Meeting the challenges in pump durability by advanced surface engineering

Some of the most demanding environments, from a material durability perspective, are met in pump components. In a diverse range of industrial sectors, from oil and gas to pharmaceuticals, there are issues relating to material durability when corrosivity and/or erosivity of the pumped medium are high. In the last two decades there has been a considerable increase in the use of surface engineering to alleviate damage on critical components. The UK market for surface engineering is following a steep upward trend and a recent projection has estimated it will be worth pound21.3 billion in 2005. In this paper an assessment of the current requirements and challenges in pump material selection for erosion-corrosion service will be presented. To follow, the results from an extensive study to evaluate cermet (ceramic/metal) coatings in severe erosion-corrosion conditions will be reported. Their application in abrasive environments will also be considered. The economic benefits of using advanced surface engineering systems will be discussed in relation to the performance capabilities and the limitations of cermet coatings.