The situation described is normal for this kind of operation, I think.

We would expect gold slurry pumps to wear out through abrasion/erosion. Selection of the correct type of pump material and perhaps lining will extend life, however the pump will always be a maintenance wear item. ■

the use of ceramic (abrasive resistant material) is very good fix. Plastic or urethane liners will also work nicely.

If screening the blasting caps, rocks, wood, junk out of the monitor feed slurry.........we use urethane panels on the trash screen to avoid wear and tear.

bael@golden.net CANADA ■

One approach that I have found convenient in analysing wear problems is to break them down into four components: material, design, maintenance practice, operating practice. Examples of some of the issues are outlined below.

Materials:

As you can see from the other replies, there are many choices- iron/ceramic/polymer being the three main classes. It is almost impossible to predict the best material for a given application and even harder to quantify the performance. As you test different materials, you will find different wear patterns will emerge. Take the time to consider what you can measure and how. Conduct post-mortems and take photographs. Good record keeping is essential.

Design:

Consider what differences there are between available designs. Does any particular feature of the wear stand out? Does any design (or material) address this problem? Is the pump correctly sized for the application?

Maintenance:

Are your maintenance procedures costing you downtime? Are repairs effective? Does one material or design simplify maintenance?

Operating procedure:

Often an overlooked cause. Pump wear is minimised at the point of maximum pump efficiency. Does your pump load vary? Is it alternately starved and flooded? Can the load be evened out?

I hope that you may find this approach as useful as I have over the years.

Good luck. ■