Numerical Investigation of Erosive Wear of a Centrifugal Slurry Pump Due to Solid–Liquid Flow

Abstract

Centrifugal slurry pump designed for handling solid–liquid flow experiences performance reduction and shorter service life due to uneven localized erosive wear of the wetted parts. In this work, three-dimensional (3D) unsteady numerical modeling of a centrifugal slurry pump with Eulerian–Lagrangian approach coupled to the erosion model has been performed to predict the erosive wear of the pump components namely, casing and impeller. The erosion model developed to predict the erosion of the pump components of high chromium white cast iron (HCWCI) is employed, and the erosion rate distribution along the complete length and width of the casing and impeller blade surfaces namely, pressure side, suction side, front shroud, and back shroud, is determined. The numerical results showed good agreement with the experimentally measured erosion of the pump casing. It has been found that the erosion of the casing and impeller is non-uniform along the length and width. The zone of higher erosion is at the centerline and the back side of the casing, whereas, for the impeller, it is on the pressure side near the leading edge. The variation in the operating flowrate and particle size greatly influenced the material removal rate and the zone of higher erosion for the casing and impeller blade surfaces.