Slurry Pump Impeller Auxiliary Vane Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Centrifugal slurry pumps experience significant wear on the side-liner due to fluid vortices and entrained particles generated by rotating expelling vanes, leading to premature wear and reduced pump efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates auxiliary vanes on the impeller with projections that extend laterally from the trailing side, which disturb and deflect radial outflows, reducing the strength of tip vortices and minimizing wear on the shroud.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If auxiliary expelling vanes are added to the impeller to reduce driving pressure and create centrifugal field, then wear on the side-liner is reduced, but wear on the shroud increases due to fluid vortices and entrained particles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding projections only at specific locations on the auxiliary vanes (at the trailing edge and/or leading edge) rather than modifying the entire vane structure. These localized projections create localized disturbances in the fluid flow that reduce vortex strength at critical areas, thereby reducing shroud wear while preserving the overall centrifugal field generation function of the auxiliary vanes for side-liner protection
Solution Approach 2:
The projections on the auxiliary vanes act as intermediaries that modify the fluid flow between the auxiliary vanes and the shroud. These projections disturb the radial outflow and reduce the formation of strong tip vortices, thereby mediating the interaction between the rotating impeller and the shroud to minimize wear while maintaining the beneficial centrifugal field effect
2Stress or pressure
If conventional auxiliary vanes rotate to create centrifugal field, then driving pressure is reduced, but fluid vortices and entrained particles cause significant wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding projections only at specific locations on the auxiliary vanes (at the trailing edge and/or leading edge) rather than modifying the entire vane structure. These localized projections create localized disturbances in the fluid flow that reduce vortex strength at critical areas, thereby reducing shroud wear while preserving the overall centrifugal field generation function of the auxiliary vanes for side-liner protection
Solution Approach 2:
The projections on the auxiliary vanes act as intermediaries that modify the fluid flow between the auxiliary vanes and the shroud. These projections disturb the radial outflow and reduce the formation of strong tip vortices, thereby mediating the interaction between the rotating impeller and the shroud to minimize wear while maintaining the beneficial centrifugal field effect
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces the wear rate on the impeller shroud by approximately 60% compared to conventional vanes, extending the pump's operational lifespan and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The expelling vanes rotate the slurry in the gap creating a centrifugal field and thus reducing the driving pressure for the returning flow, reducing the flow velocity and thus the wear on the side-liner
Implementation Method 2
one or more of the auxiliary vanes having a leading side and a trailing side each of which extends from the inner edge to the outer edge with an upper side spaced from the outer face of the shroud, and one or more projections extending laterally from the trailing side of one or more of the said auxiliary vanes
Data Source
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AI summary
An impeller which can be rotated about a rotation axis X-X, the impeller comprising a shroud having opposed inner and outer faces and an outer peripheral edge portion remote from the rotation axis, a plurality of pumping vanes projecting from the inner face of the shroud, a plurality of auxiliary vanes projecting from the outer face of the shroud, one or more of the auxiliary vanes having an inner edge which is closer to the rotation axis and an outer edge which is closer to the peripheral edge portion of the shroud, the auxiliary vanes extending in a direction between the rotation axis towards the outer peripheral edge portion of the shroud, one or more of the auxiliary vanes having a leading side and a trailing side each of which extends from the inner edge to the outer edge with an upper side spaced from the outer face of the shroud, and at least one projection extending from the trailing side of one or more of the said auxiliary vanes, and preferably each auxiliary vane.