Effect of Density, Size Distribution, and Concentration of Solid on the Characteristics of Centrifugal Pumps

Experimental data on the performance of the centrifugal pumps pumping mixtures of solids and water have been presented. The solids used were coal of density 1480 kg/m3 and zinc tailings of density 2850 kg/m3. Maximum size of particles was approximately 3 mm. Tests have been conducted with a rubber lined impeller pump and a metal impeller pump. Effects of solid properties (viz: density, size, and size distribution as well as concentration of solids) on the performance of the pumps have been studied. The measured performance of pumps is compared with the predictions based on the correlations available in literature and a modified empirical relationship has been proposed for the prediction of the pump performance with slurries.