Stages of Technical Improvement of Mine Drainage Centrifugal Pumps
Authors:   Limited Liability Company “Specialized Installation and Commissioning Enterpriseˮ  “Expertnaladkaˮ, Churakov Evgeny O. , Makarov Vladimir N. ,   Ural State Mining University, Makarov Nikolay V. ,   Ural State Mining University, Belskikh Anna M. ,   Ural State Mining University
Published: October 2024

The article shows the timeliness of an in-depth analysis of changes in the main hydrodynamic parameters of centrifugal pumps for the main drainage of mines, depending on their depth and time history, as well as for processing plants of various technological processes. The requirements for the characteristics of drainage pumping equipment, determined by modern needs for mining in the conditions of technical and economic possibilities for mining, taking into account the geological features of the most accessible deposits explored and accepted for development are determined up by the authors. The aim of the research is to correlate dependencies of the operated centrifugal sectional pumps characteristics with the depths of mines, determined by the needs of mining operations for the extraction of minerals using the underground method. Research objectives are as follows: to establish the main historical stages of the technical development levels of centrifugal pumps for mine drainage and their relationship with the actual depths of mining operations; to propose design solutions to increase energy efficiency and hydrodynamic loading of centrifugal pumps using vortex methods to control the flow of flow into the pump impeller. As a result three main stages of technical improvement of centrifugal pumps for mine drainage over the past 80 years have been established. The criteria for assessing the level of technical excellence of centrifugal pumps for mine drainage in this study are their efficiency, which characterizes the energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the equipment, and the pressure coefficient, as an indicator for assessing the level of hydrodynamic loading of the impeller of a centrifugal pump. It has been established that there is a correlation between the pressure and efficiency coefficients depending on the depths of the mines of the corresponding historical period of time. Theoretical dependencies are constructed and the prospects for changes in the pressure coefficient and the effective action of centrifugal pumps in the next decade are shown to ensure their high energy efficiency given the current dynamics of development of mine construction. Correlation dependences between the efficiency coefficient, efficiency of centrifugal sectional pumps and the required height of mine drainage water lifting have been obtained. From the impeller designs analysis of the considered centrifugal sectional pumps, developed according to the theory of L. Euler, it follows that further increase of the stage head coefficient by classical methods has reached its limit and its further increase is possible only through the improvement of hydrodynamic processes with the use of vortex methods of flow control in the flow-hydraulic part of the pump. With the help of correlation equations the predicted values of head coefficients and efficiency are presented based on the analysis of required parameters of centrifugal sectional pumps determined by the dynamics of mine construction development.