How Chamco Helped The Climax Mine Project Build State-Of-The-Art Mining Facilities with a Large Pump System

System

The fluctuating water levels of the tailings pond meant that any shore based pump solution would require frequent and costly pump relocations, and result in increased maintenance costs and lower reliability.

Pump Size

All Chamco’s engineered systems are manufactured in our Calgary production facility and shipped to remote sites around the world, which in this case was a mine site high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Chamco’s engineers had to thread a fine balance of manufacturing and assembling as much of the barge components and subsystems as possible to facilitate ease of install and start-up while still meeting shipping limitations.

Install Location

System

It was determined early on in the project that a Chamco floating pump system would provide the lowest operational cost with the highest reliability, as it would float on the pond itself allowing it to rise and fall with the changing water levels.

Modular Hull Design

For each of the 2 barge hulls, 3 submodular sections were built, weighing about 80,000 lbs and measuring 74ft. long X 12ft wide X 14ft. high. Using highly sophisticated heavy haul equipment and some detailed planning, the modules arrived safely and on-time at the Climax mine site.

On-Site Logistical Troubleshooting

To successfully transport the floating pump system modules to the mine tailings pond for assembly and launch, parts of the mine road had to be reconstructed to increase the turn radius. For on-site transportation, rear-steering trailers were used to maneuver the tight bends in the road.

Unique Walkway & Shore Pipe Design

In order to keep supporting continuous mine operation and minimize relocation of the floating pump system, Chamco designed the longest single-span walkway and shore pipe in our history for this project.

The 120 ft walkway weighed over 50,000 lbs and was constructed of a steel size that could stand up to the demanding conditions on-site. It was supported on one end by the barge itself and on the other end by a barge skid. To shelter personnel accessing the pump station from harsh mountain weather conditions, the walkway was designed as a fully enclosed walkway with roof and walls.

Similar to the walkway, the weight of the 120 ft shore pipe including the water inside had to cover the distance from the barge to shore in a single span. To ensure design integrity, Chamco constructed a custom-designed supporting structure for the shore pipe.