Just realized half the guys on site don't know how to read a dredge pump curve

I was working a job down in Corpus Christi last month and watched a guy burn through three impellers because he kept running the pump way off the curve. He thought he was getting more production by throttling the discharge valve wide open, but he was actually cavitating the thing to death. The pump curve on that GIW LSA showed max efficiency at 1,200 RPM with a head of 90 feet, and he was running it at 1,400 with barely any back pressure. I had to pull out the manual and walk him through the numbers before he believed me. If you don't know where your pump is sitting on the curve, you're just guessing and burning money on parts. Anyone else deal with guys who think more RPM always means more dirt?

2 comments

2 Comments

blakefox17d ago

Depends on the pump and the setup though.

wesley_hart17d ago

Match the pump size to the flow rate and you're golden.