Priming The Pump

Finding the most reliable pumping technology for grinding agents and other chemicals can be time-consuming and perhaps even costly due to less than reliable pump technologies. The situation can be even more complicated if an operator needs to pump severely abrasive slurries. Some deficiencies of certain pumps are their inability to run dry, lack of suction lift, and their low-pressure pumping capabilities.

Many pumps will fail after as little as one minute if they are left to run dry. If it runs dry, the pump will be damaged and need potentially expensive repairs. This is common with many types of pumps. If for instance a plant is pumping out of a tote or tank that may run dry, the use of certain types of pumps should be avoided. Rather than trying to point out every deficiency of each type of pump, this article will instead discuss some of the advantages of utilising peristaltic pumps for grinding agent delivery.

Peristaltic pumps generally are a relatively compact pump that offer the following characteristics when delivering grinding agents:

• Can run dry for long periods with no damage or downtime.
• Are excellent for suction lift applications (up to 30 ft of suction lift).
• Can provide high pressure delivery.
• Are low shear.
• Are quickly and inexpensively repaired when a hose or tube fails.
• Can be run by 4 – 20 mA or push-button control.
• Some are NEMA 4X enclosures making them both dust- and water-tight.
• Some have 5000:1 turndown, giving an immense delivery range in one small package.
• Some have a built in handle for ease of removal and movement to new locations.
• Some come in packaged systems with all auxiliaries attached to a skid package which protects the pump for optimal performance with a simple plug and play setup.
• Some have capacitance leak detection systems, with non-contact leak detection.
• Have tube materials for moderate and aggressive chemicals.

All of these features make a peristaltic pump well suited to grinding agents and even very corrosive chemicals. Packaged pump systems are ideal when one or multiple pumps are required. Some of the advantages of a packaged system are as follows:

• The pump system is delivered with a factory acceptance test (FAT) and is plug and play. Simply connect electricity and piping and the system can be started.
• The pump system has auxiliary equipment on the pump skid that helps protect the pump. The pump skid is an ideal environment engineered around the pump to protect it. Auxiliaries such as pulsation dampening, safety shut-off valves, a pump leakage reservoir, pressure relief valves, and a calibration column can all be mounted and pre-piped on the skid making it the perfect environment for the pump.
• The pump skid itself can be equipped with leak detection on the reservoir which triggers an alarm in the event a pump leaks into the skid. The pump skids can be made to incorporate several pumps on one skid.
• The pump skids can be made such that they mount on the floor, and can be elevated to waist height for ease of maintenance, or they can even be wall-mounted for additional space savings.
• In smaller pumps a failed tube can be removed and a new one installed in as little as 2 minutes and larger pumps the hoses can be replaced in 1 hour or less.

A packaged pump system or pump skid adds significant protection to the pumps and for the user it provides a single source that is responsible for the system. If the system is malfunctioning, the user can call the provider to troubleshoot the problem, which can lead to a quick resolution.

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