Energy characteristics of a deep-sea mining pump under solid-phase interaction

Abstract

Deep-sea mining pumps (DMPs) are the crucial power equipment for the hydraulic lift deep-sea mining system. The efficiency and sustainability are greatly affected by the particle conveyance capacity and erosion pattern. To investigate the energy performance, particle conveyance capacity, and erosion pattern of the DMP, different inlet particle volume fraction (IPVF) schemes are investigated using the Euler-Euler method. The data indicates that as the IPVF increases, the head and shaft power increase gradually, and the flow rate at the highest efficiency is consistently 1.5Qd. Additionally, the fluctuation range of the conveyance capacity index decreases as the flow rate increases. At an IPVF of 15%, the particles exhibit a backflow phenomenon, resulting in poor particle conveyance capacity. As the flow rate increases, the erosion rate (ER) of the impeller (IMP) decreases and then increases, and the ER of the space guide vane (SGV) gradually decreases, resulting in a more stable flow state. The erosion distribution of the IMP blades is mainly concentrated on the suction surface. The erosion distribution on the SGV blades is primarily concentrated on the middle and rear of the pressure surface, as well as the middle and front of the suction surface. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd