Design, selection, sizing and control considerations for cyclone feed slurry pumps

• Published in: Powder technology 1999-10, Vol.104 (3), p.233-239
• Main Authors: Addie, Graeme R., Sellgren, Anders
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Centrifugation, cyclones; Chemical engineering; Cyclone feed slurry pumps; Design; Exact sciences and technology; Liquid-liquid and fluid-solid mechanical separations; Semi-autogenous grinding; Vattenteknik; Water Resources Engineering
• ISSN: 0032-5910; 1873-328X; 1873-328X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0032-5910(99)00100-X

Cyclone feed centrifugal slurry pumps in semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill and other cyclone feed circuits see coarse size slurries at high concentrations that can result in high wear if the pump is not designed, selected, sized and operated correctly. The high proportion of static head of the normal cyclone feed circuits usually results in a relatively flat system curve which in conjunction with the typically flat slurry pump curve results in large changes in operating flow with small changes in system head. When this is combined with the normal (or abnormal) fluctuations in the output from the mill upstream of the pumps, any shortcomings in the pump control system and/or matching of the pump means large fluctuations in flow and increased wear. This difficulty could be corrected by continuous variations in speed. A means of control by which the speed is changed in an appropriate way is suggested here. In this case then the pump-input power, the known water performance of the pump and the system flow, can be used to calculate an effective pump discharge pressure. By comparison with a calculated system head, the pump speed can be regulated such that the pressures are equal and the system stable for any practical variation of incoming flow or specific gravity.