API Slurry Pump Repair for Refining Customer - Click Here to view Photo Gallery 

This slurry pump is for a major refinery operating on the Mississippi River in Louisiana, and is very important to the operations of the plant.  The service application of the pump subjects it to a lot of erosion damage.  This is due to fine solids in the fluid being pumped eating away at the metal of the internal components of the pump over time. 

This repair required extensive welding involving detailed procedures to build up the material that had been eroded away.  Prior to any welding, a thorough NDT (non destructive testing) and PMI (positive material identification) process was conducted as a preparation to verify the material composition and identify if there are any cracks or defects in the material that were not immediately visible.

After the welding procedures were completed, there was considerable machine work to bring all the fits back into specification.  To help extend the service life of the pump, the internal components that see the worst of the wear are coated with a HVOF (High Velocity Oxygen Fuel) tungsten carbide coating.  This hard coating helps delay the wear of the pumps components.

As can be seen from the photographs and work scope, there are a lot of details that go into a repair of this type.  Reliability and longevity are very important to the plants that run these types of pumps.  With all of our domestic oil refineries running at or near capacity to meet the demand for fuels in the country, the ability to keep running at full steam is very critical to these customers.