mud pump cavitation supplier

Cavitation is an undesirable condition that reduces pump efficiency and leads to excessive wear and damage to pump components. Factors that can contribute to cavitation, such as fluid velocity and pressure, can sometimes be attributed to an inadequate mud system design and/or the diminishing performance of the mud pump’s feed system.

Although cavitation is avoidable, without proper inspection of the feed system, it can accelerate the wear of fluid end parts. Over time, cavitation can also lead to expensive maintenance issues and a potentially catastrophic failure.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump “knocking,” which typically sounds like marbles and stones being thrown around inside the equipment. However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name “the silent killer.”

Mild cavitation begins to occur when the mud pump is starved for fluid. While the pump itself may not be making noise, damage is still being done to the internal components of the fluid end. In the early stages, cavitation can damage a pump’s module, piston and valve assembly.

The imperceptible but intense shock waves generated by cavitation travel directly from the fluid end to the pump’s power end, causing premature vibrational damage to the crosshead slides. The vibrations are then passed onto the shaft, bull gear and into the main bearings.

If not corrected, the vibrations caused by cavitation will work their way directly to critical power end components, which will result in the premature failure of the mud pump. A busted mud pump means expensive downtime and repair costs.

As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, cavitation causes numerous pits to form on the module’s internal surface. Typically, cavitation pits create a stress concentration, which can reduce the module’s fatigue life.

To stop cavitation before it starts, install and tune high-speed pressure sensors on the mud suction line set to sound an alarm if the pressure falls below 30 psi.

Accelerometers can also be used to detect slight changes in module performance and can be an effective early warning system for cavitation prevention.

Although the pump may not be knocking loudly when cavitation first presents, regular inspections by a properly trained field technician may be able to detect moderate vibrations and slight knocking sounds.

Gardner Denver offers Pump University, a mobile classroom that travels to facilities and/or drilling rigs and trains rig crews on best practices for pumping equipment maintenance.

Severe cavitation will drastically decrease module life and will eventually lead to catastrophic pump failure. Along with downtime and repair costs, the failure of the drilling pump can also cause damage to the suction and discharge piping.

When a mud pump has entered full cavitation, rig crews and field service technicians will see the equipment shaking and hear the pump ‘knocking’… However, the process of cavitation starts long before audible signs reveal themselves – hence the name ‘the silent killer.’In 2017, a leading North American drilling contractor was encountering chronic mud system issues on multiple rigs. The contractor engaged in more than 25 premature module washes in one year and suffered a major power-end failure.

Gardner Denver’s engineering team spent time on the contractor’s rigs, observing the pumps during operation and surveying the mud system’s design and configuration.

The engineering team discovered that the suction systems were undersized, feed lines were too small and there was no dampening on the suction side of the pump.

Following the implementation of these recommendations, the contractor saw significant performance improvements from the drilling pumps. Consumables life was extended significantly, and module washes were reduced by nearly 85%.

Although pump age does not affect its susceptibility to cavitation, the age of the rig can. An older rig’s mud systems may not be equipped for the way pumps are run today – at maximum horsepower.

I’ve run into several instances of insufficient suction stabilization on rigs where a “standpipe” is installed off the suction manifold. The thought behind this design was to create a gas-over-fluid column for the reciprocating pump and eliminate cavitation.

When the standpipe is installed on the suction manifold’s deadhead side, there’s little opportunity to get fluid into all the cylinders to prevent cavitation. Also, the reciprocating pump and charge pump are not isolated.

Installing a suction stabilizer from the suction manifold port supports the manifold’s capacity to pull adequate fluid and eliminates the chance of manifold fluid deficiency, which ultimately prevents cavitation.

The suction stabilizer’s compressible feature is designed to absorb the negative energies and promote smooth fluid flow. As a result, pump isolation is achieved between the charge pump and the reciprocating pump.

The isolation eliminates pump chatter, and because the reciprocating pump’s negative energies never reach the charge pump, the pump’s expendable life is extended.

Investing in suction stabilizers will ensure your pumps operate consistently and efficiently. They can also prevent most challenges related to pressure surges or pulsations in the most difficult piping environments.

A well-placed suction stabilizer can also prevent pump chatter. Pump chatter occurs when energy is exchanged between the quick opening and closing of the reciprocating pump’s valves and the hammer effect from the centrifugal pump. Pump isolation with suction stabilizers is achieved when the charge pumps are isolated from reciprocating pumps and vice versa. The results are a smooth flow of pumped media devoid of agitating energies present in the pumped fluid.

Water hammer is a surge of pressure that can arise in pumping systems. The pressure is created when the pumping system undergoes an abrupt change in flow. The main causes of water hammering include opening and closing of valves, pump starts and stops, and separation and closure of the water columns. Due to these factors, the water column undergoes a change in momentum and this abrupt change can produce shock waves that travel back and forth within the system. Depending on the magnitude of the shock wave, physical damage in the system can be severe.

The phenomenon can be understood by an example in which water is pumped in a pipe that has valves on its both ends. The inlet valve is opened and the water column starts traveling towards the discharge valve. At this point, the discharge valve is closed instantly and the leading edge of the water column strikes the closed valve and begins to compress. A pressure wave (shock wave) begins to travel along the backstream (towards the inlet valve). The shock wave travels back and forth between the two valves until it finally diminishes due to friction losses. This water hammer shock wave is so fast that it can make a round trip between the two valves in less than half a second in the case of a 1000 feet pipe. The pressure created by this shock wave depends on the wave velocity (a), the velocity of water in the pipe (V), and the universal gravitational constant (g). Mathematically,

Explore the great water pump cavitation selection on Alibaba.com. These water pump cavitation function by removing noise signals from audio or media files. There are two types of these devices, the active and the digital ones. Use them to prevent unwanted noise interference when listening to audio or in images. They are used in making headphones, anti-snoring devices, active mufflers, and noise control in air conditioning ducts. Use the wonderful offers and ensure the reduction of unwanted ambient noise.

Discover the state-of-the-art active water pump cavitation available in attractive designs and colors. These work in two methods adaptive cancellation or synthesis. Take advantage of the promotions on Alibaba.com and get those devices that are particularly useful for applications involving dynamic systems, industrial equipment, and domestic appliances. Others work as zone silencing systems that can be used in a vehicle to cancel noise around the driver.

Enjoy modern water pump cavitation designs that use up-to-date technology. They use Bluetooth technology for convenient wireless connectivity. Use these for a comfortable listening experience as long as it takes without fear of sweating since they are designed to be sweat-proof with convenient neckband designs that hang comfortably around the neck, making them easy to carry. Some work very well to reduce noise in the pictures for clear and attractive pictures.

Alibaba.com offers a wonderful selection of water pump cavitation options in modern designs. Use these to ensure safety at work and prevent hearing damage, provide a cool listening experience with no interference or keep the driver alert with no sound distractions.

Using the conversion of rotational kinetic energy into the hydrodynamic energy of the fluid flow, centrifugal Slurry Pumps motivate fluid flow along pipelines. Pump rotation, and thus rotational energy, is typically created by the electric motor driving the Pump shaft through a V-belt drive. The fluid enters axially into the eye of the Pump impeller, which by its rotation acts tangentially and radially on the fluid. The fluid is accelerated by the impeller gaining velocity and pressure, flowing radially outward into the casing, decelerating but building pressure. Being pressurized, it then exits the volute. The displaced fluid in the Pump head is replaced by atmospheric pressure and static pressure acting on the fluid in the sump, pushing it into the impeller.

The speed of the Pump is regulated by the ratio of the transmission plus, in some cases, the use of a variable frequency drive to tune the speed for a more exact duty. Care needs to be taken not to use high turn-down ratios, which result in the loss of power. Head or more specifically total dynamic head, which is the sum of static, friction and pressure heads, is used to find the speed head. Calculated water head is corrected (HR) using the d50 of the particles being pumped, the percent solids by volume. Horsepower is calculated as work done and thus includes the fluid specific gravity. Reference should always be made to the manufacturer’s curves to ensure the Pump is operating in the most efficient zone.

It should be noted that this design of Pump, unlike a self-priming positive displacement Pump, does not actually suck the fluid into the casing. As discussed above, the fluid flows into the Pump based on atmospheric pressure and the height of fluid in the vessel (14.5 psi or 33.5ft.hd. [10mhd] + the height to water level in the Sump).

Other factors affect the performance of the Pump, most important of which is the Net Positive Suction Head (NPSH), which is not only an equipment issue but a system issue. NPSHAis a measure of how close to vapor pressure the fluid becomes. NPSHR is head value on the suction side that is required to keep the fluid from cavitating. Heated solutions are particularly prone. Significant damage can occur to the impeller and bearings when a Pump is cavitating.

The reverse function of the centrifugal Pump is as a water turbine converting potential energy of water pressure into mechanical rotational energy. Examples of this are in tailings disposal down long inclines to ponds. Special builds are required.

Lining materials vary and are typically selected based on the materials to be handled and any chemistry present. Most sand sized materials <5mm (4mesh) can be handled effectively by the use of the high-quality natural rubber compound liners. Gravel should be handled by hard metal Pumps, such as Ni-Hard or Hi-Chrome (27%).

Many things go into getting the most life out of your mud pump and its components — all important to extend the usage of this vital piece of equipment on an HDD jobsite. Some of the most important key points are covered below.

The most important thing you can do is service your pump, per the manufacturer’s requirements. We get plenty of pumps in the shop for service work that look like they have been abused for years without having basic maintenance,  such as regular oil changes. You wouldn’t dream of treating your personal vehicle like that, so why would you treat your pump like that.

Check the oil daily and change the oil regularly. If you find water or drilling mud contamination in the oil, change the oil as soon as possible. Failure to do so will most likely leave you a substantial bill to rebuild the gear end, which could have been avoided if proper maintenance procedures would have been followed. Water in the oil does not allow the oil to perform correctly, which will burn up your gear end. Drilling mud in your gear end will act as a lapping compound and will wear out all of the bearing surfaces in your pump. Either way it will be costly. The main reasons for having water or drilling mud in the gear end of your pump is because your pony rod packing is failing and/or you have let your liners and pistons get severely worn. Indication of this is fluid that should be contained inside the fluid end of your pump is now moving past your piston and spraying into the cradle of the pump, which forces its way past the pony rod packing. Pony rod packing is meant to keep the oil in the gear end and the liner wash fluid out of the gear end. Even with brand new packing, you can have water or drilling fluid enter the gear end if it is sprayed with sufficient force, because a piston or liner is worn out.

There is also usually a valve on the inlet of the spray bar. This valve should be closed enough so that liner wash fluid does not spray all over the top of the pump and other components.

Liner wash fluid can be comprised of different fluids, but we recommend just using clean water. In extremely cold conditions, you can use RV antifreeze. The liner wash or rod wash system is usually a closed loop type of system, consisting of a tank, a small pump and a spray bar. The pump will move fluid from the tank through the spray bar, and onto the inside of the liner to cool the liner, preventing scorching. The fluid will then collect in the bottom of the cradle of the pump and drain back down into the collection tank below the cradle and repeat the cycle. It is important to have clean fluid no matter what fluid you use. If your liners are leaking and the tank is full of drilling fluid, you will not cool the liners properly — which will just make the situation worse. There is also usually a valve on the inlet of the spray bar. This valve should be closed enough so that liner wash fluid does not spray all over the top of the pump and other components. Ensure that the water is spraying inside the liner and that any overspray is not traveling out of the pump onto the ground or onto the pony rod packing where it could be pulled into the gear end. If the fluid is spraying out of the cradle area and falling onto the ground, it won’t be long before your liner wash tank is empty. It only takes a minute without the cooling fluid being sprayed before the liners become scorched. You will then need to replace the pistons and liners, which is an avoidable costly repair. Make a point to check the liner wash fluid level several times a day.

Drilling fluid — whether pumping drilling mud, straight water or some combination of fluid — needs to be clean. Clean meaning free of solids. If you are recycling your fluid, make sure you are using a quality mud recycling system and check the solids content often throughout the day to make sure the system is doing its job. A quality mud system being run correctly should be able to keep your solids content down to one quarter of 1 percent or lower. When filling your mud recycling system, be sure to screen the fluid coming into the tanks. If it is a mud recycling system, simply make sure the fluid is going over the scalping shaker with screens in the shaker. If using some other type of tank, use an inline filter or some other method of filtering. Pumping out of creeks, rivers, lakes and ponds can introduce plenty of solids into your tanks if you are not filtering this fluid. When obtaining water out of a fire hydrant, there can be a lot of sand in the line, so don’t assume it’s clean and ensure it’s filtered before use.

Cavitation is a whole other detailed discussion, but all triplex pumps have a minimum amount of suction pressure that is required to run properly. Make sure this suction pressure is maintained at all times or your pump may cavitate. If you run a pump that is cavitating, it will shorten the life of all fluid end expendables and, in severe cases, can lead to gear end and fluid end destruction. If the pump is experiencing cavitation issues, the problem must be identified and corrected immediately.

The long and the short of it is to use clean drilling fluid and you will extend the life of your pumps expendables and downhole tooling, and keep up with your maintenance on the gear end of your pump. Avoid pump cavitation at all times. Taking a few minutes a day to inspect and maintain your pump can save you downtime and costly repair bills.

Since horizontal directional drilling (HDD) work tends to be slower in the winter months, particularly when the ground is frozen, winter is a prime time to inspect the power end of the pump and prevent downtime on the job later.

If one waits until an audible problem can be detected, it is often very expensive to repair. All smaller HDD pumps – 100 hp and smaller — tend to use the same type of internal components regardless of the manufacturer.

The power end should last for years if it is given proper maintenance. Clean lubricant is essential for longevity along with wiper box seals that are in good condition. External influences such as allowing the pistons to leak profusely and or cavitation tend to shorten the life span of the power end components quickly. It is easy to visually inspect the power end components for wear and detect a problem before it becomes very expensive to repair.

The largest load bearing area of the pump is the crosshead pin and bushing area. Wear can be detected by locking the intermittent or piston rod with a pipe wrench and rotating the crank shaft slightly. If one can feel any slack it can only be coming from the pin and bushing or the connecting rod bearing. It then becomes necessary to remove the connecting rod assembly consisting of the connecting rod and cross head. If slack is determined in the pin bushing, it will be necessary to press out the pin and inspect the bushing and the crosshead pin in the eye of the connecting rod. Some manufacturers ship bushings that are designed to fit. Others ship them and they have to be reamed to fit the pin after the bushing is installed. The installation instructions and dimensional fits are provided by the manufacturer in the pump manual.

The next area of concern is the connecting rod bearings themselves. If visual wear can be seen, use a micrometer and measure the crankshaft journals to make sure they are not out of round. If the journals check out, then all is needed is new connecting rod bearings. Some manufactures utilize shims to get the correct fit to the journal. Others provide automotive style bearings that only require correct torque to the rod cap for correct installation. There are pros and cons concerning automotive style vs shim bearings. Shim type bearings does allow for oversized connecting rod bearing should the journals be worn. This allows for turning down the crank journals a few thousands and utilizing a larger connecting rod bearing. If a pump uses automotive style precision bearings and the journals are out of round, it is necessary to replace the crankshaft.

Wiper box packing keeps the oil within the power frame and external contamination from entering the power end. The packing is easy to inspect and essential for longevity of the power end. The wiper box packing must remain in excellent condition at all times. Allowing the pump to set for extended periods of time or letting external contamination build on the packing shortens the lifespan.

If one waits until an audible problem can be detected, it is often very expensive to repair. All smaller HDD pumps – 100 hp and smaller — tend to use the same type of internal components regardless of the manufacturer.

Inspection of the power end allows the owner to dictate when repairs are necessary rather than allowing the pump to dictate during the middle of a job when repair is required. If problems are detected early, repair is relatively inexpensive. If a problem is not detected early, that problem often leads to more unnecessary wear and affects other components of the pump. An early fix to any problem is relatively inexpensive. Allowing the problem to continue can often cost several thousands of dollars and downtime on a job.

(1) The mud pump has advantages of high speed, small size, light weight, high efficiency, high fluidity, simple structure, no pulse infusion, stable performance, easy operation and convenient maintenance.

Therefore, in the following exceptions, centrifugal pumps should be used as much as possible: when metering is required, use a metering pump with high lift requirements; when the flow rate is small and there is no suitable small flow high lift centrifugal pump, a reciprocating pump such as cavitation vortex pump can also be used if the requirements are not high.

Select the pump according to high flow, axial and mixed flow. When the viscosity of the medium is greater than 650 to 1000 square mm/s, select the rotor pump or the reciprocating pump (gear pump, screw pump). In the case of 75% gas medium, if the flow rate is small and the viscosity is less than 37.4 square mm/s, the vortex pump can be used.

In the case of frequent irrigation pumps or inconvenient guidance, self-priming pumps, self-priming centrifugal pumps, self-priming eddy current pumps, and pneumatic (electric) diaphragm pumps should be used.

(2) Make the model and performance of the selected mud pump meet the requirements of technological parameters such as device flow, lift, pressure, temperature, cavitation flow, and suction range.

(3) The dielectric properties that must be met. For the transportation of flammable, toxic or explosive pump medium, it is necessary to have reliable seals for slurry pumps with no leakage, such as magnetic drive pumps, diaphragm pumps, and canned motor pumps.

For delivery pumps of corrosive media, the convection part requires corrosion-resistant materials, such as stainless steel corrosion pumps AFB, the CQF plastic magnetic drive pumps.

A pump for conveying solid particles containing medium, wear-resistant materials requires a convection section. If necessary, seal and rinse it with the cleaning liquid.

(1) Packing is a common seal. The seal is injected with water in the form of continuous injection water under the pressure in the gasket to prevent the leakage of the mud pump. It is not suitable for the seal of multi-stage shaft seal mud pumps and packing. It has advantages of simple packaging and sealing structure, easy maintenance and low price.

(2) The impeller is sealed by the mud pump. The impeller with the reverse centrifugal generates the acting force to prevent the slurry from leaking out.

When the positive pressure value at the pump inlet is not greater than 10% of the pressure value at the outlet of the mud pump, the first-stage pump of a single-stage pump or a multi-stage pump can be designed with an impeller mechanical shaft seal, which does not dilute the slurry and has a good sealing effect.

(3) Mechanical seals of mud pumps generally have relatively high requirements for seals. Especially in some chemical and food fields, not only sealing is required, but it is important not to add additional components to the pump body. The disadvantage is that the mechanical seal of the mud pump is expensive and difficult to maintain.

Mud pump cavitation: Routineinspections, maintenance canprevent ‘silent killer’ from reducingrig efficiency, equipment reliabilityWith pumps being run at max horsepower at today’s well sites, best practicescan help contractors to avoid premature damage, extend consumables life

CAVITATION IS AN UNDESIR ABLE will see the equipment shaking and hear the a sealing surface. These unexpected failurescondition that causes a reduction in pump pump “knocking,” which typically sounds are expensive and lead to a minimum ofefficiency and excessive wear/damage to like marbles and stones being thrown around eight hours of rig downtime for modulepump components. Factors that can contrib- inside the equipment. However, the process replacement.ute to cavitation, such as fluid velocity and of cavitation starts long before audible signspressure, can sometimes be attributed to an reveal themselves – hence the name, “the PREVENTING CAVITATIONinadequate mud system design and/or the silent killer.” Stopping cavitation before it starts is adiminishing performance of the mud pump’s Mild cavitation begins to occur when matter of routine inspection and mainte-feed system. the mud pump is “starved” for fluid. While nance. For starters, install and tune high- Other factors contributing to cavitation the pump itself may not be making noise, speed pressure sensors on the mud suctioninclude: damage is still being done to the internal line to alarm if the pressure falls below • Improper sizing of charge pump; components of the fluid end. Mild cavita- 30 psi. Accelerometers can also be used to • Improper maintenance of charge pump tion damages the module, piston and valve detect slight changes in module performanceimpellers – worn impellers cause a reduction assembly. These hidden and intense shock and can be a good early warning systemof fluid pressure; waves generated by cavitation travel directly for cavitation prevention. Routinely conduct • Dirty or clogged charge pump feed and from the fluid end to the pump’s power end, visual inspections on the pump. While thedischarge lines; causing premature damage (vibration) to knocking may not be loud, if inspections are • Improper size of plumbing from charge the crosshead slides, thus passing onto the conducted on a regular basis, a field techni-pump to mud pump; shaft, bull gear and into the main bearings. cian will be able to detect moderate vibra- • Elevation changes and excessive elbows If not corrected, the vibrations caused by tions or knocking sounds. Finally, maintainin plumbing from mud tank to mud pump; cavitation will work their way directly to the gear end of the pump and check oil on aand these critical power end components, caus- regular basis. • Lack of/or inadequate suction and dis- ing premature failure, expensive downtime Gardner Denver offers Pump Universitycharge dampening. and repair costs. (PumpU), a mobile classroom that travels to Cavitation is an avoidable issue, but with- As referenced in Figures 1 and 2, the customers’ facilities and/or drilling rigs andout proper inspection of the feed system it process of cavitation causes numerous pits trains rig crews on how to properly maintaincan accelerate the wear of fluid end parts. Tis to form on the module’s internal surface. pumping equipment. Participants in thecan lead to expensive maintenance issues and Typically, cavitation pits result in a stress program have found that their improveda potentially catastrophic failure. concentration that results in a reduced maintenance skills have extended the life fatigue life of the module. Washouts are one of fluid end expendables on their sites, inMILD VS SEVERE CAVITATION of the leading causes of module failure and addition to lowering repair costs, decreasing When a mud pump has entered full cavita- take place when the high-pressure fluid cuts production costs and reducing workplacetion, rig crews and field service technicians through the module’s surface and damages hazards.

FIGURES 1 (LEFT) AND 2: Long-term, severe cavitation can cause surface pitting on a module crossbore and reduce the module’s fatigue life. Overtime, cavitation can lead to expensive maintenance issues and a potentially catastrophic failure.

RESULTS OF CAVITATION formance. Consumables life has been extend- The best way to prevent pump cavitation At the onset of cavitation, there will be ed significantly, and module washes have is to check the system’s feed lines and equip-reduced life in expendables and gradual wear been reduced by nearly 85%. This improved ment daily for any signs of abnormal noise oron the modules and power end. Severe cavi- performance has drastically reduced rig vibrations. Although it’s impractical to flushtation will drastically decrease module life downtime and has increased the operational system piping during drilling operations,and will eventually lead to catastrophic pump efficiency and customer satisfaction for the strainer screens should be checked daily tofailure, causing unwanted and costly down- drilling contractor. remove any debris or other flow restrictions.time. In addition, failure of the drilling pump Additionally pre-charge (centrifugal) pumpscan also cause damage to the suction and THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S DRILLING should be inspected regularly to ensure out-discharge piping. RIGS put flow and pressure is adequate. Following While pump age does not affect its sus- these simple steps will allow you to achieveCAVITATION IN THE FIELD ceptibility to cavitation, the rig’s age can. maximum performance from your pumping A leading North American drilling con- Oftentimes, a rig’s mud systems aren’t equipment and reduce unplanned equipmenttractor encountered chronic mud system equipped for the way pumps are run today – outages. DCissues on multiple rigs. The company expe- at maximum horsepower.rienced more than 25 premature modulewashes in one year and a major power-endfailure. Gardner Denver’s engineering teamwas called and spent time on the contractor’s When a mud pump has entered fullrigs observing the pumps during operation

technicians will see the equipment shakingtems were undersized, feed lines were toosmall and there was no dampening on thesuction side of the pump. There were also

and hear the pump ‘knocking’... However,issues with the feed line maintenance – linesweren’t cleaned out on a regular basis andsolids from the fluid had formed a thick cake

the process of cavitation starts long beforeon the bottom of the pipe, further reducingits diameter. The engineering team recom-mended increasing the diameter of the feed

audible signs reveal themselves – hence thelines and routine cleanings to improve flowand reduce the risk of cavitation. Following the implementation of these