Expeuer Slurry Pump: Sealéd Without Wat R.: Tional
Expeuer Slurry Pump: Sealéd Without Wat R.: Tional
Expeuer Slurry Pump: Sealéd Without Wat R.: Tional
Principie of operation.
The physics qoverning expeller
operation are straightforwarcJ. As
)he expel.ler.rota.tes.wrthir¡ a con-
Gary f]avidson IS supeNisorof .fi1'1Eld c:avíty, the van.es impar! fardes ,'
research. at Worth¡ngtan Canada, . .. to the mixture of fluid and solíds
lnc , 8r{3ntford · · wlthin the cavity, causing it to rotate
12
Figure.a .
hóusinQ
be alteted by changing Ph for a
' - - - - - - - fJXÍ)eller
given seai geometry ancJ a fixed
;.c._ _ _ _ stumntfbOX--hcad
rotational speed.
- - - - é;<pefü?'r y¡e~rplate
Designing a working sea!.
The prímary task in desi()lling
St.aooarc{¡jaéke&bQx ,\¡Vith s[)liJ_'fJf_a,nd; a l1yclrodyriamic seal for a particular
ophpfl _1;5 -s-qlid gla,n:cJwltp- 'ó'' nng, an:él'Jií=tsba1s purnp application is t11at of evaluat-
ing the pressure rise clevelopecJ on
both tlie srnooth and vaned sides of
tlie expeller for a predesignated
mixture-gas interface diarneter
This is accornplished by ana-
lyzing all of th<? extemal forces
acting on an elemental fluid
volurne clV. between two consec-
utive rotatinq vanes. By equating
press1,re
forces to
centri-
fuga!
forces exerted on the fluid Ple-
rnent. an ordinary differential
equatio11 is obtained, the solution
of which yielcls:
[P, - P,l.i.,,,, = 1'Qi' X (r," - r '')
2g
wherff
p = der1sity of fluid or mixture
'" = angular velocity of shaft
q = gravitatíonal constan!
r = radial cJistance frorn shaft
centerline
This is an expression for prnssure
rise across the vanes tor an ideal fluio
ancl neglects the etfects dueto the
rotating inner annulus of air. To ac-
count 1or real fluid effects and devia-
tions frorn solio boCly rotation, a va,¡e
coefficient based upon experimental
data is introducecl. The actual
pressure rise across the annulus of
rotating mixture on the vaned side of
the expeller becornes:
[P,- rj,L"''"'· = l<c; {""' x (r, 2 - r 2 )
29
H1e vane coefficient K( ,. is an
indication of vane effectiveness ex-
pressed as tl1e arnount of "fluicJ slip.'·
This is nften clenoted as (rl/,"f
where i3 is the actual fiuicl anqular
velocity in the expeller cavity. For
the Wort11in(Jton expeller, ¡3/rn is very
, Figure 1 - Expeller seal ;_;, cut;,w,.y !liew. clase to the ioeal value of unity.
Sirniiarly, the pressure riso across
14
Figure 2-
Dislribulion of
sealing pressure
developed by
impeller and
expeller vanes.
the floocled srnuullr side ol l11e the fiftl1 power of tip raclius,
expeller may be expressed as:
Figure 2 illustrates the distribution
of pressures arising from the impel-
IPt P.,Jsmooth = KL w'2 x (r,2- r,,2)
ler and expeller vaMs, In a pump,
clisk 2g
the expeller must seal against the
Once, again, K,_ is determinecl pressure at the hub of the back
experimentally and is considerably shroud of the impeller, This pressure
less than Kc, 1s transmitted througl1 the mixture,
along Hie shaft, to the smooth tace
The totai pressure P1c, generated of the expeller,
by the expeller is the difference
between the pressure generated on In conventionally sealed pumps,
the vaned side anrJ the smooth side, this would be called the stuffing box
pressure (SBP), lts magnitucJe de-
Expeller power requirements can pends on several factors, such as
be calcul;ited from shaft speed, the suction head (SH ), the total
torque (via a torque coefficient developed heacl (THH,), wr1ich is a
related to the height of the vane) function of speed and capacity, and
ancl the ratio of interface radius to the effect,veness of the back shroucl
expeller tip radius, pump-out vanes at generatin¡J a
sealing pressure (P,",vl
Optimizing the seal. A value for P,, can be determined
An importan! question for clesign from an equation of ttie followirig
of the specific purnps is, "To what form
outer vane diarneter should the ex- P,, ~ (constan! x TDH I SH) x p
peller be restricted?" The pressure - ppov
ranges the expeller must seal
aqainst need to be clearly estab- where the constan! is a fraction which
lished in order to keep the interface can be cletermined experimentally for
within a realistic range ol radii any pump geometry.
especially since the energy neecJs This means tliat wlien all other
of the expeller are proportional to parameters remain constan!:
15
i . As capacity is clecreased at a
fixecJ operatinq spé'ed, the pres-
' , .-:>_- . --- ._ -
sure wl1ich the expeller must seal
against is increased. .Pl1_f1(Jírh•,hc~\)·tj_rnPt:r~taiin,at. 1206,Jriin' -
2. As suction pressure is incr-eased, 70
the totc1i pressure which the expel- - standard
ler rnust seal ElfJainst is increased.
3 /Is purnp-out vane effectiveness 60-~"""~~--+!"-::-'_""~'PJC8;,,.lie"''__j
deteriorates clue to vane wear and
impeller axial clearance adIust- ; . -Z"
50
ment, the expeller must seal
8{Jainst a qreater pressure !¡
Tl,ese were some of the param- J 40
eters requirincJ definition, to assure
a satisfactory seal against ali "'"-·t1'
_,,,
ªm:t:Jt\nty-
stuffin(J box pressures which rniqht
be rnet in service, Tl,e resultinq
optimized expeller to impeller
1 30 eo
' _.-
Figure 5-
New expeller frame, and bearing cartridge as- slightly reducc➔ cl in overall efticiency
pump undergoes
sembly are the same as the because of the srnall arnount of
tests in the lab
at Brantford. standard, service-proved type M additional power required to rnain-
slurry pump. The expeller packaoe tain a11 eftective seal. As Figure 4
is very easily installed in the pump illustrates, the aclclition ot the ex-
Each standard bcarinq frarr1e has peller has 110 effect on the heacl-
the sarne size expeller for its various capacity curve. Expeller power con-
liquid-end options, and the greatest surnption is minirnized by optirniz·
sealinri pressure is obtainecl by ing va11e shape, vane heiqht. 11urn-
selectin¡¡ the srnallest liquid end of ber of vanes, ancl expeller niameter
that frarne size Tlie srnall cJebit to efficiency shoulcl
quickly be reclairned iri overall rnain-
Wear-resisting materials. te11ance savings, reduced down-
Ali expeller cornponents sub¡ect time, and eliminatio11 of tlush water
to wear are made from hard metal supply ancJ associated equipment.
ranging from 500 to 600 Brinell to
provide the greatest resistance to Process applications.
abrasive wear which results trom Worthington's hyclrodynmnically ·
low-anqle particle irnpinqement. sealed slurry purnp offers the best
Tile material has been provee! in of both worlcls a 11ew and improved
corwentional slurry purnps for rnany seal system, combined with proved
years. dependability of our existing suc-
The expeller parts have sutticient cessful slurry purnp line. The
wear allowance to ensure a service expeller pump should be consid-
lite comparable witl1 or better than erecl tor any application where
the liquicJ-end parts to avoid need abrasive particles cause frequent
for premature c!isassembly packing failure, where clean water
supply is limited, and where dilution
Efficiencies stay high. ot the pumped mixture cannot be
Of course, you don't get sorne- tolerated. lt should fincl ma11y ap-
thinq for nothing. While saving on plications in t11e potash, coal, and
flush water and associated pump- copper processinq industries
ing costs. plus dewaterinq and its
eriergy costs, an expeller pump is