Seepex methodology ensures correct pump selection

The Seepex four-stage methodology of consultation, development, delivery and support ensures that correct pump selection is made based on process requirements.

According to the company, problems occur when the wrong choice of pump is selected for the application or when the material being pumped is of variable consistency.

For correct pump selection, it is important that customers and pump suppliers work together to verify conditions under which the pump will operate.

The Seepex consultation should ensure that the pump is not treated as a 'standalone' item and that the process into which the pump is integrated, and the application and product to be pumped, is fully understood.

This initial stage uses the company's application and process knowledge.

When a customer in Scotland had pump problems, Seepex was asked to look at the application, which was part of a new process plant.

A centrifugal pump had been selected on a new application to feed centrifuges with by-product whose projected solids were less than one per cent.

When the process was operational, however, a higher-solids content of three per cent caused problems; the flow rate from the centrifugal pump originally specified could not match the requirements of the process.

A request to Seepex resulted in a progressive-cavity pump being sent to site by return.

The pump incorporated the latest progressive-cavity pump technology from Seepex in the form of smart stator technology (SST) and an integral frequency inverter giving a variable-speed drive.

This combination was suitable for the variable-solids concentration and enabled a variable flow rate to control the solids loading into the centrifuge.

The Seepex pump enabled plant commissioning to proceed as planned.

The customer ordered duty and standby pumps to the same specification and the process has run with no issues since commissioning.

Progressive-cavity pumps operate over a wider viscosity range and solids-handling capability when compared to other pump types; they are suitable for applications where product consistency is unknown or likely to be variable.

The design of the pump is such that both viscous and non-viscous materials, with and without solids, can be transferred without excessive shear.

Flow rates are directly proportional to speed regardless of viscosity or solids and this allows for significant product variability within a process without adversely affecting pump performance and efficiency.

Within food production processes, this proportional flow makes progressive-cavity pumps suitable for accurately metering and dosing viscous, difficult-to-handle materials, with and without solids.

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