3 Factors That Will Help You Select The Right Chemical Metering Pump
Posted on: 25 March 2018
Many industrial and manufacturing processes rely on chemical reactions for completion. The chemicals used to produce these reactions are transported through a closed system that is regulated by a series of metering pumps.
The types of metering pumps that you install within your chemical delivery system can have a significant impact on the function and durability of the system as a whole. Taking these three essential factors into consideration will help you select the chemical metering pumps designed to meet your company's unique manufacturing needs.
1. Flow Rate
It is critical that you determine your expected flow rate before investing in chemical metering pumps. Maintaining adequate flow rate is often instrumental in manufacturing and industrial processes.
You will want a metering pump whose maximum expected flow rate is slightly higher than your optimal flow rate. This allows for overflow and helps to relieve pressure on your chemical delivery system.
A metering pump with a flow rate that far exceeds your needs could compromise the consistency of your chemical flow rate over time, so calculate your flow rate needs prior to purchasing chemical metering pumps for your company.
2. Construction
Chemical metering pumps can be constructed using a variety of materials. To narrow your options to the metering pumps that will work best with you chemical delivery system, you need to know which types of chemical will be moving through the pumps on a regular basis.
Pumps with plastic heads cannot be used with solvent-based chemicals since these chemicals will dissolve the plastic and render the metering pumps useless. Stainless steel heads are required for pumps that regulate the flow of acid or caustic chemicals because these heads are capable of withstanding the corrosive properties of abrasive chemicals.
Select a metering pump whose construction is capable of handling exposure to the chemicals you move on a regular basis.
3. Chemical Viscosity
Another important factor that you need to consider when purchasing new metering pumps is the viscosity of the chemicals the pumps will be regulating.
Standard metering pumps are designed to handle liquid chemicals only. If you will be moving chemicals that have suspended debris or slurries through your pump system, you will need metering pumps equipped with liquid ends.
These liquid ends help prevent the pump from clogging up as slurries and high-viscosity chemicals move through them. Liquid ends also act as a vent so that gases will not accumulate at the pump site.
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