Weir’s largest mill pump in China: high‑altitude design notes for plant engineers
Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

First reported on International Mining – News
30 Second Briefing
Weir has installed China’s largest mill circuit slurry pump at a copper operation in the Tibet Autonomous Region, 5,300 m above sea level, supplying six WARMAN MCR 650 units and two larger WARMAN MCR 750 pumps. Operation at this altitude demands derating of electric motors, careful selection of bearing lubrication systems and cold-weather elastomers, and attention to cavitation risk in low atmospheric pressure. For plant and maintenance engineers, the project signals growing demand for high-capacity, wear-resistant mill discharge pumping solutions in extreme high-altitude, sub-zero environments.
Technical Brief
- TAR copper site elevation of 5,300 m imposes severe constraints on on-site heavy-lift logistics and commissioning.
Our Take
Weir’s installation of multiple WARMAN MCR 650 and 750 units for a copper operation in the Tibet Autonomous Region aligns with our database showing the company pushing larger, high-throughput equipment into more extreme environments, alongside its recent Enduron cone crusher and banana screen roll-outs.
Across the 1054 Mining stories in our coverage, copper features heavily where operators are upgrading comminution and pumping circuits, suggesting this TAR deployment is part of a wider move to squeeze more efficiency from existing copper assets rather than relying solely on greenfield capacity.
Taken with Weir’s new mining technology joint venture in Saudi Arabia (January 2026), this high-altitude China copper pump order signals a strategy to lock in specification positions for critical process equipment in multiple growth regions, which can later be leveraged for aftermarket and optimisation services.
Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.
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