Chemical Processing

Chemical Pumps for Any Application

Industrial pumps are the workhorses in many applications and are a central piece of equipment in chemical manufacturing facilities. Many applications use chemicals in their processes such as chemical processing, oil and gas, water treatment, industrial processes, food and beverage, and others.
These applications require a reliable pump that may be called a chemical metering pump or dosing pump or a variety of other types of pumps that can be used to consistently and accurately add chemicals or liquid into a process.

Chemical Pump Applications

Pumps and process equipment that operate in the chemical industry are often exposed to extremely harsh conditions. It’s important to ensure that the proper pump materials are used for chemical process pumps. Pumps need to work harder when liquids contain fibrous material or fine solids, and they must be leakproof when pumping abrasive and corrosive chemicals. Highly corrosive chemicals requiring special alloys or corrosion-resistant thermoplastics are often used in many manufacturing processes.

Some common applications where a reliable and safe pumping system is required to transfer chemicals include:

• Chemical manufacturing – the large-scale production of organic and inorganic chemicals requires safe and accurate industrial chemical handling of commodity and specialty chemicals.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing – safe and efficient pump and process equipment is required in the production of medications.
• Biofuels – the extraction and development of renewable fuels require cost-efficient pumping solutions.
• Boiler water processes – hard water sediments and suspended solids must be filtered out and chemicals added to boiler water to prevent corrosion.
• Agricultural systems – irrigation systems require the precise addition of nitrogen fertilizers.
• Water treatment systems – sodium hypochlorite or chlorine dioxide are commonly added to purify water systems.
• Mining applications – acids are used in the refinement of ore in gold, zinc, and copper mines.

The safe and efficient transfer of chemicals in these applications is mandatory as many health hazards exist with exposure to many chemicals. Acids can cause extensive damage to the skin and eyes as well as respiratory failure. Extremely corrosive alkalis such as hydroxides of calcium, sodium, or potassium must be handled carefully as they are extremely corrosive.

Chemical Pumps with Sealless Magnetic Drive Technology

Chemical metering pumps with sealless magnetic drive technology provide no-leak performance when handling harsh chemicals such as:

• Hydrochloric acid
• Phosphoric acid
• Sulfuric acid
• Nitric acid
• Sodium Hydroxide
• Sodium Hypochlorite
• Ammonia
• Flammable solvents
• Many other caustics and solvents

These chemicals and many others require leakproof pumping solutions for worker safety and to prevent environmental contamination. IPE offers sealless magnetic drive pumps that provide no leak performance in chemical transfer applications and assist our clients with complete pump and process equipment system design.

Chemical Processing Pumping Solutions

Different types of pumps are required for different chemical streams, and it is paramount to choose the right type of pump when handling abrasive or corrosive liquids. The type of pump material and construction must be designed to meet the characteristics of the liquid being handled, such as corrosiveness, abrasiveness, and viscosity. The right type of pump must be chosen with liquid gas mixtures to prevent off-gassing and unintended downtime. It is vitally important to work with an experienced pump and process equipment supplier to meet all safety and environmental regulations.

The experienced process equipment engineers at IPE offer vast product knowledge coupled with extensive market expertise for many industries. We provide chemical processing pumping solutions that ensure uninterrupted production, safety, and environmental protection.

Chemical Processing Pumps

There are many different types of pumps used to support the chemical processing industry as well as the transfer of chemicals in other industries. IPE offers a wide selection of high-quality pumps from the top manufacturers for safe and efficient pumping solutions with chemical transfer, unloading, and storage. Some of the most commonly used pumps in chemical processing include:

• Centrifugal pumps – simple in design and operation, operate by drawing liquid into an impeller, creating a vacuum.
• Gear pumps – internal and external gear pumps provide smooth, pulse-free flow proportional to the speed of gear rotation.
• Positive displacement pumps – all types of rotary pumps, including gear, piston, screw, and rotary vane pumps efficiently move high-viscosity fluids.
• Air-operated diaphragm pumps – provide many advantages with flexibility and material design for compatibility to certain types of chemicals.

IPE will help to evaluate your process and recommend the best type of pump and process equipment for safe and efficient operation with the right type of material for fluid compatibility. We offer high-quality pumps with sealless magnetic drive technology and Smart Digital Dosing from Grundfos, which solves off-gassing problems and delivers consistent and accurate operation. View this Case Study to see how IPE helped one chemical processing plant to optimize their process and reduce downtime with Grundfos CR95 plug-and-play pump solutions with a BoosterpaQ system.