EFFECT OF SOLID CONCENTRATION ON A CENTRIFUGAL PUMP PERFORMANCE

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 "' Department ofMechanica1 Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Minoufiya University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt

2 Mechanical and Electrical Research Institute, Delta Barrage, Egypt

Abstract

Study on slnq pump performance has attracted much interest in many engineering fields. The
influence of solids concentration on a pump operation has been investigated over the decades.
When pumps are required to handle slurries, the pump head and efficiency are mainly affected by
the solid size, solid concenmtion and solid density. The experiments were conducted with water,
sand sluny, and clay sluny at operating pump speed. Measurements of power consumption, flow
rate, total head developed by the pump and the density of the sluny were made in order to obtain
the characteristic curves of the pump. The results have shown that the values of head generated by
the pump and its efficiency are not only dependent on solid concentration but are also affected by
particle size distribution of the solids and properties of the sluny.

Keywords