How to optimize the preheating of the slurry pump?
Thread Content
At present, the solid content of the slurry in our unit is high, causing the preheating element to wear out after multiple cycles of use. However, the preheating system must remain operational continuously and cannot be turned off. To ensure that the pump remains ready for use, how can we optimize the preheating process for the slurry pump?
As we all know, the slurry contains catalyst dust, which causes severe erosion of the pipelines. Here, we install a pre-heater along with dual valves, and a orifice plate in between; this way, no problems arise with the valves, and it is only necessary to replace the orifice plate on a regular basis.
The material of the slurry pipeline is Cr5mo. The slurry preheating valve here is a dual-valve type; it remains fully open during the preheating process, which helps to prevent internal leakage due to wear of the preheating valve
With a high solid content, special attention must be paid to the pre-heating line elbows – this area is prone to problems; safety comes first! ! !
I am fairly in agreement with the suggestion of installing dual valves on the pre-heating line, with a flow-limiting orifice plate placed between them. Furthermore, reducing the solid content of the oil slurry can improve the situation fundamentally.
Our units have been using this approach, but once the elbows and pipelines are worn through, internal leakage in the valves is difficult to eliminate. Are there any valve materials that are better resistant to wear?
If considering renovation in the future, replace the pipelines and valves with Cr5Mo; the oil and gas pipelines in the existing areas as well as the large-scale 300-series valves are already made of Cr5Mo, and they have not worn out yet. :victory:
This post was last edited by wlf1234 on 2016-1-21 at 13:12: add double valves, reduce the angle of the pre-heating elbow for the slurry, or use a better material.
The pre-heating wire is replaced during each major overhaul, along with the sleeve surrounding the pre-heating wire
When the solid content of the slurry is high, it is necessary to promptly identify the cause and address it; continuing to operate with such issues leads to many problems, and in many cases the costs outweigh the benefits.