Mining companies must use mining slurry pumps Australia to handle slurry in applications ranging from water treatment to processing. Dealing with slurries is challenging because slurries contain both liquids and solids. Some elements in pumping slurry are the nature of the solids, the size of the solids and the kind of abrasive wear they cause. These mixtures can also be corrosive, especially the slurry found on mining sites. Mining sites frequently use centrifugal pumps to pump slurry. These pumps need special provisions that call for knowledge of the solids and slurry properties to prevent corrosion, wear, erosion and other adverse effects such as the solids settling at the bottom.

Specification of the optimum geometry, speed and materials combination require property balancing conflicting pump priorities and this demands consideration of maximum wear life, stable operation, minimal energy consumption and operation flexibility. Read on as we cover practical rules and guidelines for centrifugal pumps for pumping slurries. We will discuss some material selection, operational features and other considerations to make when pumping slurry.

Tailored pumps

In most cases, horizontal centrifugal pumps are used for slurry services, although other types of pumps can be used for some specific applications. You can also find some centrifugal pumps with features tailored for the specific purpose and use of the pump such as resistance to corrosion. When it comes to customizing mining pumps, different methods are used such as choosing the right materials, using liners and different driver sizing.

It is important to ensure that the slurry pump you use provides adequate service life. Corrosion and erosion effects of slurries are really challenging. In most applications, some solids in the mixture are usually larger than the specified particles to ensure the pump is able to pass them without any operational problems and damage.

Due to such requirements, it is important for slurry pumps to be larger than their clear liquid counterpart. It generally sacrifices the efficiencies over the whole range of operations in exchange for the ability to achieve great operation in these challenging services.

Wear is a function of velocity and this means that the speed of the pump should be low to reduce wear. It should operate at around 1200 rpm or slower. Direct coupling between a low-speed electric motor and the pump is recommended. On the other hand, other applications favor gearboxes to meet the duty point and desired speed. In services that require variable flow, you should use variable frequency to provide the necessary continual changes in speed.

While the emphasis on mining slurry pumps Australia tends to be on the percentage and size of solids to be pumped, it is important to consider the corrosion resistance of the pump if the slurry is corrosive in nature. In such cases, the material of the pump should provide an adequate combination of corrosion resistance and erosion. The performance curves of most centrifugal pumps are typically based on handling water. This means that to obtain the performance features for these pumps, you need to modify the results for the solids present.