Extend Asset Life, Reduce Downtime and Improve Reliability
Across the mining sector, many clarifier and thickener drives are now more than 20 years old. While repairing legacy equipment has traditionally been standard practice, ageing assets, unavailable OEM spares and outdated documentation are making this approach increasingly risky and costly.
DBS provides complete replacement clarifier and thickener drives that eliminate these risks. Solutions are engineered as direct bolt-in replacements, minimising installation time while delivering modern reliability, lower maintenance costs and long-term asset confidence.
Common Challenges with Existing Clarifier and Thickener Drives
Operations and maintenance teams commonly face:
- Annual shutdown windows that are too short for extensive rebuilds
- OEMs that no longer exist or no longer support legacy drive units
- Spare parts that are unavailable or have excessive lead times
- Outdated or missing drawings that make fabrication difficult and risky
These issues significantly increase the risk of unplanned downtime, production losses and escalating maintenance costs.
Direct Bolt‑In Replacement Drives
Rather than rebuilding ageing drives, DBS replacement units are purpose-built to integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure, delivering modern performance without extensive structural modification.
Key Benefits
- Fast delivery with shorter lead times than rebuilds
- Reduced downtime – get your mine back producing sooner
- Cost-effective alternative to OEM rebuilds or bespoke fabrication
- Easy installation as a direct bolt-in replacement
- Modern technology for higher reliability and lower maintenance
- Industry-leading 10-year warranty on all DBS retrofit units
Proven Operational Improvements
By working collaboratively with operations managers, maintenance teams and engineers, MAK Water has helped clients:
- Reduce maintenance costs by over 50%
- Improve overall mechanical reliability
- Achieve improved process and production performance
Replacement drives remove the uncertainty associated with ageing assets and allow teams to focus on safe, reliable plant operation.
Disclaimer: We continuously update and improve our products and services, contact us for more detailed information or to confirm specifications. MAK Water takes no responsibility for any errors resulting from the use of information contained on this website.
Applications
Real-world examples
Renison Tin Operation is the largest tin producer in Australia, one of the world’s largest and highest-grade tin mines and through the Metals X equity interest, one of the few publicly held tin projects in the world. Their ore leaching plant incorporates several thickeners where ore-liquid slurry is densified to a slurry containing most of the solids, and an overflow of essentially clear water. Each of the 20 ft diameter thickeners is fitted with an internal rake that is turned and lifted by an electro-mechanical drive mounted on a bridge that spans the thickener tank. The old Eimco Process Equipment W36 drives with power lift installed on the thickeners had become unserviceable, which directly impacted mine production. Repairing the drives was possible but expensive and required extended plant down-time that would interrupt mining operations. The mine opted for complete brand-new DBS replacement drives that are direct bolt-in replacements for the existing Eimco drive units. The DBS replacement drives were found to be more economical than rebuilding the old drives and required less plant downtime to install. The mine installed DBS replacement drives for two leaching plant thickeners in 2020, and for another two thickeners in 2021.
Renison, Tasmania
A Western Australian nickel mining operation had previously mothballed its ore processing plant during a downturn in commodity prices. As nickel demand and commodity pricing strengthened, the mine prepared to restart production and undertook a detailed audit of critical ore processing and water management equipment. During this assessment, the drive of one of the thickeners (concentrators) was identified as requiring major repair or complete replacement. Due to the age of the existing Dorr Oliver 109S2 drive, original equipment manufacturer (OEM) spare parts for the failed worm gear were no longer available, limiting the feasibility of a straightforward repair. The client considered two options, manufacturing a replacement worm gear to refurbish the existing drive (with the lift mechanism still in working order), or replacing the drive entirely, including the lift. This uncertainty introduced risk to the plant restart schedule, with potential impacts on downtime, maintenance costs, operational reliability and the long-term performance of the mine’s thickening processes.
Western Australia
Water Clarification
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