High-Pressure Pump Protection in Mining with Filternox®

A mining slurry containing approximately 59% solids. A valuable high-pressure pump to protect. Where do you start?

For us, the answer starts at the pump suction line.

In 2019, we commissioned a Filternox® dual-filter system to protect FELUWA high-pressure pumps in a gold-mining application.
The project requirements included:
• Approximately 59% solids content
• 5 mm screen openings
• A maximum flow rate of 75 m³/h
• Automatic duty/standby operation
The purpose was specific: allow the finer ore-bearing slurry to continue towards the pump while retaining oversized fragments.

As material accumulates on the duty filter’s screen, differential pressure rises. At the preset threshold, the standby filter opens before the loaded filter is isolated and cleaned with pressurised service water.

“In mining applications, effective pump protection requires careful consideration of solids concentration, particle size and flow rate.”

One lesson from our mining applications: pump protection must be designed around the actual slurry—not flow rate alone.

With TSS levels reaching 50% or more, screen selection, valve sequencing and effective cleaning all deserve careful attention.

Depending on the application, Filternox® protection filters use 1, 2, 3 mm or larger screen openings. Our gold-mining applications extend across Canada, Ghana, Türkiye and Spain, protecting FELUWA and similar pumps.

The video shows how the duty/standby cycle works.
When assessing a slurry pumping system, how much attention do you give to suction-line protection?