Erosion reduction mechanism of mining metal slurry pump under different biomimetic configuration, direction, and combination designs

To address the issues of severe local erosion and uneven service life of flow components in mining metal slurry pumps, this article aims to utilize biomimetic methods to design the biomimetic schemes, reveal the biomimetic erosion reduction mechanism, and achieve erosion reduction and balance. First, a solid–liquid two-phase flow numerical calculation model is established based on the irregular particle collision model. Hydraulic performance and erosion law experiments are conducted to verify the model's accuracy, and the erosion laws of the traditional mining metal slurry pump are revealed. Subsequently, different biomimetic configurations, directions, and combinations are carried out for the impeller and sheath's design based on the shell surface morphology. Then, the erosion distribution and amount of the impeller and sheath, the particle motion behaviors, and the flow field flow characteristics are explored under different biomimetic schemes. Finally, the biomimetic scheme with optimal erosion reduction and balance is obtained, and the erosion reduction mechanism of different biomimetic designs is revealed. The experimental results show that when using the groove biomimetic configuration, perpendicular direction, and impeller+sheath combination scheme, the mining metal slurry pump has relatively optimal erosion reduction and balance. Compared to the non-biomimetic design scheme, the total erosion decreases by 24.0%, and the difference in erosion between the impeller and sheath decreases by 77.4%. This study presents a new technological path and entry point for reducing erosion and extending the service life of mining metal slurry pumps and other turbine machinery.