Peristaltic pumps answer sump challenges
A
Watson-Marlow Pumps product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jul 12, 2007
Philip Bolton explains why the peristaltic pump is the best option for sump emptying in accordance with the Environment Agency's Pollution Protection Guidelines.
The Environment Agency's Pollution Prevention Guidelines provide clear instructions for dealing with trade effluent.
However, complying with these regulations can be hindered by the notorious unreliability of the pumps used in the waste disposal process.
This article investigates the issue and the types of pump available for the process.
The sump provides an unglamorous yet essential function in any industrial process or facility.
The removal of wastewater and process liquids maintains a clean and safe working environment, as well as allowing plants to comply with the EA's Pollution Prevention Guidelines.
Businesses have a duty to ensure that the waste they produce is handled safely and lawfully, and must prevent the escape of waste by storing and transporting it in a controlled and secure manner, so that it cannot enter surface water drains.
With the sump situated at the lowest point of a process to allow waste to flow in freely, it is also the site where other debris will inevitably end its journey.
The liquid in the sump therefore often contains grit, plastic, rags and various solids washed into it.
For many pump types, abrasive grit causes severe wear on the pump, and other debris may block it altogether, potentially causing the sump to overflow.
The submersible is just one type of pump that can be used for this application - others include diaphragm pumps and progressive cavity pumps.
These pumps are often the first choice simply because operators know how to handle them, but they are less than satisfactory for sump applications due to the demands outlined above.
An increasingly popular solution to the problem is the peristaltic hose pump which is designed to handle difficult applications where its self-priming and noncontact design wins over other pump types.
Where conventional pumps use valves, vanes and impellers to push liquid through them, peristaltic technology employs rollers or pressing shoes to compress and release a flexible hose containing the fluid.
This means that there is an absolutely clear flow path and therefore nowhere for debris such as rags and stones to get stuck.
Peristaltic pumps self-prime and can be mounted at ground level.
This makes them comparatively much easier to access than a submersible pump which has to be kept under the fluid level.
Likewise, peristaltic pumps can safely run dry, so complete emptying of the sump is possible.
An occasional blockage caused by a particularly large solid can usually be cleared simply by reversing the pump, as flow can be redirected simply by changing the rotation of the rollers.
The pump itself is not affected by the substance and maintenance is limited to replacing the hose.
With sumps performing such an important function in any process, plants simply cannot afford for them to fail.
So all our customers have been incredibly pleased and relieved to have finally found a reliable sump emptying solution that enables them to comply fully with the requirements of legislation.
Not what you're looking for? Search the site.
Contact Watson-Marlow Pumps
Tel +44 1326 370370
Other Watson-Marlow Pumps stories
-
Cement plant installs peristaltic pumps
Four Watson-Marlow Bredel SPX100 Duplex peristaltic pumps have been installed in a Buxton LIme Industries (BLI) cement plant. -
Tubing range handles varied media
Watson-Marlow's tubing range handles beverage dispensing, industrial washers, automotive, ink and chemical transfer, abrasive, aggressive, acidic or caustic-based fluids. -
Free pump trials demonstrate peristaltic benefits
Watson-Marlow Bredel peristaltic pumps suit tough applications, where previously diaphragm, progressive cavity or gear pumps were employed. -
Pumps help fix gas pipes
The Watson-Marlow 620Di/RE model is a dedicated dispensing pump that uses a single-channel, tube-element pumphead. -
Small peristaltic pump offers high accuracy
Watson-Marlow Bredel's matchbox-sized 400F/A peristaltic pump offers high levels of accuracy in applications where space is at a premium.
Browse by category
-
Capital Equipment (3,532)
- Capital Equipment (1)
- Compressors and Air Treatment (545)
- Electrical hardware (131)
- Electronics Manufacturing, Tools, Instruments (192)
- Machinery and Production Equipment (1,133)
- Manufacturing Machinery and Plant Equipment (478)
- Production line blowers and fans (74)
- Robotics, Handling and Storage (978)
- Consultancy and Services (927)
-
Control and Instrumentation (5,141)
- Cabling, Conduit, Signal Conditioning (818)
- CNC and Motion Controllers (190)
- Control and Instrumentation (3)
- HMIs/Operator Interfaces (297)
- Logic Controllers, Timers and Relays (96)
- Mid-range and Large PLCs (204)
- Plant- and Machine-Wide Communications (1,209)
- Plantwide control (1,354)
- Power Supplies, Uninterruptible Power (577)
- Smaller-Sized PLCs (393)
-
Drives, Motors and Controls (3,449)
- Drives, Motors and Controls (2)
- Industrial Drives/Controls (1,292)
- Industrial Motors (502)
- Linear Drives and Motors (121)
- Precision Motors and Gears (434)
- Stepper and Servo Drives, Motors, Controls (1,096)
-
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4,324)
- Batteries, chargers and circuit protection (587)
- Connectors, Terminals, Busbars, Slip Rings (723)
- Electrical and Electronic Components (652)
- Electrical and Electronic Equipment Design (4)
- Electrical and Electronic Subassemblies (377)
- Enclosures and Equipment Cooling Fans (722)
- Knobs, Handles and Enclosure Hardware (430)
- PCs and Embedded Systems (829)
-
Engineering Design Software (6,385)
- 2D CAD software (203)
- 3D CAD software (1,199)
- CAM, CNC, production management software (583)
- Data, document management software (324)
- Electrical design software (167)
- Engineering Design Software (17)
- FEA and structural analysis software (377)
- File conversion software, data capture (358)
- Fluid, thermal, noise, vibration software (339)
- Materials design and moulding design software (153)
- Maths, charting, statistics, QA software (325)
- PLM and collaboration software (665)
- Process, instrumentation, automation software (269)
- Publishing and documentation software (234)
- Rendering, visualisation, styling software (208)
- Simulation, modelling, validation software (964)
-
Engineering Industry News, Resources (6,199)
- Electronic Resources for Engineers (273)
- Engineering Business News, Views (388)
- Engineering Conferences (438)
- Engineering Education, Resources, Standards (851)
- Engineering Exhibitions, Events (578)
- Engineering Guides, Newsletters (354)
- Engineering Industry Developments, Awards (635)
- Engineering Industry News, Resources (4)
- Engineering Industry Reports, Surveys (597)
- Engineering Recruitment, Employment (219)
- Engineering Seminars (421)
- Engineering Training Courses (458)
- Health and Safety Consultancy, Software (180)
- Health and Safety Events, Training, News (285)
- Health and Safety Legislation (403)
- Health and Safety Strategy, Risk Assessment (115)
- Machine Building (4,630)
-
Materials and Processing (3,040)
- Materials and components (2,271)
- Materials and Processing (5)
- Materials processing and testing (292)
- Rapid Prototyping (472)
-
Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (5,680)
- Data Acquisition Hardware and PC I/O Boards (491)
- Data acquisition Software and Communications (505)
- Data loggers (428)
- Electrical and Electronic Testing, PAT Equipment (645)
- Form/co-ordinate, optical, vision instruments (765)
- Gauges, Indicators and Instruments (449)
- Materials testing equipment (439)
- Monitoring, Measurement and Quality (1)
- Telecomms/network test equipment, software etc (159)
- Testing and Calibration Services and Information (522)
- Testing, analysing and monitoring equipment (1,276)
-
Powertrain Design (3,723)
- Bearings (986)
- Chains and belts (334)
- Gears, brakes, couplings and engines (1,482)
- Hydraulic Components (475)
- Lubricants (441)
- Powertrain Design (4)
-
Sensors (7,313)
- Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors (450)
- Barcode Sensors (103)
- Flowmeters and Flow Sensors (649)
- Gas, Chemical, Radiation, Magnetic Sensors (293)
- Humidity and Environmental Sensors (158)
- Level Sensors and Leak Detectors (539)
- Linear Position Sensors (417)
- Loadcells, Force Sensors, Torque Sensors (732)
- Pressure sensors (642)
- Proximity Sensors (715)
- Rotary Position, Tilt and Angular Sensors (564)
- Sensors (12)
- Temperature sensors (623)
- Vision and Colour Sensors (1,416)
- Small Mechanical Components, Joining, Tools (2,057)
- Valves, Pumps, Process Hardware (3,730)
