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A slurry pump is a high head, the high capacity centrifugal pump used to transport liquid slurries. “Slurry” refers to any fluid mixture containing solid particles in suspension. Slurries flow under gravity and can be pumped toward a process machine or downhill against the force of gravity.
A typical slurry includes a significant amount of solids in a stable suspension. This stable slurry can’t be pumped using a conventional pump without causing damage to the pump components and contaminating the fluid with the solid material.
Slurry pumps are typically chosen when pumping viscous or abrasive materials where corrosion, abrasion, or cavitation are potential problems for conventional pumps.
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Types of Slurry Pumps
When buying a slurry pump, one should consider several factors. The right pump you will need to take in the slurry is abrasive, corrosive, or chemically aggressive. Follow this URL for more information on choosing slurry pumps since there are several types of slurry pumps in the market. However, there are two main types of slurry pumps, wet and dry.
Wet Slurry Pump: also known as mud pump, is used to pump water-based slurry with a large percentage of solid particles. Before pumping the slurry, water will need to be added.
Dry Slurry Pump: Dry slurry pumps are used for pumping clean and dry air-suspension types of slurries that contain less water and more solids in them. This type of pump can allow the passage of solid particles when they do occur, provided that their sizes are within specified limits.
Slurry Pumps are Used in the Following Applications
Landfills and Waste Water Treatment Facilities
Slurry pumps can handle heavy solids and liquids that other pumps cannot. You can use a slurry pump in landfills and wastewater treatment facilities where large amounts of wastewater must be processed continuously. In these applications, pumps transport the slurry from one site to another area for further processing.
Sludge Dewatering
The primary function of a wet slurry pump is to transport wastewater containing solid particles in suspension. The slurry will go through the slurry pumping system, which includes the slurry pump, discharge pipe, and control valve, before being transferred into settling tanks or other treatment facilities for further processing. Slurries containing high solids concentrations often require several slurrying steps to reduce the concentration before entering settling tanks to improve throughput. This is accomplished by pumping the slurry through a series of pumps until it reaches the desired concentration.
Tunneling
Slurry pumps can be used in tunneling projects where many different slurries need to be pumped. You usually use them for pumps in tunnels because the slurries are required to build the tunnels. So this will cause problems with conventional pumps because they can’t work well when transporting fluid containing solids at high speeds, which causes severe damage. Slurry pumps are perfect for transporting these kinds of liquids because they have no mechanical seals due to their proximity to the motor and electrical components, making it very hard to maintain or replace them once worn out.
Chemical Processing
Slurry pumps are used to transport chemicals during chemical processing. Due to the corrosive, abrasive, and sticky nature of these slurries, Slurry pumps are perfect for these kinds of applications because they’re designed to take on such conditions and provide a better service than other pumps can do. Apart from transporting fluid in chemical process facilities, you can also find slurry pumps inside research laboratories where they often work side by side with various lab equipment.
Construction Sites
Slurry pumps are also used on construction sites like tunneling projects where different slurries need to be pumped. Because the fluid containing solids at high speeds works very badly with conventional pumps, they will cause severe damage. Therefore, slurry pumps are perfect for transporting these fluids because they have no mechanical seals due to their proximity to the motor electrical components.
Metallurgical Industries
Metallurgical industries such as mining, coal, and copper, steelmakers use pumps to dewater the process effluent (metallic sludge) such as muds, sands, and slurries containing high concentrations of grains or particles. The pump must be capable of handling these materials without a problem. Pumps used for these applications require special mechanical seal protection explicitly designed for corrosive and abrasive slurries.
Due to their many uses, slurry pumps play an important role in various industries all over the globe. They are designed to take on harsh conditions under which other pumps cannot function correctly. Although slurry pumps are complicated, they must consider proper maintenance to ensure long-term service life. It’s best if only genuine manufacturer parts are used for maintenance. Proper care and consideration will ensure that the slurry pump system operates at maximum efficiency for its long-term use.
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