Issues encountered in the use of water ring vacuum pumps and their solutions

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1. Cause analysis: During disassembly inspection, it was found that all the flow-through surfaces of the water ring vacuum pump’s casing were severely corroded and worn, and holes appeared in the front and rear end caps. Analysis indicates that the main reason is the absorption of SO2-containing flue gas by the pump, which leads to the acidification of the circulating water and the formation of H2SO4; this in turn causes corrosion and wear on the flow-facing surfaces of the pump. Additionally, the pump is made of cast iron, which has poor wear resistance and corrosion resistance, especially with regard to acidity, and this is also a factor contributing to the wear of the pump. Additionally, during use, the cylinder and bottom of the gas-water separator suffer severe corrosion and wear. Analysis shows that in addition to corrosion caused by the acidification of the circulating water, the structure of the separator is also unreasonable. Finally, during the operation of the vacuum pump, the noise generated by the belt drive is loud, causing environmental pollution and posing risks and hazards to the operators on site. 2. Solutions To address the aforementioned issues, the following actions were taken: 1) A strict \"Ash Discharge Protocol\" was established, stipulating that the ash in the dust collector hoppers must not be emptied, in order to prevent SO2-containing fumes from being drawn in during the operation of the vacuum pump and causing the circulating water to become acidic. 2) To address the corrosion of the pump’s piping fittings, replacing them with wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant stainless steel fittings essentially eliminated the issue of fitting damage.