Corrosive pumping
12 Jun 2014
The pumping of corrosive liquids presents many problems, not least the material type and sealing arrangement.
Recently, The Pump Company were approached by one of the UK’s leading consulting engineers who were working on a nuclear project, involving the pumping of hydrofluoric acid.
Hydrofluoric acid is a highly corrosive liquid and is a contact poison; it should also be handled with extreme care, it is capable of dissolving most metals and glass, so the correct material selection is of paramount importance.
Therefore, the company had no hesitation in selecting pumps from Affetti Pumps in Italy, who specialise in thermoplastic pumps.
The pumps selected for the duty were manufactured from solid PVDF and magnetic drives were used for zero product leakage.
The pumps were arranged in a close coupled configuration to 1.1-5.5kw motors with a total of 18 pump sets being supplied.
Due to the highly corrosive nature of hydrofluoric acid a special filling and drainage arrangement was designed along with a purpose built bedplate.
The project required full quality assurance documentation in line with ISI 9001 including data sheets, witnessed performance testing & material certificates with full traceability.
Prior to despatch of the pumps, the end users maintenance team visited the factory in Italy for a full training programme demonstrating how to commission the pumps, dismantle/rebuild the units and witness the pumps performance and suction capabilities on the test bed.
