Seeking help with pump selection.
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Condition 1: The solvent is methanol, containing a small amount of dichloroethane; the density of the solvent is approximately 0.85, with a solid content of about 25%. The solid is in the form of fine crystals or powder. The relative density of the solid is about 0.5. Flow rate: Approximately 4500 L per batch of material. The transfer time required is 30 minutes. The height of the liquid column is about 10 meters; the length after the pump is around 20 meters, and the length before the pump is also around 20 meters. The pipe diameter is DN50, and the temperature of the liquid is approximately 50 degrees. Condition 2: The solvent is 70% toluene and 30% water, containing a small amount of **furan, with a solid content of approximately 20-25%. The solid is in the form of fine crystals or powder. The relative density of the solid is about 0.5. Flow rate: Approximately 6000 L per batch of material. The transfer time required is 30 minutes. The height of the liquid column is about 20 meters; the length after the pump is around 35 meters, and the length before the pump is about 30 meters. The pipe diameter is DN50, and the temperature of the liquid is around 50 degrees. I would appreciate the guidance of experts and professionals in selecting the appropriate option, taking into account safety, cost-effectiveness, and stable operation.
I’m not very good at this, but I’ll first use the process of elimination to rule out the several types of pumps I’m familiar with: 1. Conventional centrifugal pumps with closed or open impellers definitely won’t work; the high solid content can easily damage the mechanical seal, and since the medium is toluene and methanol, leaks pose a serious risk； 2. Magnetic centrifugal pumps also won’t work; the solid content is too high, which affects the operation of the sliding bearings ； 3. Diaphragm metering pumps also don’t work well; a high solid content can lead to poor sealing of the check valves at the inlet and outlet, resulting in no material feeding. 4. Screw pumps and gear pumps can handle high-viscosity liquids, but it is less clear as for media with a very high solid content. 5. The slurry pump seems to work, with a Plan32 flushing scheme. But I’m not sure if coal slurry pumps with such low flow rates exist.
You could try a vertical power-sealed pump; I’m not sure what the solid substance is.
The slurry pump is similar to the sand pump, right?
The solid content is a bit high, so centrifugal pumps, gear pumps, and screw pumps are not suitable. Additionally, the self-priming capacity must also be taken into consideration. According to the parameters provided by the original poster, the main fluids are methanol and toluene, and the operating temperature is 50 degrees, which means these fluids will vaporize quite easily.
Relative density is the bulk density of a solid, right? Is there an absolute density for crystals? If the density is 0.5, the particles will remain suspended in the liquid, similar to activated carbon. Intuition probably not. Please confirm.
I have no experience with mortar pumps; the company has used slurry pumps. It is only used to transport coal tar; it has not yet been in contact with actual coal slurry. But I am aware of projects that use slurry pumps to transport coal slurry, and I have seen them with my own eyes.
With such long pipes before and after the pump, why isn’t nitrogen pressure or vacuum used? Given the length of these pipes, could the material inside them cause blockages after the material has been pumped through? If I were to recommend pumps, the first option I would suggest is a stainless steel self-priming pump with an open impeller; it’s important to pay attention to the material used for sealing, as it needs to be resistant to corrosion by dichloroethane. As for the second type of pump, I haven’t worked with it before, so I’ll wait to hear what others have to say
This post was last edited by liuqe001 on 2017-5-26 at 12:32. Try to shorten the distance to the inlet as much as possible; otherwise, once solids settle, it’s likely that no pumps will be able to function. For the wet end, the first pump can be made of fluoropolymer material, while the second pump can be made of stainless steel. As for the pump type, given the high solid content, slurry pumps could be considered, but the likelihood of seal leakage is quite high. Pneumatic diaphragm pumps are barely adequate, and it’s problematic when the material of the hoses in hose pumps is of poor quality.
For the first category, a mortar pump with a polymer-based material can be chosen; it features an open impeller and is suitable for transporting media that contain solid particles and are somewhat corrosive. The second category includes substances with chemical properties similar to those of toluene: they are flammable, explosive, and toxic. In such cases, it is best to use pumps that do not leak, such as magnetic pumps or shielded pumps, and to install filters at the pump inlet to remove solid particles. Otherwise, the magnetic pump is not suitable