I. Key Component Protection: Focusing on "Wear Parts" to Block the Source of Wear

The core wear parts of hydraulic mud plunger pumps are concentrated in three main modules: the plunger-cylinder liner assembly, the suction and discharge valve groups, and the hydraulic drive system. Wear on these components accounts for over 70% of total equipment failures. Protection strategies should adopt a combined approach of "material upgrade + structural optimization + working condition isolation" tailored to the wear mechanisms of each component (such as erosion wear, seal failure, fatigue damage).

1. Plunger-Cylinder Liner Assembly: Dual Protection Against Wear and Leakage
The plunger and cylinder liner are the "power core" of the equipment, directly contacting high-solid-content mud, making them prone to increased wear clearance due to particle erosion, leading to mud leakage and pressure drop. Protection requires breakthroughs in both "material selection" and "sealing structure":

• Material Upgrade: Enhancing Wear and Corrosion Resistance

  • Plunger: Move away from traditional chrome steel. Choose ceramic-coated plungers (e.g., Al₂O₃ ceramic coating thickness 0.1-0.2mm, hardness ≥ HV1500) or tungsten carbide alloy plungers (hardness HRC70+), which offer 3-5 times better erosion wear resistance than traditional materials. For mud from acidic formations (pH <5), an additional nickel-phosphorus alloy plating can be applied to enhance corrosion resistance.

  • Cylinder Liner: Use a "bimetallic composite structure" – outer layer made of high-strength carbon steel (for pressure bearing) and an inner liner of hard alloy (e.g., WC-Co alloy, thickness 3-5mm). Alternatively, apply "laser cladding" technology to form a wear-resistant layer (hardness ≥ HRC65) on the inner wall of the liner, preventing direct冲刷 (erosion) of the liner base material by mud particles.

• Sealing Optimization: Solving Clearance Leakage Issues

  • Multi-layer Composite Seal Design: Replace traditional single oil seals with a three-layer structure: "polyurethane main seal + PTFE guide ring + dust ring". The main seal handles high-pressure sealing (withstands pressure ≥ 50 MPa), the guide ring prevents plunger misalignment wear, and the dust ring blocks solid particles from entering the seal cavity, extending seal life to over 800 hours (compared to about 300 hours for traditional seals).

  • Real-time Clearance Compensation: High-end models can be equipped with a "hydraulic automatic compensation device". This uses oil pressure to slightly move the cylinder liner, compensating in real-time for the wear clearance between the plunger and liner (compensation accuracy ±0.01mm), maintaining stable sealing performance and avoiding pressure loss due to increasing clearance.

2. Suction and Discharge Valve Groups: Protection Against Clogging and Shock
The suction and discharge valve groups (including suction valve, discharge valve, valve seat) are the "switching hub" for mud transportation, prone to valve disc fracture or valve seat seal failure due to solid particle jamming and high-frequency impact. Protection focuses on "anti-clogging structure" and "impact resistance strengthening":

• Structural Optimization: Reducing Particle Jamming Risk

  • Increase Valve Port Flow Area: Expand the suction/discharge valve port diameter from the conventional 50-80mm to 80-120mm, while adopting a "bell-shaped flow channel" design (inlet port diameter larger than outlet port) to reduce mud flow velocity (from 3-5 m/s to 1.5-2.5 m/s), preventing particle deposition at the valve port. Use "streamlined arc-shaped" valve discs instead of traditional flat ones to reduce particle adhesion area.

  • Elastic Valve Seat Design: Use nitrile rubber reinforced valve seats (Shore A hardness 85-90), which possess some elastic deformation capability. When small particles (<2mm) get stuck between the valve disc and seat, the seat can deform slightly to envelop the particle, maintaining seal integrity (no leakage) and avoiding scratches on the seat caused by hard particle friction.

• Impact Resistance Strengthening: Extending Valve Disc Life

  • Valve Disc Material Upgrade: Adopt a "spring steel base + hard alloy overlay welding" process (e.g., overlay welding Cr₃C₂ alloy on 65Mn steel valve disc surface), achieving hardness ≥ HRC60 and improving impact toughness by 20%. This withstands the impact load from high-frequency switching (300-500 cycles/minute), preventing fatigue fracture of the valve disc.

  • Buffer Mechanism Installation: Install "polyurethane buffer pads" or "disc spring sets" between the valve stem and valve cover to absorb the impact force when the valve closes (reducing it from 5000N to below 1500N), minimizing rigid collision between the valve disc and seat, and reducing the probability of sealing surface damage.

3. Hydraulic Drive System: Contamination Prevention and Oil Temperature Control
The hydraulic system is the "power transmission center" of the hydraulic mud plunger pump. Hydraulic oil contamination (e.g., solid particles, water) and excessive oil temperature (>65°C) are primary causes of system failure. Stable operation requires "contamination control" and "temperature control optimization":

• Multi-stage Filtration: Blocking Contaminant Intrusion

  • Three-stage Filtration System: 1) Install a 100μm coarse filter at the tank suction port (to intercept large particles); 2) Install a 10μm high-pressure filter at the hydraulic pump outlet (to filter fine particles in the oil, protecting servovalves); 3) Install a 5μm fine filter + water removal filter element in the return line (to remove water, keeping oil water content <0.1%). This maintains hydraulic oil cleanliness within NAS Class 8 (traditional systems are often NAS Class 10).

  • Regular Oil Analysis: Sample and test hydraulic oil every 200 hours for contamination level (particle count), viscosity, and acid number. If cleanliness exceeds NAS Class 9 or acid number >0.5 mgKOH/g, replace the hydraulic oil and filter elements promptly to avoid wear of precision components like hydraulic pumps and servovalves by contaminants.

• Oil Temperature Control: Avoiding High-Temperature Degradation

  • Upgrade Cooling System: Replace traditional air-cooled radiators with "water-cooled + air-cooled composite radiators", increasing heat dissipation area by over 50%. For high-temperature operating environments (e.g., desert drilling, ambient temperature >40°C), install an "oil temperature automatic control module" – when oil temperature >60°C, it automatically activates the water cooling system; when >65°C, it triggers the flow control valve to increase coolant flow, stabilizing oil temperature within the 50-60°C range (optimal operating temperature for hydraulic oil), avoiding leaks and seal aging caused by decreased oil viscosity.

II. Maintenance Strategy Optimization: From "Reactive Repair" to "Predictive Maintenance"
Component protection alone cannot completely avoid wear. It must be coupled with scientific maintenance strategies to achieve "early warning and targeted maintenance," avoiding cost waste from over-maintenance or sudden failures caused by insufficient maintenance.
(Note: Detailed points for sections II and III were not fully elaborated in the provided text, so a general translation is given based on the headings and summary.)

III. System-Level Optimization: From "Single Equipment" to "Collaborative Adaptation"
Hydraulic mud plunger pumps do not operate in isolation; their lifespan is also affected by the upstream mud system and downstream piping. Optimization and adaptation at the system level are necessary to reduce wear caused by external factors:

• 1. Mud System Adaptation: Reducing the "Wear Load" on Equipment from Mud

  • Mud Viscosity and Solid Content Control: Adjust mud properties according to pump parameters. For example, for ceramic-coated plungers, mud viscosity should not exceed 1200 cP (excessive viscosity increases plunger movement resistance, causing seal wear). The particle size of solids should be ≤ 1/3 of the valve port diameter (e.g., particle size ≤30mm for a 100mm valve port) to avoid particle jamming in the valve group.

  • Mud Temperature Control: When mud temperature >60°C, it accelerates the aging of rubber seals (reducing life by 40%). Install cooling coils in the mud tank to control mud temperature within the 30-50°C range.

• 2. Piping System Optimization: Reducing Pressure Surges

  • Avoid Pipe Restriction: Pump outlet pipe diameter must match pump displacement (e.g., pipe diameter ≥150mm for 80 m³/h displacement). Reduce the number of pipe size changes and bends (each additional 90° elbow increases pressure loss by 0.5-1 MPa), avoiding sudden pressure spikes at the pump outlet due to excessive pipeline resistance.

  • Install Buffer Devices: Install "air chambers" or "hydraulic accumulators" on the pump discharge line to absorb pressure pulses caused by drill pipe connection/disconnection and drill bit start/stop during drilling (reducing pressure fluctuations from ±5 MPa to ±1 MPa), minimizing damage to cylinder liners and valve groups from pressure shocks.

Summary: Full-Dimension Protection + Scientific Maintenance for Maximized Lifespan
The core logic for extending the service life of hydraulic mud plunger pumps is: "reduce wear from the source, use data to predict faults, rely on the system to reduce load." This is achieved by:

• Blocking the main sources of failure through material upgrades and structural optimization of key components (wear resistance, anti-clogging).

• Avoiding excessive wear and sudden failures through predictive maintenance and graded maintenance strategies (real-time monitoring, on-demand repair).

• Reducing the impact of external operating conditions on the equipment through system-level adaptation (mud pretreatment, pipeline optimization).

The combination of these three aspects can significantly extend equipment service life while reducing maintenance costs (by 30%-40%), providing stable power support for high-intensity operations such as oil and gas drilling.