Will a screw pump clog or wear out when pumping slurry?
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We recently had a project involving a flowing medium that is a slurry containing solids, with a solid content of 5–20 wt% (the solids are mainly iron oxide and elemental sulfur); the particle size of these solids is approximately 5–20 μm, and their hardness is HV500. The remaining component is water. The slurry flow rate is approximately 40 m3/h, the inlet pressure is at atmospheric pressure, and the head is 330 m. For this project, a screw pump is being considered; technical discussions have been held with the manufacturers. In most screw pumps, the stator is made of rubber, and we are concerned that solids might get trapped in this rubber during transportation, leading to flow deviation or wear – what should be done in such cases? This is also the first time I’ve encountered such a situation; please help, fellow users
It shouldn’t be possible to use it; why not use a centrifugal pump?
Solids cause greater damage to the impellers of centrifugal pumps; therefore, centrifugal pumps were not taken into consideration during the selection process
You can communicate with the manufacturer to select a stator material suitable for these operating conditions. As far as I know, there are about 5-6 types of stator materials.
The manufacturer recommends a rubber material; it’s just that the stator and rotor are fitted together by interference fit. They guarantee that there will be no leaks or jams, but we are skeptical. I would like to ask experts: do you have any good material recommendations?
Contains hard solid particles; natural rubber is an optional material. But this thing is, after all, a vulnerable component.
No, in my industry, the transportation of slurry containing solids is always done using centrifugal pumps. Solid content 33%
What are the main solids you transport? How many years has it been running? Is the impeller not worn? I can inquire about the centrifugal pump from that manufacturer you use. Thank you
There are many types of pumps used for transporting slurry, and the domestic centrifugal pumps I have encountered tend to have difficulty operating over long periods of time. The particle size requirement given by the poster isn’t very strict, and the solid content is also relatively low. We have used gear pumps, cam pumps, and Roots pumps – all of which are positive displacement pumps. There are many manufacturers of this type of pump in China, and they perform well in actual use.