New CAT pump for liquid carbon dioxide

The model '1951' Plunger Pump has been introduced by CAT Pumps specifically to pump liquid carbon dioxide, with the growth of CO2 use in refrigeration systems

The model '1951' Plunger Pump has been introduced by CAT Pumps specifically to pump liquid carbon dioxide.

With increasing use of carbon dioxide in industrial refrigeration applications such as cold-storage and freeze drying, as well as in applications as diverse as furniture foam production and manufacture of essential oils and hop extracts, the 1951 pump has been developed to lower running costs, increase intervals between servicing and eliminate the need for extra cooling or an additional booster pump.

Liquid carbon dioxide has a number of benefits as a refrigerant.

It has a high thermal capacity and so can remove a lot of heat.

It is very safe, compared to ammonia and HFC and HCFC refrigerants, and is environmentally responsible, since carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is used and no additional gas is generated.

The 1951 pump has a small unswept volume.

This means that only a small quantity of liquid carbon dioxide is compressed during the pumping cycle and therefore less energy is added to the liquid stream.

This has the multiple benefits that the pumped liquid is not heated unnecessarily, the energy consumption is minimised and the pump can run slower for a given flow rate, which in turn increases the interval between services.

The pump not only delivers at high pressure but can also accept a high inlet pressure.

This means that liquid CO2 can feed direct from the storage tank and can even be pumped close to ambient temperature.

The large top-inlet arrangement is completely smooth to eliminate any regions that could trap vapour.

Any entrained gas bubbles rise to the top and can be vented back to source, so that the pump cylinders receive only liquid and not a gas-liquid mixture.

The pump can therefore operate closer to the liquid/vapour transition so extra sub-cooling may not be required.

The pump head is manufactured from UNS 31603 stainless steel for liquid and process compatibility, strength and corrosion resistance.

The concentric, high density, polished ceramic plungers are abrasion resistant and provide excellent seal life.

The plunger seals are lubricated by the liquid carbon dioxide with no need for additional seal flushing liquids.

Pump models are available to generate from 20 bar up to 350 bar and flow rates between 1 and 120 litres/minute.

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