Image 1. Replacement parts for this rotary pump only fit in one way, ensuring quick and mistake-free replacement.
Maintenance is also streamlined by using pumps that require fewer parts. Some pump models feature more than 40 parts, while rotary pumps have less than 20. As a result, the maintenance team has an easier time stocking and ordering kits that include all the required gears, bearings, O-rings and liners. Some rotary pumps also feature symmetrical parts that only fit one way, ensuring quick and mistake-proof replacements.
Increased chemical plant uptime
Maintenance costs for a single repair will always be insignificant compared to the costs associated with lost production and process restarts. The true return on investment (ROI) for maintenance is always connected to a plant’s uptime — particularly for chemical plants that operate continuously. By using rotary gear pumps, plant operators gain the flexibility needed to schedule maintenance between shifts or during the most opportunistic times.
The front pull-out design of a gear pump is also a significant factor for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), who build skids and complete solutions for similar types of customers. In many cases, a client’s business model focuses less on the pumps, tanks and piping infrastructure and more on the margins that come from high-volume sales of the chemicals that these plants use on a daily basis. OEMs do not want to worry about maintenance issues or complicated pump repairs that hinder plant uptime. Rotary pumps with a front pull-out design are easy to access and repair in place. This streamlined maintenance minimizes repairs, maximizing plant uptime, which keeps everyone happy.
Considering all the costs
At first glance, the equipment and maintenance savings derived from using rotary pumps for water treatment applications might seem minimal (measured in tens of thousands of dollars). However, they play a key role in helping chemical manufacturers achieve the greater goal of managing their water envelope globally.
From a financial perspective, chemical companies invest tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars annually for water acquisition, treatment and disposal. The management of water and the infrastructure needed to treat it are critical. Savings of only 1 to 2 percent in this area can substantially impact a chemical producer’s bottom line.
By adopting a more efficient chemical feed process to treat wastewater and by using pumps that require less maintenance, chemical manufacturers, particularly in the Southeastern U.S., bolster their productivity through increased uptime and avoid costly accidents, complying with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, avoiding potential fines and minimizing the disruption that might accompany audits. They are also better environmental stewards and neighbors in their communities.
Karen Eisemann has a Master of Science degree in applied math and statistics from Rochester Institute of Technology. She spent decades working in capital equipment industries and is presently the director of customer service/rotary product manager for Pulsafeeder Engineered Products. She may be reached at [email protected].
Founded in 1946, Voigt-Abernathy is a distributor of rotating and process equipment for industrial markets. It provides engineering and design services to optimize equipment selection and aftermarket services to keep equipment functioning for chemical manufacturers.
For more information on the rotary pumps discussed in this article, visit pulsa.com/eclipse. For more information on Voigt-Abernathy, visit voigtab.com/about-us.