Vibratory Tumbler Liquid Pump

What is probably happening is that the solids dislodged during the tumbling process are settling-out in the lowest part of the system, which is usually a pump [For instance, the centrifugal pump (a high-shear type of pump) used to circulate central heating water through the building at these co-ordinates has been misbehaving of late. When stripped for inspection something over 20g of carbon-like deposit needed to be removed from it, after which it has given no trouble upon reassembly.].

Generally-speaking, low-shear pumps are preferable for fluids that contain solids. Lobe pumps, a low-shear design, are typically used to pump strawberry jam, and chunky-vegetable soup, for example. If the solids in themselves are not abrasive, a peristaltic pump might do the job; peristaltic pump tubing is relatively simple to replace and pumps are designed to have their tubing replaced with the minimum of fuss and down-time.

It might be more economic in this tumbling equipment to install a cartridge particulate filter on the inlet line to the pump and keep a stock of spare cartridges instead.

Another possibility is to increase the frequency of cleaning and flushing so that the pump replacement issue goes away; put servicing the fluid loop onto a planned preventative maintenance schedule, perhaps?

Another possibility is that the more abrasive particles are wearing away the pump impeller.

The one I used along time ago was fed directly from the tap because you only use a little water in the process! The waste was collected in a bucket and fed to the filters at a later date! So no need for a pump, just add a squirt of soap!

I still think that a failed pump should be inspected for cause of failure. Difficult to resolve a problem if you don't know its cause.

if the pump failed due to wear you might try.

Not Knowing what type of pump. If the pump set in the reservoir like a sump pump. Raising it higher from the bottom will reduce the amount of sediment it draws in. Putting a short wall buffer in the tank between the out flow of the tumbler and the pump will also help. This will help settle the heavy particles out as it flows up and over the wall.

If the pump is external of the tank then a suction strainer.

we've never done any autopsies, just bought new pumps in a hurry.

Ah .... Finding solutions is easy.. the tricky thing is identifying the problem.

I'd start by doing some of the autopsies..

Don't tell me you chucked the dead pumps away?... D'oh.

I'd hazard a guess at maybe you need some filtering or a settling tank...just a shot in the dark...don't really know what I'm talking about I just sit in front of the keyboard and it sort of spills out....

Oh! Kitten on the keys, huh!

Have you tried 'the magnet in a bag' trick? Or the 'stocking over the pipe' trick? I've seen Ozzys suggestion of a dam wall idea on a few Centerless grinding machines, It works on the heavier particles but the aluminium tends to suspend in the water so maybe remove the muck by the same method they used to use for looking for gold! They ran the water over a cloth (can't remember if it was a pelt or a silk or what) but it caught the heavier metallic gold! sure it would work on any metal!!(maybe not the aluminium!)

Maybe stick a magnet under the cloth! Still doesn't solve the aluminium paradox

How about a good quality inline filter that can be cleaned at regular intervals?

Put a filter medium on top of dam to catch suspend particles.

Why didn't I think of that!

We have two vibratory mills that we use in the tumbling department with a deburring soap injected into a water line to move the metal particulates from the parts and media. Have found that the parts are in better shape when we use fresh water and soap instead of recycling the water.

To that avail we use a Dosatron to mix the soap with the water in a solution. Then spray this on the media and it carries the grindings away to a settling tank with the water returning to our sump outside and eventually to the city sewage system.

Prior to this we were replacing the pump every couple months as this system was running every day and the cost of the pumps was very high. Of course the pump would fail and the sludge would be like iron in the holes in the parts. (We heat treat following the tumbling)

We also use drum tumblers to debur and cut radius on part edges. In them we mix a rust inhibitor with the water using another dosatron and run that at about 1-1/2% mixture. This solution is used only once and then sent to the settling sump to remove the solids from the system.

The sump is 60" x 102" x 48" deep. Have a 32" weir installed that allows settling and then we pump the water back up into the sewer system. The pump used for the waste water is a centrifical pump and we have a typical life of about five years of continual pumping before the pump chokes up. Typically it is a failure of the pump from wearing out. Last pump failure was electrical in nature following a lightning strike. This pump is a "trash" pump.

This one is way to easy. Either use a fresh water flush (dosed with soap or not) or if it is necessary to recirculate the water for some reason, then filter it.

So pumps also die

replace pumps in hurry ?

Did you try other types like screw impeller pump, parasatic pumps or alter the mechanism of your apparatus lke adding filters , mounting centrifugal pumps vertically at upper levels , designing tumbler such as to collect abrasive materials through filteration