Methodology for Abrasive Wear Evaluation in Elevator Stage Centrifugal Pump Impellers

The abrasion resistance of the impellers depends on the characteristics of the materials used in their manufacture. In this work, a methodology is proposed for the evaluation of the abrasive wear of the plates of the centrifugal pump impellers, used in the gross water infrastructure station (GWIS) of sedimentary rivers, due to the sediment load variation and the river fluviometric dimension. In order to determine the wear mode and the relationship of the material-specific wear coefficient (K), due to the sediment concentration, a rotating ball abrasometer test was performed on SAE 8620, gray cast iron (GCI), and nodular cast iron (NCI), used in the manufacture of impellers. As an abrasive suspension, the concentrations of 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 g L−1 of sediment were used in distilled water. The wear volume as a function of the relative velocity of the mixture in relation to the impeller blades was estimated mathematically. The results show that: i) The abrasive capacity of the sediments in different concentrations; ii) SAE 8620 steel was more resistant to abrasive wear; and iii) the rotational control of the pump as a function of sediment concentration and river level showed the possibility of reducing wear by 30%