Introduction
Over 100 years ago, French engineer Andre Petit designed the eccentric disc pump for industrial manufacturers needing a safe and reliable way to effectively work with complex and hazardous fluid components. Since then, the eccentric disc pump has been at the heart of various fluid-handling applications.
Throughout the years, the demand for pump technology that can handle sensitive fluids such as coatings, solvents, acids, plastics, resins, lube oils and petrochemicals has only increased. Along with it, the monumental responsibility to provide manufacturers and operators the assurance of safety.
Understanding how the Mouvex® G-FLO Seal-Less Series Eccentric Disc Pump is the ideal solution for manufacturers and operators involves exploring the specific challenges inherent in chemical-handling applications.
The Challenges
The purpose of any operation is to produce a high-quality product with minimal downtime while preserving the equipment, materials and the safety of the operator. As such, unreliable equipment and machinery can be detrimental to any operation, affecting the quality of the product and causing costly maintenance. It can slow down the operation, lead to costly maintenance and endanger the lives of everyone in the operation.
In the chemical industry, manufacturers and operators are faced with the problem of needing a pump that meets the specific requirements to effectively and safely handle chemicals. The two particular types of liquids driving the need for advanced pump technology are dilatants and isocyanates. Most commonly recognized as “shear thickening fluids” (STFs), dilatants and isocyanates are materials that can increase in viscosity and solidify upon deformation by agitation, pressure or expansion.
This is where the challenges begin.
STFs require the appropriate amount of force (or shear rate) during the transfer through the process piping. If the shear rate is too high, the STFs will revert to a high-viscosity state (or thicken) and affect the pump’s ability to effectively push the thickened fluids through the process. As a result, causing damage to the pump and jeopardizing the operation.
As problematic as their viscosity can become in the chemical-handling process, most dilatants pose no serious threat to the operator. However, isocyanates are hazardous fluids that are extremely dangerous. Like dilitants, isocyanates are a shear thickening fluid. But what sets isocyanates apart are their highly reactive, low molecular structure that makes them flammable and toxic. Polyurethane, a required component in the manufacturing of foams, fibers, elastomers and coatings for a vast number of industries, contains such isocyanate compounds.
Because exposure happens through vapors and skin contact, manufacturing operators are primarily at risk. Prolonged exposure or even an acute exposure to isocyanates can cause “isocyanate asthma,” gastrointestinal irritation and even swelling of the lung walls. For this reason, extensive precautions throughout the manufacturing process and the entire supply chain are required to avoid any incidents.
All of these challenging problems can be solved with advanced pumping technology that can meet the strict demands of chemical-handling applications.
The Solution
The innovative design of the Mouvex G-FLO Series Seal-Less Eccentric Disc Pump offers a low-shear, low-pulsation and dry-running capable solution that provides manufacturers reliability while preserving operational safety.
Positioned inside the pump cylinder, an eccentric bearing manipulates a versatile disc located on the pump shaft to create four individual pump chambers. As the chambers move (in pairs, 180 degrees apart), the volume increases and decreases to produce the suction and discharge pressures needed for fluids to travel with a constant and regular flow rate through the pump. The high suction vacuum created by the pump, in combination with the high discharge pressure, allows the pump to self-prime. As the shaft rotates, a hermetic metal bellow (or rubber foot) maneuvers in an eccentric circle. This allows the fluid to flow through the inner and outer chambers without any pulsation and product slips, eliminating the need for mechanical or dynamic seals.
The construction of the G-FLO Series is designed for easy installation and reduced maintenance with full-drainability and clean-in-place (CIP) and sterilize-in-place (SIP) capability. Effective with high and low viscosity fluids, the G-FLO Series provides a flow rate up to 70 m3/h (308.2 gpm) with a maximum output pressure of 10 bar (145 psi). The unique self-priming and seal-less design of the G-FLO Series allow chemical-handling manufacturers the ability to preserve their raw materials and end products without the risk of leakage.
All of these features prove beneficial in many fluid-handling operations, especially those that handle dangerous chemicals.
For instance, the real-world example of a global producer of medicines, vaccines and biological therapies needing a specific requirement for their pump to reliably handle two hours of 100 gpm flow rate consisting of 50 gpm of heating recirculation, 50 gpm of caustic transfer to other locations within the plant and a 50 gpm recirculation flow at the end of the two-hour period.
Because of the transfer of hazardous chemicals and the need to be positioned 15 feet above a storage tank, the operation required a seal-less pump with dry-suction capability of 18 feet. After several attempts with traditional pump technologies that did not meet the seal-less and suction-lift requirements, the manufacturer finally selected an eccentric disc pump that proved successful.
Conclusion
There are many risks associated with chemical-handling applications, from shear thickening fluids damaging equipment and potentially halting operations to hazardous isocyanates causing serious health issues.
When the quality of a product, the safety of the operator and the overall success of an operation depend on an effective and reliable chemical-handling pump, there is no better option than an eccentric disc pump. Providing low-shear and dry-running capability, the Mouvex G-FLO Seal-Less Series Eccentric Disc Pump is the ideal solution for demanding chemical-handling applications.
Content Summary
Over 100 years ago, French engineer Andre Petit designed the eccentric disc pump for industrial manufacturers needing a safe and reliable way to effectively work with complex and hazardous liquid components. Since then, the eccentric disc pump has been at the heart of various fluid-handling applications.
In the chemical industry, manufacturers and operators are faced with the problem of needing a pump that meets the specific requirements to effectively and safely handle chemicals. Most commonly recognized as “shear thickening fluids” (STFs), dilatants and isocyanates are materials that can increase in viscosity and solidify upon deformation by agitation, pressure or expansion. As problematic as their viscosity can become in the chemical-handling process, most dilatants pose no serious threat to the operator. However, isocyanates are hazardous fluids that are extremely dangerous. For this reason, extensive precautions throughout the manufacturing process and the entire supply chain are required to avoid any incidents.
All of these challenges can be solved with advanced pumping technology that can meet the strict demands of chemical-handling applications. The unique self-priming and seal-less design of the G-FLO Series allow chemical-handling manufacturers the ability to preserve their raw materials and end products without the risk of leakage. Providing low-shear, dry-running capability, the Mouvex® G-FLO Seal-Less Series Eccentric Disc Pump is the ideal solution for demanding chemical-handling applications.
