Micro-Mini Ammonia Nitrate Pump Developed by Melbourne for Gold Mining
Gold miners need to get their Ammonia Nitrate or ANFO to the kettle or down the blast hole, and it can be quite perilous considering the toxicity of the substance.
John Melbourne of Melbourne Controls exhibited their 2” Ammonia Nitrate Pump at the Kalgoorlie Mining Expo last year. Whilst it received great interest from the mining sector, gold miners asked Melbourne to produce a 1” unit, as that was the size best suited for their bags of Ammonia Nitrate.
Not being one to let customers down, John Melbourne redeveloped his pump and has now released it together with a matching cyclone.
The most notable thing you’ll see about the Melbourne unit is that there are no moving parts, which makes it difficult to believe this pump is so highly efficient, but it is. John Melbourne uses the venturi/vortex principle, which he ingeniously developed its application into various pumps over the years for a very diverse range of industries.
The new 1” pump features a stainless steel nozzle and comes complete with an antistatic hose and an earth cable to discharge static electricity.
Flow rate of the pump is 1 or 2kg per minute (depending on the nozzle fitted). All pumping is done in enclosed pipe, eliminating the possibility of toxic exposure to workers.
Melbourne has been very active within the mining industry and was recently awarded the “Most Innovative Mining Solutions” at the Prospect Mining Awards, but then that’s nothing new to Melbourne, who has in excess of 25 awards for his innovations towards Australian Industry.
