Pumping of abrasive degreasers

Where pure materials and a robust design is required, Verderair Pure air-operated double diaphragm pumps from Verderair have proven themselves to withstand tough conditions such as foundries and heavy industrial environments.

The process

The existing pump was installed in the mould creation process. When a mould is formed it is treated with an extremely abrasive degreasing agent to achieve a purer and smoother surface. This allows the product to be subsequently cast in the mould with a finish of much greater quality. The industrial degreaser contains very abrasive particles. It is not necessary to say that the pump itself is required to be very resistant to abrasion. Degreaser is pumped to a washing bath, in which the moulds are immersed. The molds are ‘polished’ by the abrasive articles so the surface is completely smooth.

The problem

Previously, a customer in the foundry industry utilized a standard double diaphragm pump in the polishing process 15 hours a day, five days a week. The unit was constructed with a stainless steel housing and the seats, balls and diaphragms were made of BUNA-N. The extremely abrasive agent proved so aggressive for  the wet-side materials that the pump required a complete replacement every 6 weeks.

The solution

The customer tested a solution from Verder: A Verderair Pure 25 PE pump with PE seats, EPDM balls and diaphragms. The pump ran for 10 weeks before it failed. It was a life-cycle improvement of almost 70 percent. Verderair Pure with PE wetted part materials has a better wear resistance compared to stainless steel double diaphragm pumps. The customer is very satisfied with the new pump solution. The amount of downtime has been drastically reduced, there are fewer repairs and a reduced need for spare parts compared to the previous solution.