A slurry pump is a type of

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes Slurry, slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic or pneumatic energy. Mechanical pumps serve in a wide range of application ...

designed for moving liquid containing substantial solid particles. They are often used in mining. Slurry pumps are more robust than liquid pumps and can withstand wear due to abrasion, and often use parts that are designed to be replaced when worn out.

Uses

Slurry pumps are widely used in transport of

abrasive An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by friction. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflec ...

solids in industries such as mining, dredging, and steel. They are often designed to be suitable for heavy-wearing and heavy-duty uses. Depending on the mining process, some slurries are corrosive which presents a challenge because corrosion-resistant materials like stainless steel are softer than high-iron steel. Slurry is usually classified according to the concentration of solids. Engineering classification of slurry is more complex and involves concentration, particle size, shape and weight in order to determine abrasion severity. For engineering selection of slurry pumps, slurry is classified as class 1, class 2, class 3 and class 4.

Materials

The most common metal alloy used to build slurry pumps is high chrome, which is

white iron White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...

with 25%

chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

added to make it less brittle. Rubber line casings are used for applications where the solid particles are small.

Components

* Impeller - made of

elastomer An elastomer is a polymer with viscoelasticity (i.e. both viscosity and elasticity) and with weak intermolecular forces, generally low Young's modulus (E) and high failure strain compared with other materials. The term, a portmanteau of ''ela ...

, stainless steel or high-chrome, is the main rotating component which normally has vanes to impart the centrifugal force to the liquid. * Casing - split outer casing halves of cast contain the wear liners and provide high pressure capabilities. The casing shape is generally semi-volute or concentric, typically less efficient than the

volute A volute is a spiral, scroll-like ornament that forms the basis of the Ionic order, found in the capital of the Ionic column. It was later incorporated into Corinthian order and Composite column capitals. Four are normally to be found on an ...

type. * Shaft and bearing assembly - large diameter shaft with a short overhang to minimize deflection and vibration. Heavy-duty roller bearings are housed in a removable bearing cartridge. * Shaft sleeve - hardened, heavy-duty corrosion-resistant sleeve with

O-ring An O-ring, also known as a packing or a toric joint, is a mechanical gasket in the shape of a torus; it is a loop of elastomer with a round cross section (geometry), cross-section, designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembl ...

seals at both ends to protect the shaft. A split fit allows the sleeve to be removed or installed quickly. * Shaft Seal - expeller drive seal, packing seal, mechanical seal. * Drive Type -

V-belt A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to transmit power efficiently or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over pulle ...

drive, gear reducer drive,

fluid coupling A fluid coupling or hydraulic coupling is a hydrodynamics, hydrodynamic or 'hydrokinetic' device used to transmit rotating mechanical power.

drive, or frequency conversion drive.

Types, classification and selection

Slurry pumps vary in design and construction to handle different types of

slurry A slurry is a mixture of denser solids suspended in liquid, usually water. The most common use of slurry is as a means of transporting solids or separating minerals, the liquid being a carrier that is pumped on a device such as a centrifugal pu ...

, which has varying concentrations of solids, size and shape of solid particles, and composition of the solution.

Centrifugal Centrifugal (a key concept in rotating systems) may refer to: *Centrifugal casting (industrial), Centrifugal casting (silversmithing), and Spin casting (centrifugal rubber mold casting), forms of centrifigual casting *Centrifugal clutch *Centrifug ...

, positive displacement, and vortex pumps can be used for slurry. Centrifugal slurry pumps can have between bearing-supported shafts with split casing or rubber- or metal-lined casing. Configurations include horizontal, vertical suspended and submersible. Engineers must consider capacity, head, solids handling capacity, efficiency, power, speed, and

NPSH In a hydraulic circuit, net positive suction head (NPSH) may refer to one of two quantities in the analysis of cavitation: # The Available NPSH (NPSH''A''): a measure of how close the fluid at a given point is to Flash evaporation, flashing, and ...

. Many factors and corrections to the duty point affect the calculation of brake horsepower and wear. The peripheral speed of the impeller is one of the main distinguishing features. Speed must match the slurry type classification (abrasion classification) in order to achieve a reasonable service life due to abrasion.

Submersible

:Submersible slurry pumps are placed at the bottom of a tank, lagoon, pond, or another water-filled environment, and suction solids and liquids directly at the pump.

Self-Priming

:A self-priming slurry pump is operated from land, and a hose is connected to the pump's intake valve to supply the slurry.

Flooded Suction

:The flooded suction slurry pump is connected to a tank or hopper and uses gravity to move slurry and liquid from the enclosure. Located at the bottom or below the water line, the pump uses gravity to continuously fill the pump and then passes the material out through the discharge valve.

References

External links

{{commons category Pumps