Pumping Abrasives With Progressive Cavity, Helical Rotor,

Eccentric Screw Pumps.

Abstract:

Pumping Abrasives with Progressive Cavity, Helical Rotor, Eccentric Screw Pumps. Often used to pump
slurries, helical rotor pumps (also known as progressivity cavity pump, eccentric screw pump, mono pump)
use a spiral rotor to move a chamber full of product through the pump. When moving slurries it is critical that
the rotor wipes the rubber or elastomer stator firmly, else fine particles get between the rotor and stator and
rip material out. This article discusses a major operating problem when the wrong size rotor was used in a
stator.

Keywords: pumping abrasive, pumping slurry,progressive cavity pump, helical rotor pump, eccentric screw
pump, mono pump

It's been an absolute nightmare finding out what to do with a single stage progressive cavity pump
that kept chopping out rotor and stator regularly for the past six months.

It was moving a 5%, 0.5 mm diameter sand slurry. No one knew what had changed. It had worked
fine for 4 years during which time the rotor and stator was changed every 4 to 6 months. Then
suddenly we were changing a rotor and stator every week or two.

What we found was that eight months earlier the supplier had recommended a change in rotor
tolerance because of high process temperature. He suggested we try a thinner rotor to allow for
expansion due to the temperature rise. We agreed to test it and in error the new item became the
standard replacement part. New thinner rotors were brought to replenish stock.

The new rotor did not last long and a spare was installed. The spare was the thinner rotor. The
rotor again did not last long and the spare was taken from store. It was a thin rotor. The spare was
replenished but it was again with a thin rotor. These thin rotors kept being used at each repair.

This continued until production was severely affected. A thorough investigation highlighted the
problem and it was corrected and previous bigger diameter rotors were put back into stock.

It should never have happened. The test rotor should never have become the standard
replacement part. But it had and that error caused months of heart ache.

The entire experience brought a lot of learning to me about helical rotor pumps. I've summarised it
all below.

 Have a very tight compression between the metal rotor and rubber stator so the rotor firmly
wipes the stator and forces any fine abrasive along with the progressive cavity. We measured 0.8
mm difference in rotor diameter (nominally 50 mm diameter) between the thinnest and thickest
rotor. The 80 C temperature rise would never have expanded the rotor to fill the gap created by
using such a thin rotor within the stator.

The pump supplier was concerned that with too much pressure between rotor and stator it was
possible to rip the rubber out of the stator due to friction from the rotor. We have not experienced
such failures in our processes, but I have no doubt that it can happen with certain products.

 The larger 0.4 mm gap between rotor and stator let the pump pressure recirculate and squeeze
the particulate into the space between rotor and stator.

The rising pressure through the pump pushes and deforms the rubber in the stator. The sand
trapped against the upstream curves of the rotor rip across the deformed rubber stator as the rotor