WEAR REDUCTION IN SLURRY PUMPS: OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS CONTROL STRATEGY

Abstract The article investigates methods for improving the wear resistance of slurry pumps through optimisation of operating parameters. An analysis is presented of the main wear mechanisms: abrasive wear (60–75% of material loss, following E∝C_s^1.7 v^2.8), cavitation erosion, corrosion erosion synergy (S = 180–240% at pH < 2.0), and vibration fatigue. A Model Predictive Control (MPC) methodology is proposed, integrating real time slurry monitoring with dynamic regulation of flow velocity, pressure, and start stop cycles. Industrial tests on GRAT 400/40 pumps handling copper slurries (pH 1.8, 34% solids, 55°C) demonstrate: 40% increase in mean time between repairs (MTBR) from 987 ± 156 to 1523 ± 89 hours (corresponding approximately to 830–1140 h and 1430–1610 h ranges), 44% reduction in downtime, and 45.8% decrease in wear rate (from 0.72 to 0.39 mm/1000 h). The findings enable significant reduction of operational costs and improvement of pumping system reliability.