It is no stretch to say that pumps make the world of industrial manufacturing go round. Every day, thousands of industries around the world rely on various pumping technologies to move raw materials and end products through the production process. Whether handling lube oils, paints and coatings, or working in applications from heat transfer to chemical processing, pumps must reliably, efficiently, and safely transfer a dizzying array of fluids, all of which have unique—and oftentimes challenging—handling characteristics. If a pump is the weak link in the production process, then the entire operation will be compromised, with the downtime required for repair or replacement eating away at production quotas and the bottom line.
SURVEYING THE OPTIONS
Industrial manufacturers have a wide range of pump options to choose from when outfitting their facilities. There are also a number of factors that go into their choice of pumping technology. Operational reliability and being able to meet very specific fluid-handling requirements are among the most important. With manufacturing operations governed by operating budgets and expenses, equipment acquisition costs and subsequent maintenance are also primary concerns.
This article will illustrate that while all pumping technologies can have their positive points in industrial-manufacturing operations, positive displacement internal gear pumps can offer the precise and consistent transfer of highly demanding fluids—in this case, dangerous chemicals—that is critical in creating a reliable, efficient, cost-effective, and safe pumping system.
Chemical processors must deal with many fluids that are dangerous and difficult to handle. In order to fashion a handling and transfer operation that optimizes reliability, efficiency, and safety in their operations, many are making the decision to install and rely on internal gear pumps.
THE CHALLENGE OF CHEMICAL PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURE
Chemical processing and manufacture is one of the most complex industrial operations in the world. In fact, the chemical-manufacturing process is so intricate that there are several “unit operations” within the process, from cracking, distillation and evaporation, to gas absorption, scrubbing and solvent extraction, among others.
Within that family of unit operations, one touches every stage of the manufacturing process and stands out above the others in its importance: fluid transfer. Often over-simplified as transporting fluid from one point to another, fluid transfer in chemical manufacturing is so much more.
Fluid transfer is a spectrum of applications, with responsibilities all along the chemical-production chain. For example, thin or viscous raw materials can be transferred to storage tanks or blending and mixing tanks. Final formulations can be transferred to holding tanks, and finished products can be loaded into IBCs for delivery or consumer packaging.
In many cases, chemical-manufacturing processes require the use of dangerous chemicals, such as strong acids, caustics, solvents, resins, and polymers. Despite their inherent danger, these substances are necessary for the manufacture of thousands of consumer goods or facilitate other industrial processes. The challenge for users of these dangerous chemicals is to construct, handle, and transfer them in a reliable way
No acid, polymer, resin, or caustic has the same handling characteristics, which makes pump versatility a primary concern for chemical processors. Maag G Series Internal Gear Pumps overcome many handling concerns by featuring a method of operation that can successfully and safely transfer fluids of differing viscosities and chemical makeups.
A LOOK AHEAD
Next month, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits positive displacement internal gear pumps have continually offered pump users seeking reliability and cost-effectiveness when handling raw materials and finished products—with a specific breakdown of Maag’s own G Series Internal Gear Pumps.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chrishelle Rogers is the global gear pump product manager for Maag Industrial Pumps, Grand Terrace, California, and PSG®, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. Ms. Rogers can be reached at 909.222.1309 or chrishelle.rogers@psgdover.com. Maag Industrial Pumps is a leading brand of internal gear and screw pumps and a product brand of PSG, a Dover company. For more information on Maag Industrial Pumps or PSG, visit to www.psgdover.com.
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MODERN PUMPING TODAY, October 2015
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