Laser cladding technology for efficient repair and enhancement of booster pump columns

In the industrial production system, booster pumps are hailed as the "core heart" that ensures the stable operation of various systems, widely used in key industries such as petrochemicals, power supply, and water supply and drainage treatment. However, the piston rod, as a core component of the booster pump, is constantly threatened by severe corrosion and wear under long-term high-intensity, high-load operating conditions.

Due to the long-term contact of the piston rod with corrosive media, its surface will be gradually eroded; at the same time, continuous friction during mechanical operation will also exacerbate the wear of the piston rod. These problems are like hidden "danger killers," constantly weakening the performance of the piston rod, leading to a decrease in the matching accuracy with the pump body, deterioration of sealing performance, and consequently increasing the risk of medium leakage. Once the booster pump piston rod fails, it will not only reduce production efficiency, cause semi-finished product backlog, and lead to significant economic losses, but also cause energy waste, accelerate the wear of other components, and shorten the overall service life of the booster pump.

Traditional repair methods are difficult to completely solve this problem: simple welding processes are prone to defects such as uneven hardness and pores, and the high temperature during welding may also cause deformation of the piston rod; although electroplating can form a protective film, with the passage of time and the increase of operating intensity, the protective film is prone to peeling and failure. The advent of laser cladding technology has brought breakthrough progress to the repair of booster pump piston rods.

The "protective armor" created by laser cladding technology for the piston rod follows the same principle as mold repair – using a laser as a "precision tool" to apply special powder materials, which, through melting, adhering, and cooling, forms a protective film that perfectly integrates with the piston rod body, thereby greatly improving the wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the piston rod. After repair by laser cladding, the wear resistance of the piston rod is several times or even tens of times higher than that of traditional repair methods.

In the application practices of several well-known petrochemical enterprises in China, the booster pump piston rods repaired by laser cladding have shown a significant reduction in wear rate under the same working conditions, extending their service life from several months to several years. This change not only reduces the frequency of equipment replacement and lowers enterprise operating costs, but its excellent corrosion resistance also allows the piston rod to operate stably for a long time in harsh corrosive environments such as marine engineering, greatly extending its corrosion-resistant service life.