MINING PUMP -SAND -SITE -BIDOR

Sand is highly abrasive material to be pumped and the following operating parameter shall
be considered

Right Speed : Operating the pump at 4000 rpm is certainly not right
Lower or check the actual system head and bring down the
speed to correct Duty Point.Ideally the pump speed should not exceed 1200 rpm

Right Material of Construction

Rubber Lined being used now , is suitable but however due to the high operating speed .the
wear and tear is still high .Another contributing factor is the sand particle size of 4 mm , which
may cut the rubber material

Ceramic Material can be considered for this case . Get a pump with ceramic lined of
5 mm thick . The pump speed should still be low

Shaft Sealing of Pump

Athough mechanical seal is the best option, but in a long run it is still not economically
to use .Tungsten material will still fial after few months due to the abrasive nature
of pumping media - sand

Gland packing is simple and cheap .

Pump Not Achieving the Required Rated Pressure

Ejectors are use at tank bottom to agitate the sand so that it does not settle down
at the bottom . By doing this , you are creating a lot air which goes to the inlet
of the suction , cavitating the pump and this could be another resaon that the pump
inlet area and impeller is wearing out very quickly
See if you can minimise the ejector air

Cavitation also cause loss of pressure


Working Out The System Head
Determine the total length of pipe and diameter , and the static head
to obtain the Total Head