cpp - Process technology for the chemical industry 02.2018

cpp ACHEMA PUMPS
Let’s get back to the rotors. What kinds of design are available?
Hahn: We equip our pumps with axial or semi-axial rotors, which
are also called centrifugal rotors, depending on the customer’s
needs.
When is which kind of rotor used?
Hahn: We recommend axial rotors for applications where a high
delivery rate is desired. Semi-axial rotors are preferred whenever
the medium needs to be conveyed over long distances at high pressure
or if it has to overcome a big difference in height.
In which materials does Flux offer its 400 series drum and
container pumps?
Hahn: That depends firstly on their resistance to the media to be
conveyed and secondly on whether the pumps will be operated in
explosion hazard areas. The spectrum of possible materials for components
that come into contact with the product ranges from polypropylene
or polyvinylidene fluoride to aluminium and stainless
steel or Hastelloy C.
The F/FP 430 vertical pump with a
mechanical seal can be quickly disassembled
into interior and exterior pipes
Are all pumps approved for use in explosion hazard areas?
Hahn: No. The F/FP 427 hygiene pump, which can be fully disassembled,
and all plastic pumps like the F 430 PP 100/50 container
pump, which is made of polypropylene, must not be used in explosion
hazard areas. Apart from these, all other pumps in the 400 series
and made of stainless steel or Hastelloy C have Atex approval.
Not even the best pumps can function without a drive. What
options does Flux offer for the 400 series?
Hahn: Depending on the customer’s needs, the pumps either have
an electric or a pneumatic drive. Of course, the highest demand is
for electric drives and above all commutator motors.
Which Flux also manufactures in-house.
Hahn: That’s right. We manufacture them ourselves here in Maulbronn.
Why does the company make its own motors?
Hahn: For quality and flexibility reasons. Our customers value the
high quality of our products. By manufacturing our own commutator
motors and implementing our own accompanying quality man -
agement system, we can keep a handle on quality ourselves. In addition,
we can react very flexibly to different country-specific requirements
with respect to the voltage and frequency at which the
motors can be operated.
Jürgen Rabenseifner: By producing our own motors, we’re better
able to react to customer requirements. I’m thinking of one case we
recently handled for customers from the Middle East. They were
looking for an explosion protected pump unit that could be operat -
ed up to an ambient temperature of +60 °C. The Atex approval only
covers a temperature range up to +40 °C. With this requirement in
mind, we developed our explosion protected F 460 Ex commutator
motor to handle the desired ambient temperature. Then we had PTB
certify the entire pump unit, consisting of the F 460 Ex HT motor
and the sealless F/FP 424 (HT) pump, in accordance with Atex requirements.
The 400 series also includes so-called pump sets. Mr. Raben -
seifner, what are these sets exactly?
Rabenseifner: They’re pre-configured units consisting of a pump,
motor, hose and pump nozzle. They offer two major advantages for
In the polypropylene version of the F 430, a
heart of steel in the inner pipe compensates
temperature fluctuations, ensuring that the
mechanical seal remains tight
users: We tailor all the components to the medium to be conveyed
as well as to the application. Secondly, these units can be put into
operation immediately.
Could you describe a typical example of how a 400 series drum
and container pump is used in the chemical industry?
Rabenseifner: That’s quite difficult because these pumps are used in
such a wide range of applications in that industry every day. One
frequent use is delivering hazardous materials such as amines to a
tank, then filling them into holding tanks. The FP 425 Ex S with a
non-return valve is used for this purpose, for example. In conjunct -
ion with a flow meter, an overfill protection device and appropriate
emission control equipment we can create a semi-automatic filling
system that fulfils the highest safety requirements.
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THE INTERVIEW WAS CONDUCTED BY:
LUKAS LEHMANN
Assistant Editor-in-Chief
62 cpp 02-2018