SYKES distributor Integrated Pump Rental, recently delivered its largest unit to date – a Sykes MH300 pump with stainless steel pump end was built at the company’s Jet Park facility.
Driven by a Kirloskar DV8 engine, this auto-prime Sykes pump unit was fitted with a custom engineered fuel tank and skid, according to Steve du Toit, rental development manager.
“The sheer scale of the project is demonstrated by the unit’s final dry weight of about 8 tons,” says du Toit. “Measuring nearly 7 m long, this pump set is 2,5 m wide and 2 m high.”
With a pumping capacity of 500 ℓ/s at a head of 40 m, the Sykes MH300 has been delivered to a customer in the mining sector where it will dewater an open pit to ensure that no flooding occurs during the rainy season. The presence of abrasive particles in the water required that the inside of the pump be coated with tungsten, while the stainless steel wet end would resist acidity.
The Sykes MH300 is the top of Sykes’ medium-head range, with a 300 mm – or 12-inch – suction or discharge. This compares with the 6-inch suction of the well-known Sykes CP150 model popular among contractors. A generous 3,000 litre fuel tank was included in the design to allow for long running time, and this reduces the monitoring and refilling necessary by mine personnel.
Built in less than two months, the pump’s vacuum capabilities were extensively tested in-house before delivery.
“The pump was built for plug-and-play on site, with an auto-prime function for added ease of use,” du Toit says. “Supplied with the necessary pipework, it can be easily connected and immediately operated.”
