No Matter How Challenging, Keep the Ore Flowing
Abrasion can create one of the most arduous service environments and remains a major challenge for mining operators, going from mineral excavation to metal refining.
It is one of the most common problems for hydraulic transport systems operating at high throughput rates and conveying velocities, and it can lead to premature failure causing lengthy downtimes and significant revenue loss. (Read More)
Hyperabrasive environment for slurry pumps
Slurry pumps are one of the most susceptible pieces of equipment to abrasion wear throughout the beneficiation process. Due to the harsh operational environments and the tough heavy duty surface and underground mining processes, the early failure of slurry pumps used in the transportation of abrasive solids in large volumes is a common issue. When a critical slurry pump goes offline unexpectedly, a large mine can lose as much as US $100,000 per hour in revenue.
Even though in recent years there has been significant progress with regards to the mechanical design of slurry pumps, they are still plagued with erosion issues and abrasion is considered to be the main threat to their longevity and performance. Commonly constructed of erosion resistant exotic alloys such as Inconel®, Monel®, duplex, superduplex and Ni-hard and hence characterised by their ability to handle rocks, gravel and mud, slurry pumps still fail on a large scale due to the high slurry abrasion rates.
Depending on the properties of the abrasive particles, i.e. solid size, solid concentration, hardness and temperature, as well as the operating conditions and process parameters, i.e. flow rate and inlet velocity, the wetted parts of the slurry pump can be tremendously impacted. The components of the impeller, casing and suction liner can be worn significantly within just a few hours and are therefore in need of replacement at regular intervals. This sets the financial loss of downtime and replacement at very high levels, since the purchase expenses of a slurry pump are many times that of a standard water pump.
As a result, the use of a protective coating that slows down the abrasion process in the pump is of paramount importance. Specifying the coating materials for slurry pumping applications is not a standard procedure and must account for all variable characteristics, such as the type and speed of the pump and the nature of the solids. Even though handling abrasive fluids presents a tremendous challenge to any protective material, a carefully selected abrasion resistant coating can reduce impact wear effects, extend the life of the pump and optimise the overall performance of the pumping process.
Belzona Polymerics Limited
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