Australian Pump is a member of the ADIA. They are not drilling contractors, manufacturers of drill rigs or suppliers of drilling accessories or supplies. Their focus is purely on pumps. Their interest in the industry started through drilling companies buying their standard diesel and petrol drive pumps and using them for ‘Mud Pumping’.
Aussie has learnt a lot over the last decade, working with drillers and leading OEMs. No doubt, there are many of those original engine drive pumps operating out there, like the Aussie GMP B3XR-A diesel drive machine in the photo. The pump is many years old and still working, although the base does look a little shabby!
Aussie has come along way since those days in supporting the drilling industry. Developing relationships with leading suppliers like Australian Exploration, the engineering team at Aussie has learnt how they can support the industry by reducing pump down time, upgrading reliability and performance.
HYDRAULIC DRIVE BREAKTHROUGH
Aussie had great success with a heavy duty 3” cast iron semi trash self priming pump that produced 1,000 litre per minute and a 28 metre head. The pump is powered by 10hp Yanmar air cooled diesel engine and today’s version, can come in stainless steel frame or, can be mounted directly on the drill rig.
This product proved to be perfect as a mud pump because it had a big open cast iron impeller. The cast iron pump body is a self priming design which doesn’t require extra priming devices. A silicon carbide seal was an added bonus and a front opening port was a big advantage as well. It enabled the pump to be cleared out easily, without dismantling, just by opening up the clean-out port located underneath the suction port.
The pump was a success but, it had the disadvantage of having a small engine that needed to be separately fueled, oiled and serviced on a regular basis.
Drill rigs have loads of hydraulics on board and the idea of using these hydraulics to drive the 3″ pump was an obvious development.
The company then moved on to 2” semi trash pumps in hydraulic drive that were low cost and self priming. Built as semi trash pumps, these are capable of handling flows up to 440 lpm. Major drilling companies are now adopting them as mud pumps, with significant advantages in terms of convenience over the original engine drive models.
BEATING CORROSION
When Aussie Pumps realised there were issues with highly corrosive liquids during exploration drilling in gold fields, they decided to introduce Ni Al Bronze pump bodies and even cast 316 stainless steel options.
After a lot of evaluation, working directly with the industry, the Aussie Pump engineers elected to put together a package that included a Ni Al bronze body with a 316 stainless steel impeller. This configuration, mounted on a cast iron base and driven by a long coupled hydraulic motor, made it compact, reliable and very effective pump.
In it’s Aussie B3XR-A configuration, the pump was able to deliver 1500 lpm and a 31 m head. They are maximum figures, not a duty point but, are impressive none the less.
MORE PRESSURE PLEASE
In the latest configurations of mud pumps, the Aussie GMP range now includes model G3TMK-A pump, with a higher head capability. Originally developed for road tanker operators wanting to carry out dust suppression duties, the new 3″ pump delivers a whopping 55 m head and an 1100 lpm maximum flow. It is still able to pass spherical solids in suspension up to 16 mm. The pumps are compact, easy to install and in the right configuration, ie cast iron with stainless steel impeller or Ni Al bronze and stainless impeller, can be regarded as being super reliable.
“We’re getting enquiries from all over the industry”, said Aussie Pumps Product Manager, Mood Ellahi. “It’s a great pleasure to work with an industry that is a major contributor to Australia’s economy. We work with down to earth people who share information and knowledge in a completely open and positive way”, he said.
Call for further information … 02 8865 3500 Click here for spec sheet
