote locations.

High pressure … we go to extremes

As we proceed with our pressure cleaner development, we keep finding more and more applications for 500 bar + machines.  Copper and coal mines are big customers already and we’re seeing a lot of interest coming out of the Middle East for oil and gas system processes.

Apart from that, these big, robust machines, part of the ‘Aussie Extreme’ range, are available for a wide range of different applications.  Some of them wind up in shipyards.  Others are employed in corrosive applications, stripping paint and rust, even cutting out concrete cancer in some locations.

“The first big order we got for our Aussie Raptor 500 bar diesel drive pressure cleaners was from a Turkish company cutting out concrete cancer in a dam on the Zambezi River.  That was an interesting job for us and taught us a lot.  We didn’t just learn about the rugged and difficult terrain that some of these machines wind up operating in, but rather we learnt an awful lot about safety” said Hales.

Aussie puts safety first

Australian Pump has developed their own Safety Training Course for pressure cleaner operators.  Operators handling pressure cleaners are required to be trained in order to keep not only themselves safe but also people who might be operating in the same area. 

Aussie’s program, called ‘Safe Operator’, is a big success with people in mine pressure cleaning operations around the world doing the course.  It’s not to be confused with the Australian Standards requirements where operators of Class B machines, over 5600 bar litres capacity, are required to be certified by a registered RTO.  Aussie Pumps is not a registered RTO but has a very keen interest in keeping operators safe and spreading the word on safety.

“Frankly I think we do more marketing of the need for safety for pressure cleaner operators than anybody else on the globe” said Hales.  “We work hard at it and not only offer top quality free training, but also are able to provide the best quality super high pressure equipment and back it up with the latest in operator PPE.”

“The Mining industry’s always been safety conscious. In my days of working on the construction of power stations, we were a lot more casual, but that was another time” Hales said.

Australian Pump are proud of the focus and support they give to the Mining industry.  They know, although most of the population doesn’t, that without the Mining industry, we would all be in a different space!

Miners …… we salute you.