Mexican copper mine boosts efficiency and safety with Qdos® H-FLO pumps

Qdos H-FLO pumps deliver chemical savings, environmental protection and safer conditions at copper mine

Since installing three Qdos® H-FLO chemical metering pumps, a leading copper mine in Mexico has achieved chemical savings, improved environmental protection and safer working conditions.

The mine in Sonora uses Qdos H-FLO pumps in its copper–molybdenum selective flotation process for dosing copper frother reagents. Accurate dosing is critical to maintain flotation selectivity and ensure effective dispersion of copper sulphides during primary and cleaning flotation stages.

Qdos H-FLO, the latest pump in the Qdos range from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions (WMFTS), is designed specifically for higher flow rates up to 600 L/hr and a maximum pressure capability from 2.5 to 7 bar, depending on the pumphead type. These peristaltic pumps replaced a manual gravity dosing system, which showed inconsistent flow rates, inefficient reagent consumption, and higher risk for operators.

With the introduction of Qdos H-FLO, dosing is now automated and the mine has:

• Increased process stability
• Reduced chemical reagent waste
• Improved safety conditions for operators

The first Qdos H-FLO pump was installed in February 2025, and has since operated continuously in a 24-hour operation. Three Qdos H-FLO pumps are running in parallel with no failure incidents or interruptions in reagent supply.

The average dosing flow rate is between 500 - 1500 mL/min, with a maximum required pressure of 1-2 bar, depending on flow variations. Qdos H-FLO allows for fast and automatic calibration, minimizing flow deviations. The system operates at temperatures between 25–30 °C. The modular design of H-FLO allows the pumphead to be replaced in less than five minutes, ensuring system reliability for this application.

Robust and accurate solution

Adopting Qdos H-FLO for reagent dosing has this Mexican mining company the following benefits:

• Safety: Operators are no longer directly exposed to chemicals, which significantly reduces the risk of contact or contamination.
• Environmental: The fully enclosed pumphead prevents leaks and protects surrounding areas.
• Costs savings: Precise dosing has led to a significant reduction in reagent consumption.
• Operational: Improves process consistency and metallurgical separation quality, increasing the overall efficiency of the plant. 

Overdosing can disrupt the chemical balance of the process and affect metallurgical recovery. However, the Qdos H-FLO design minimizes maintenance and maximizes uptime as the pumphead can be replaced quickly without special tools.

The head process engineer of the molybdenum plant in Sonora, said: “The Qdos H-FLO pumps have shown excellent accuracy and repeatability, with a stable flow and no significant deviations. The H-FLO pumps have maintained a reliable linearity even with minor variations in system pressure or reagent viscosity.

“The Qdos H-FLO has helped reduce chemical waste and improve dosing efficiency. There has been a significant reduction in reagent consumption and dosing waste for this mining customer since it adopted the H-FLO pumps, which doses the exact amount required by the system, contributing to improved process efficiency and metallurgical stability at the plant.”

Reduced maintenance, safer conditions

Ten months after installing Qdos H-FLO systems, no leaks or spills had been recorded at the copper sulphides dosing stations for the primary and cleaning floatation cells of the mine in Mexico. The hermetically sealed pumphead eliminates the possibility of pump element failure, guaranteeing full containment of the chemical product.
 
Thanks to the 4–20 mA output, the mining company can monitor how much chemical has been dosed by recording the data to calculate the return on investment.

Romario Felix, Business Developer – Mining and Water Treatment at WMFTS Mexico, said: “We made several visits to identify the right person to discuss the process with. Once we did, I talked with them about how they were controlling it. Based on my experience, I knew it was running without proper control, so I saw an opportunity to install an H-FLO demonstration pump and evaluate its performance, especially since we didn’t have data on Santoprene’s compatibility with this chemical.

“We started with one demonstration pump trial at this mining company. Since then the mining customer has purchased three pumps, and we have documented this case to replicate it in other mines within their group.

“The H-FLO offers a new electronic solution for dosing chemicals at higher flow rates and it is ideal for this application.”

The mining company also uses Watson-Marlow 530 series pumps and Qdos 30 chemical metering pumps in other processes where smaller flow rates are required — both in the molybdenum plant for the flotation process and in the SX-EW (Solvent Extraction and Electrowinning) plant for ore column analysis. The same mining company also uses Bredel Apex 28 in the flotation process to take highly viscous and corrosive samples and transfer them to the analyser.
 
Qdos H-FLO features:

• Revolution counter for pumphead service maintenance
• One common pump drive with several pumphead options for changing process conditions and chemistries
• Network integration, control and communication options include EtherNet/IP™, PROFIBUS® and PROFINET®
• Optional pressure sensing kit with configurable alarms for process monitoring

Learn more about Qdos chemical metering and dosing pumps