Case Histories

GIW Pumps Finish 1st in Canada

GIW, once again, proves it is the leader in hydrotransport, leaving the competition in the dust.

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Problem
The Alberta oil sands occupy a vast area in the boreal forest zone about the size of New Brunswick. It takes approximately two tons of sand to produce one barrel of oil. The oil sand is mixed with hot water to create a slurry.

Hydrotransport pipelines condition and transport the oil sand slurry from the mine to the extraction plant. This high-pressure, coarse duty can wreak havoc on a slurry pump's wear parts.

Due to the necessity of running the pipe line twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week with minimal downtime, the customer held a "pump off competition" to determine which pump would meet their expectations. GIW was pitted against two competitor pumps and the race began.

Solution
After evaluating the duty required and using GIW's Nose and Impeller Wear Programs, GIW selected a TBC-46W pump equipped with the special patent-pending diverter. GIW's engineering department developed the diverter based on the theory that if particle contamination can be excluded from the nose gap, wear life can be dramatically improved.

Research has shown that internal velocity and pressure gradients between the impeller shroud and the pump casing can allow particles to migrate toward the suction eye. These solids contribute to the wear induced degradation of the gap between the suction liner and the impeller. As this gap grows, wear rates increase and pump efficiency is reduced.

Lab testing verified the particle flow. By diverting particles away from the casing wall, their flow direction could be reversed. The result is GIW's patent pending Slurry Diverter design. A carefully calculated step is integrated into both the suction liner and impeller clearing vanes to provide a physical and hydraulic barrier in the particle path. This transfers the solids from the pump wall into the higher velocity flow path created by the clearing vanes, where they are returned to the process fluid.

Results
Applying the newly developed diverter and advanced hydraulics, GIW's pump outlasted both competitor pumps and exceeded the customer's expectations. A quick peek inside after 13 weeks of operation (typical duration between maintenance outages) revealed a shell and impeller that could be back in service for another 13 weeks. GIW is the proven winner, time and time again.

After 13 Weeks (2,184 Hours) in Operation
Competitor impeller	GIW impeller

For more information, please call (706) 863-1011, Ext. 2272, or send an e-mail to sales@giwindustries.com.