The mining industry is one of the most demanding and challenging industries in terms of materials handling

Our hydraulic designs are capable of handling the varying slurry densities, rheologies, and viscosities associated with different mineral types and sizes.

Top Applications

Tailings Management & Water Reclaim, Top Mining Application

Tailings Slurry Transport to Impoundment

What it is:Tailings pipelines transport thick, abrasive slurry from processing plants to containment areas for storage or dewatering. Challenges:High solids and long-distance pumping create severe wear and high energy demands. Any breakdown…

Leaching & Adsorption (CIL/CIP Circuit), Top Mining Application

Leach Feed and Tank Transfer Between Stages

What it is:Leaching dissolves valuable metals using chemical solutions in a series of tanks. Reliable transfer between stages ensures consistent residence time and extraction efficiency. Challenges:Leach solutions are corrosive and often contain…

Mining & Dewatering, Top Mining Application

Mine Water Transfer and Runoff Control

What it is:Mine water transfer systems move runoff, seepage, or drainage from working areas and haul roads to holding ponds or treatment facilities. They play a key role in water management, ensuring safety and environmental compliance. Challenges:Runoff…

The Mining Process

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Mining & Dewatering

Gold mining begins at the pit or face of the mine, where ore-bearing rock is drilled, blasted, and hauled to the primary crusher or stockpile. Open pits often extend deep below the water table, so continuous dewatering is critical to keep benches and haul roads safe and stable. The water removed is either treated, reused in the process plant, or discharged under environmental control. Efficient water management is essential to maintain productivity and prevent flooding during heavy rainfall or groundwater inflow.

Major Equipment:
Drills, shovels, haul trucks, and conveyors remove ore from the pit while dewatering systems keep operations dry and stable.

Key Applications

Mining & Dewatering

Sediment and Drainage Handling

What it is:Sediment and drainage systems control silt and debris accumulation in pits, ditches, and tunnels. Effective sediment management keeps water channels open and prevents flooding that can halt operations. Challenges:Settled solids compact…

Mining & Dewatering, Top Mining Application

Mine Water Transfer and Runoff Control

What it is:Mine water transfer systems move runoff, seepage, or drainage from working areas and haul roads to holding ponds or treatment facilities. They play a key role in water management, ensuring safety and environmental compliance. Challenges:Runoff…

Mining & Dewatering

Pit Dewatering Sumps and Wells

What it is:Mines require continuous dewatering to control groundwater inflow and rainfall accumulation. Sumps and wells are strategically placed to collect water and slurry from active pits, drifts, or tunnels and pump it away to maintain safe…

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Crushing & Screening

Once extracted, the raw ore is delivered to the primary crusher, where large rocks are reduced to manageable sizes for handling. The crushed ore passes through secondary and tertiary crushers or vibrating screens to achieve uniform sizing before being conveyed to coarse ore stockpiles. This early stage focuses on mechanical reduction and material handling rather than mineral separation, but it generates water, dust, and spillage that must be managed to prevent buildup and ensure equipment reliability.

Major Equipment: Jaw or gyratory crushers, cone crushers, screens, feeders, conveyors.

Key Applications

Crushing & Screening

Dust Suppression and Washdown Water Return

What it is:Dust suppression and washdown systems capture water mixed with ore fines, mud, and debris from plant floors or haul areas. This water is collected and returned for treatment or reuse. Challenges:Washdown water often contains fine…

Crushing & Screening

Spillage and Slurry Collection Under Screens

What it is:Under-screen sumps collect slurry and overspray from vibrating screens, classifiers, and washers for recirculation or disposal. Reliable pumping maintains process efficiency and cleanliness in screening circuits. Challenges:The slurry…

Crushing & Screening

Crusher and Conveyor Sump Cleanouts

What it is:Spillage and slurry accumulation under crushers and conveyors must be cleared regularly to maintain safety and prevent damage. These sumps collect fine ore, water, and debris that drain from material handling systems. Challenges:High…

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Grinding & Classification (Mill Circuit)

Crushed ore is fed into the grinding circuit, typically starting with a semi-autogenous (SAG) mill followed by a ball mill to achieve fine particle sizes required for gold liberation. The slurry exiting the mills is pumped to cyclone clusters, which classify particles by size — fine material moves forward to leaching, while coarse solids are recycled back to the mill. This stage requires high-flow, high-wear slurry pumps capable of handling abrasive, dense material with reliable performance to maintain throughput and circuit balance.

Major Equipment: SAG mill, ball mill, cyclone cluster, sump and pump box.

Key Applications

Grinding & Classification (Mill Circuit)

Sump and Floor Drainage Within the Grinding Area

What it is:Grinding floors collect slurry spills, wash water, and debris that must be pumped out to keep the plant safe and operational. Challenges:High solids, fine ore particles, and trash like rags or bolts make these sumps unpredictable…

Grinding & Classification (Mill Circuit)

Cyclone Feed and Classifier Circulation

What it is:Cyclone and classifier systems separate fine particles from coarse ones in grinding circuits. Consistent flow and pressure are essential for stable operation. Challenges:Abrasive slurries at high velocities cause severe wear on impellers,…

Grinding & Classification (Mill Circuit)

Mill Discharge Transfer (Mill Slurry Pumps)

What it is:Grinding mills produce dense, abrasive slurries of ground ore and water that must be transported to classification systems for separation and further processing. Challenges:The high solids concentration and particle hardness cause…

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Leaching & Adsorption (CIL/CIP Circuit)

The finely ground slurry from the mill is transferred to a series of leach tanks, where cyanide solution dissolves gold from the ore. In a Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) or Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) process, activated carbon is introduced to adsorb the dissolved gold, forming a gold-carbon complex. The leached slurry passes through multiple tanks in sequence to maximize recovery, and screens separate the carbon before the gold is stripped in the refinery. Pumps at this stage must handle chemically aggressive, moderately abrasive slurries under continuous operation.

Major Equipment: Agitated leach tanks, adsorption tanks, carbon screens, interstage pumps.

Key Applications

Leaching & Adsorption (CIL/CIP Circuit)

Reagent and Barren Solution Circulation

What it is:Reagents and barren solutions are circulated continuously to support leaching and metal recovery. These fluids are chemically active and can vary in temperature and pH. Challenges:Aggressive chemicals corrode pump components and…

Leaching & Adsorption (CIL/CIP Circuit)

Carbon Transfer and Screen Undersize Return

What it is:Carbon transfer pumps move activated carbon and slurry between adsorption tanks and screens in gold recovery processes. Challenges:Carbon particles are hard and abrasive, while slurry solids can cause blockages and excessive wear.…

Leaching & Adsorption (CIL/CIP Circuit), Top Mining Application

Leach Feed and Tank Transfer Between Stages

What it is:Leaching dissolves valuable metals using chemical solutions in a series of tanks. Reliable transfer between stages ensures consistent residence time and extraction efficiency. Challenges:Leach solutions are corrosive and often contain…

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Thickening & Filtration

After leaching, the remaining solids are separated from the gold-bearing solution using thickeners and filters. In the thickener, solids settle to form a dense underflow, while clarified overflow is returned as process water. The thickened slurry may be filtered to remove additional water before disposal or further processing. These steps are critical for water recovery, chemical efficiency, and environmental compliance. Pumps here are typically designed for dense, high-specific-gravity slurries that demand high torque and wear resistance.

Major Equipment: High-rate thickeners, high-density thickeners, filter presses, clarifiers.

Key Applications

Thickening & Filtration

Wash Water and Filter Feed Handling

What it is:Filter presses and washing systems require consistent water or slurry flow to clean solids and recover process water. Challenges:Variations in solids content or pressure can lead to clogging or seal failure in standard pumps. Solution:Hevvy/Toyo’s…

Thickening & Filtration

Thickener Overflow and Filtrate Return

What it is:Thickener overflow and filtrate streams contain fine solids and chemicals returned to process circuits or water recovery systems. Challenges:Although less abrasive, these fluids still contain fines and chemicals that damage seals…

Thickening & Filtration

Thickener Underflow (High-Density Slurry Transfer)

What it is:Thickener underflow is a high-density, abrasive slurry discharged from settling tanks before filtration or tailings disposal. Challenges:Extremely viscous and abrasive, underflow slurries cause rapid wear and are difficult to keep…

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Tailings Management & Water Reclaim

Tailings — the remaining finely ground rock and process water — are pumped to a tailings storage facility (TSF) or paste plant for safe disposal. Maintaining consistent flow and pressure in the tailings line is crucial for stable operation and to prevent pipeline blockages. Water decanted from the tailings pond is reclaimed and returned to the mill, reducing freshwater consumption and improving sustainability. The pumps in this section are among the largest and most robust on site, built for high wear and continuous duty.

Major Equipment: Tailings pumps, pipelines, decant towers, reclaim water systems.

Key Applications

Tailings Management & Water Reclaim

Spillage or Seepage Recovery at the Tailings Dam

What it is:Tailings dam seepage and spillage recovery systems capture escaped fluids to protect the environment and reclaim usable water. Challenges:Recovered liquid often contains fine solids and chemicals that accelerate pump wear, and systems…

Tailings Management & Water Reclaim

Decant and Reclaim Water Return to Process

What it is:Reclaim water systems recover clarified water from tailings ponds or thickeners for reuse in processing circuits. Challenges:Recovered water may contain fine suspended solids and residual reagents that corrode or foul pumps. Solution:Hevvy/Toyo…

Tailings Management & Water Reclaim, Top Mining Application

Tailings Slurry Transport to Impoundment

What it is:Tailings pipelines transport thick, abrasive slurry from processing plants to containment areas for storage or dewatering. Challenges:High solids and long-distance pumping create severe wear and high energy demands. Any breakdown…

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Gold Recovery & Refining

In the final processing stage, gold is recovered from the loaded carbon through elution and electrowinning. During elution, hot caustic solution strips gold from the carbon, which is then regenerated for reuse. The gold-bearing solution flows through electrowinning cells where electricity plates pure gold onto cathodes. The recovered gold is then smelted into doré bars for shipment and refining. Pumping needs here are lighter-duty but precise, often focused on solution transfer, cooling, and reagent circulation.

Major Equipment: Elution columns, electrowinning cells, furnaces, carbon regeneration kilns.

Key Applications

Gold Recovery & Refining

Solution Transfer Between Electrowinning and Elution Stages

What it is:In electrowinning and elution systems, gold-bearing solutions are circulated between process stages to extract and purify metal. Challenges:These solutions are often hot, acidic, and contain fine suspended particles that corrode…

Gold Recovery & Refining

Cooling and Wash Water Systems

What it is:Cooling and wash water systems support process equipment, preventing overheating and maintaining cleanliness in the plant. Challenges:Water sources often contain solids or scale-forming minerals that erode or foul pumps and valves. Solution:Hevvy/Toyo…

Gold Recovery & Refining

Reagent and Eluate Circulation

What it is:Reagent and eluate circuits move chemical solutions between leaching, elution, and recovery stages in metal extraction plants. Challenges:These fluids are hot and chemically reactive, posing severe corrosion and safety hazards if…