Numerical modeling and analysis of particle-fluid flow and wall erosion in centrifugal slurry pumps under different solid concentrations

Abstract

Wall erosion is a critical problem encountered in operation and maintenance of centrifugal slurry pumps. This paper presents a numerical study of the particle-fluid flow and wall erosion of industrial pumps. This is done by the dense discrete phase model. The model is validated by comparing the simulated results with the experimental measurements of pump hydraulic performance and jet erosion. Then, the effects of feed solid concentration are quantified under fixed motor power. The numerical results show that with increasing solid concentration, the pump efficiency increases first to a maximum and then decreases. The volute casing suffers the most erosion, which is generally not much sensitive to solid concentration. This is not the case for pre swirl vane and frame plate, whose erosion rate increases rapidly at relatively high solid concentrations. The results suggest that the model can be used as a cost-effective tool for pump design and control. • The dense discrete phase model is applied to study centrifugal slurry pumps. • It focuses on the effects of solid concentration on flow and wall erosion. • Volute casing suffers most erosion but is much insensitive to solid concentration. • The erosion of pre swirl vane and frame plate is sensitive to solid concentration.