Do you know how to Select a Slurry Pump?

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.

Know your slurry type:
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.

Critical flow rate estimation:
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.