To what extent will the performance of a centrifugal pump degrade after long-term use?
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As the title suggests, after long-term use, centrifugal pumps experience reduced efficiency, increased backflow, or a decrease in head due to issues such as wear and tear. I wonder what the typical performance loss of centrifugal pumps is as observed by fellow marine enthusiasts? Of course, this is on the condition that the pump meets the performance requirements upon delivery. Everyone is welcome to share cases; I will give extra points within my capabilities. Mainly, it can discuss comparisons before and after regarding pressure, flow rate, and current values
There have been no statistics on this, but we have experienced corrosion caused by cavitation in the pump impeller, which led to a **decline in efficiency** and a significant increase in operating current. Upon disassembly and inspection, it was found that the inlet side of the impeller was perforated.
There is still a difference between cavitation damage and wear from normal use
When normal wear reaches a certain level, it becomes a defect and may no longer meet the requirements for process performance.
It cannot be determined, as the measurement instruments used in the project are not of experimental grade and are only for reference
Moreover, the performance of pump units is also related to the properties of the oil. In actual use, it is rare for the conditions to match those of the oil parameters used during design and selection; therefore, it is not possible to compare the performance measurements in practical use
I mainly want to know an experience value, or rather, the upper and lower limits. For a long time, the design firms have been insensitive to the actual conditions on site
In actual use, the performance does not decline significantly; I’ve never heard of anyone having to replace the impeller because of a drop in performance. As long as the clearances between the various rings of the impeller are properly controlled to prevent wear, its performance will remain unchanged
{:3_64:}The secrets of fate must not be revealed. . .