The Importance of Maintaining Slurry Pumps

Regular maintenance of the slurry pump can extend the wear life, help avoid unplanned downtime, and reduce the total operating costs for the end user. In the severe beneficiation field, the industrial slurry pump usually runs to a critical point before maintenance. This may seem beneficial in the short term, but in the long term, it will have an adverse effect on your plant.

Regularly monitoring the performance characteristics of the pump allows you to understand its operation in a timely manner, and provide sufficient time to make maintenance plans to avoid failures and unexpected shutdowns.

From a prevention point of view, regular inspections need to be performed during pump operation to ensure that it runs for a longer period of time. If an abnormal sound is detected, a leak is found, or a temperature or vibration peak is identified, more comprehensive maintenance is required during the planned shutdown period before the failure.

vibration

Every running machine will vibrate: Put your hand on the refrigerator at home, when the motor is running, you will feel a slight vibration. For most machines, vibration is one of the early indicators of the normal operation of the machine, so it is one of the important measures that require close monitoring.

The index of vibration speed varies from pump to pump; when processing clean water, the maximum value of large pumps is usually greater than that of medium pumps. When we introduce solid matter into the fluid, the vibration will increase with the nature of the mixture and working parameters. During routine inspections, we usually refer to historical data to understand the acceptable vibration range of a particular pump in a particular application.

Vibration monitoring is to track trends on a regular basis to understand if there are obvious changes. Our customer-facing technical team is familiar with these data and can tell you when the equipment is approaching its useful life, or whether there is a problem that requires urgent treatment. Once the wear life of the centrifugal slurry pump reaches its limit, the vibration readings usually show an exponential growth curve and begin to increase gradually. However, if our team finds a vibration peak before the end of its life, then we know that something went wrong and further investigation is needed. Under normal circumstances, the peak vibration is caused by the wear of the impeller or flow parts, which can be easily replaced during the planned shutdown.

Bearing assembly

The bearing assembly is a key component in any rotating equipment. Generally speaking, the service life of the bearing assembly depends on the process and operation. When selecting a bearing assembly based on hydraulic performance, the service life of the bearing should be considered. The increase in vibration and noise levels clearly indicates that there may be a problem with the bearing assembly.

One of the main reasons for premature bearing failure is insufficient seal maintenance, which can lead to leakage and spray mud and water directly onto the bearing assembly. This problem can be minimized by regularly adjusting the seals and using the correct and continuous lubrication. Establish an automated system to continuously lubricate the bearings and sealing system to reduce the possibility of mud entry and maximize the life of the bearing assembly.

Industrial Slurry Pump

Front guard and impeller adjustment

The wear rate of the front guard plate has a great influence on the overall efficiency of the slurry pump. In many applications, the front guard has the shortest service life compared to other components. Our team spends an hour on each pump to adjust and fine-tune the front guard plate, thereby extending the service life of the pump by 50%. This allows other components to be completely worn out at the same rate before being replaced, allowing operators to obtain the maximum cost per ton from the overall reconstruction cost. It is important to adjust the front guard to ensure the best clearance between the impellers. In order to help operators improve, we have developed automatic rotation and axial adjustment technology to speed up this process and improve the accuracy of axial movement.

Determine the root cause

It should be noted that the drop in efficiency is not always a pump problem. We need to analyze operating parameters and evaluate the application to determine the root cause. Our experts not only observe the pump, but also check the upstream and downstream to understand if there are any conditions that may affect the pump operation. There are many reasons for premature failure of overcurrent parts. A common problem is that incorrect materials are used in the application. Operators can use a variety of different material combinations, and expertise in hydraulic design and material selection is very important.