In just about any industry that involves heavy machinery and expensive equipment, it’s all too easy to adopt an if-it-isn’t-broken-don’t-fix-it approach. Waiting until your slurry pump is failing to address problems might feel intuitive and may seem like the most cost-effective method, but—in reality—you’re costing yourself a lot more in time and money.
Keep reading to learn more about the potential costs you could incur from a failing slurry pump.
So, You Have a Failing Slurry Pump—But What’s Really Going On?
In this section, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most common slurry pump malfunctions, as well as what they’ll mean for your production process.
Cavitation
When there’s insufficient NPSH, you run into pump cavitation. Pump cavitation can have a nasty effect on some of the most crucial parts of your slurry pump, including the pump seals, pump casing, and the impeller. The longer you put off addressing pump cavitation, the more likely it is that you’ll have to shell out a lot of money to replace these parts.
Air Entrainment
The term “air entrainment” refers to any condition that involves your slurry pump pumping liquid that already contains gas. Typically, turbulence in the suction lines is what causes these kinds of conditions, and the turbulence is usually due to improper setup.
One of the simplest ways to solve this problem—and avoid serious damage to your pump’s impeller—is to use a straight run of pipe on the suction side. This will help minimize turbulence and deliver a more uniform flow.
Discharge Recirculation
When a slurry pump’s operation is below the recommended BEP, discharge recirculation can occur. This condition refers to large amounts of design flow not properly being pushed out of the discharge. This allows a lot of abrasive slurry to recirculate within the casing. This leads to damage, air pockets (which can lead to cavitation) and serious wear to important pump components.
Clogging
Unfortunately, clogs come with the territory—but they don’t always have to. Clogs occur when a slurry pump encounters a bigger solid than what they’re designed to handle. The best way to avoid clogs is to make sure you’re very familiar with what you’re pumping, your slurry pump, and what it’s designed to handle.
Want to Avoid a Failing Slurry Pump? We Can Help
Running your slurry pump as efficiently as possible is the best way to reduce operating costs and avoid expensive repairs and replacements. That might sound simple, but there are a lot of things to consider when figuring out exactly how to run your pump as efficiently as possible! That’s where Vulcan Pumps comes in. We specialize in high-quality, American-made slurry pumps and custom solutions.
Ready to increase production and decrease costs? Get in touch with Vulcan Pumps today.