In modern industrial production, large-flow conveyance of industrial circulating water plays a pivotal role and serves as a key factor in ensuring the stable operation of various production links. The production processes of numerous industries such as chemical engineering, electric power, and iron and steel rely heavily on circulating water systems, whose functions cover multiple critical links including equipment cooling and process water supply. In chemical production, various chemical reactions release a large amount of heat. If not cooled in a timely manner, equipment may be damaged due to overheating, leading to production interruptions or even safety accidents. Circulating water acts like a "coolant" in industrial production, removing the heat generated by reactions and ensuring that equipment operates stably at an appropriate temperature.
However, large-flow conveyance of industrial circulating water faces many severe challenges. First, the high demand for flow rate is a major problem. With the continuous expansion of industrial scale and the increasing complexity of production processes, the demand for circulating water flow rate keeps rising. Taking a large-scale iron and steel plant as an example, during its production process, every link—from blast furnace ironmaking to steel rolling—requires a large amount of circulating water for cooling and cleaning, and the hourly demand for circulating water flow rate can reach several thousand cubic meters or even higher. To meet such a huge flow demand, the conveying equipment must have strong pumping capacity, which places extremely high requirements on the performance and energy consumption of the equipment. If the flow rate of the conveying equipment is insufficient, it will cause inadequate cooling of production equipment, affect product quality, reduce production efficiency, and may even lead to equipment failures and huge economic losses.
Second, the medium of industrial circulating water is complex. Circulating water often contains various impurities, particles, microorganisms, and chemical substances, such as sediment, rust, algae, bacteria, and acid-base substances. These impurities can cause severe wear and corrosion to the flow-passing components of the conveying equipment. Sediment and particles, like sandpaper, continuously scour the pump body and impeller, gradually wearing down their surfaces and shortening the service life of the equipment. Microorganisms multiply in large quantities under suitable temperature and nutrient conditions, forming slime that clogs pipelines and equipment, affects the smooth flow of water, and reduces conveying efficiency. Acid-base substances, on the other hand, react chemically with metal components, causing corrosion and damaging the structural integrity of the equipment. In the circulating water system of a certain chemical plant, the high chloride ion content in the water caused severe pitting corrosion on the stainless steel pump body. Within just a few months, multiple perforations appeared on the pump body, forcing frequent equipment replacements. This not only increased maintenance costs but also affected the continuity of production.
Third, equipment durability is also an important challenge. The conveyance of industrial circulating water usually requires long-term continuous operation, which imposes strict tests on the durability and stability of the equipment. During long-term operation, the equipment is subjected to the combined effects of multiple factors such as mechanical stress, thermal stress, and chemical corrosion, and is prone to problems such as fatigue damage, seal failure, and bearing wear. Once the equipment breaks down, it will not only cause production interruptions and direct production losses but also require a lot of time and funds for maintenance and replacement, with considerable indirect costs. Moreover, in some harsh working environments—such as high temperature, high pressure, and high humidity—the durability of the equipment faces even greater challenges. In the circulating water system of a thermal power plant, due to the high water temperature, the pump body material is prone to thermal deformation, and the seals are also prone to aging and failure, thereby affecting the normal operation of the equipment.