gold dredge pump parts manufacturer

Slurry Pump

How does a dredge pump work?

The design of the slurry pump is critical to ensure that the abrasive and often corrosive aspects of the slurry do not damage the impeller. In addition, slurries and sludges may contain large amounts of unforeseen solids, which will inevitably clog many types of pumps. Since most centrifugal pump impellers have very tight tolerances on the worm gear, the abrasive (and sometimes corrosive) nature of the slurry will quickly wear down the worm gear and destroy the tolerances. In turn, this causes the pump to lose suction. This can lead to extensive downtime of the slurry pump, as well as expensive maintenance and spare parts.

The dredge pump is designed to draw sediment, debris and other hazardous materials from the surface layer into the suction pipe and transport the material through the pipe to the discharge site. The pump must be able to handle common solid debris of various sizes that can pass through the pump, thus minimizing the downtime required for cleaning.

Examples of these dubious enhancements to impeller adjustment abound in the industry. One of these is the adjustable wear ring or suction liner to maintain the recommended clearance between the impeller front shroud and the throat bushing face. Almost all >slurry pumps, including AIER® slurry pumps, have features to ensure that this equipment specification can be maintained over time.

Again, to meet life cycle cost considerations, pumps should be equipped with large diameter impellers for lower operating speeds and longer wear life, as well as field replaceable rubber liners that can be bolted on for quick maintenance. In a typical coal-fired power plant, two to five pumps will be used in each spray tower.