Boiler-Feed and Slurry Pump Rebuild
A multistage boiler-feed pump and a slurry pump rebuilt cold to original clearances and lined, so both go back to service without new castings.
The challenge
A multistage boiler-feed pump and a hard-working slurry pump both lost performance the same way. The volutes eroded, the wear rings opened up, and the flow paths roughened, so each pump moved less fluid for the same energy the plant put in. As the running clearances grew, more fluid slipped back inside the pump instead of leaving it, and the plant felt that as lost efficiency and higher energy draw. Both units kept getting pulled from the spares pool for repair, and the usual fix is a new casting, which carries cost and a long lead time the plant did not want to wait on.
Our approach
We take each pump into the shop and assess where the metal has gone, separating the eroded volute and flow-path wear from the opened-up wear-ring areas. We blast the casings and wear-ring areas back to clean, profiled substrate so the repair bonds, then rebuild the lost metal cold with Belzona 1000 Series composites and reform the surfaces to the original clearances. With the profile back, we line the flow path with an erosion-resistant coating, leaving a smooth hydraulic surface and tight clearances. Working cold means the casings see no heat distortion, and both pumps go back into service without waiting on new castings.
- Assess and measureWe strip and inspect both pumps, mapping the eroded volutes, roughened flow paths, and the wear-ring areas that have opened past their clearances.
- Surface preparationWe grit-blast the casings and wear-ring areas back to a clean, profiled substrate so the rebuild composites and the lining bond to bare metal.
- Cold metal rebuildWe rebuild the lost metal with Belzona 1000 Series composites, working cold so the casings see no heat distortion.
- Reform clearances and lineWe reform the volutes and wear-ring areas back to the original clearances, then line the flow path with an erosion-resistant coating for a smooth hydraulic surface.
- Return to spares poolWe confirm the clearances and finish, then return both rebuilt pumps to the plant's rotating spares pool ready to run.
The result
- Eroded volutes and opened wear-ring areas rebuilt cold back to the original clearances
- Flow paths lined with an erosion-resistant coating for a smooth hydraulic surface and tight clearances
- Both casings saved rather than scrapped, so each pump returned to service without waiting on a new casting
- Pumps rebuilt and returned to the spares pool by factory-trained and factory-certified Belzona applicators
Belzona systems used
In the field
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