Dredge pump or slurry pump selection could be a challenging process which could be simplified with the understanding of the primary factors behind smooth pump operation. Apart from delivering a more efficient performance, the right dredge pump requires lesser maintenance, reduced power and has a relatively longer life.
Slurry pump and dredge pump terms may be used interchangeably.
Slurry pumps are the mechanical devices utilized for pressure-driven transport of a fluid mixture (aka slurry). The fluid mixture by and large consists of water as a liquid with solids being minerals, sand, gravel, human waste, drilling mud or most of the crushed materials.
Slurry Pump
Dredge Pumps are a special category of heavy-duty slurry pumps that are utilized in the process of dredging. Dredging is referred to as the process of transport of underwater sediments (usually sand, gravel or rocks) from one region to another (a piece of typical dredging equipment is shown in Figure 1). Dredging takes place in shallow water areas of lakes, rivers or ocean for the purpose of land reclamation, desilting, flood prevention, creation of new ports or expansion of existing ports. Hence, various industries that utilize dredge pumps are the construction industry, mining industry, the coal industry, and oil & gas industry.
Before moving on to estimating the design parameters of ‘your’ slurry pump, an extremely crucial step is being familiar with the material that needs to be transported. Therefore, estimation of pH and temperature of the slurry, the specific gravity of slurry and concentration of solids in the slurry is the first crucial step towards the direction of ‘your’ ideal pump selection.
Dredge Pump
Critical flow rate is the transition flow rate between a laminar and a turbulent flow and is calculated based on grain diameter (size of slurry particles), the concentration of solids in the slurry and the pipe diameter. For minimal settlement of sediments, the actual pump flow rate of ‘your’ pump should be higher than the calculated critical flow rate for your application. However, it is important to be careful with the selection of the pump flow rate as the increase in flow rate will increase the wear and tear or abrasion of the pump material and hence reduce the lifetime of the pump. Hence, for an uninterrupted performance and extended lifetime, the pump flow rate should be optimized.
Total discharge head is a combination of static head (actual elevation difference between the surface of the slurry source and the discharge) and friction loss in the pump. Along with dependence on the geometry of the pump (pipe length, valves or bends), friction loss is also affected by the pipe roughness, flow rate and slurry concentration (or percentage of solids in the mixture). The friction losses increase with the increase in pipe length, the specific gravity of the slurry, concentration of the slurry or the slurry flow rate. The pump selection procedure requires that discharge head of ‘your’ pump is higher than the calculated total discharge head. On the other hand, it is crucial to note that the discharge head should be kept as low as possible to reduce the pump abrasion due to slurry flow.
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