An experimental testing rig is built to study the performance of a centrifugal pump used in medium consistency technology (MC technology). Pump performances are tested in different pulp concentration, degas pressure differential, and tip clearance ratio. The results show that in medium concentration, pump head and efficiency decreases with increase of pulp concentration. There is a critical concentration above which pump performance drops. Gas separation effect is influenced by the pressure differential over the degas system and the air content in the pulp suspension. In high concentration and small tip clearance conditions, friction loss increases a great deal and results in an efficiency reduction.

Issue Section:
Technical Briefs
Keywords:
centrifugal pump, experiment, medium consistency, paper pulp, multiphase flow, non-Newtonian suspension
Topics:
Pumps, Clearances (Engineering), Pulp, Pressure

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