Chemical transfer pump QUANTM: what model and configuration is ideal for your processes?

Safer, quieter, more advanced capabilities, with reduced energy usage and CO²-emissions: in a nutshell the main advantages the QUANTM electric pumps have over centrifugal pumps and air-operated double diaphragm pumps. But where in your processes is the added value most significant and what pump configuration works best for chemical blending and transfer applications?

Within your production site, there are five processes where QUANTM can be a perfect fit

1. Raw material unloading from tanker truck or rail car
2. Blending raw chemicals
3. Bulk transfer into pails, drums, totes or multi-tank truck or trailer
4. Transfer chemicals from tote or truck at end user site
5. Waste sumps for washdown or rainwater

Given the number of pumps used in every process, you will have the biggest gain switching to electric pumps in bulk transfer, transfer into packaging and delivery or unloading from the tanker truck or rail car.

Let’s have a closer look at these processes and match it with the ideal pump set-up.
 

Unloading

Most raw chemical materials are brought in very high concentrates to blending sites by tanker trucks or rail cars. Unloading the material is most frequently done one of two ways: gravity flow or pumping.

• Gravity flow relies on storage tanks being positioned lower than the tanker for material to flow naturally. 
• Pumping is more suitable for high viscosity chemicals or when storage tanks are located higher than the tanker.

Sites that rely on pumps for the transfer need to ensure proper handling of all different chemicals and need a pump that is built to handle the variety of challenging materials. Users want to unload as quickly as they can while maintaining material integrity, minimizing spills and containing leaks, and they need a pump that’s up to the challenge. With QUANTM pumps, when a leakage occurs, everything is contained inside the pump, and there’s no muffler on the pump to disperse potentially hazardous chemicals into the air.

2-inch pumps are common for this application to achieve a high flow rate and seamlessly pass particles in the raw material.

Ideal pump configuration: 1”, 1.5” and 2” in polypropylene or PVDF.
 

Blending and mixing

The raw chemicals, still in a concentrated form, are then transferred in specific amounts to the mixing tanks where the final product is blended.

Smaller volumes of raw materials are typically stored in intermediate bulk containers, requiring a more portable pump solution to transfer material to mixing tanks. QUANTM pumps can easily be cart-mounted for a quick plug-and-play solution for applications that don’t require hazardous location approval.

The larger volumes of raw materials sit in storage tanks until they’re needed for a product. Depending on the plant layout, raw chemical tanks can be close to the mixers while some materials may require transfer across several hundred feet to reach the blending tanks.

This is where users will find key economic benefits of switching to QUANTM pumps, especially in larger operations with numerous storage tanks for different chemicals. Pumps in this application need to be ready to deliver product when needed, so pneumatic pumps will often hold pressure to the lines even when the pumps aren’t running. This can become extremely costly when combined with additional system inefficiencies. For example, it’s not uncommon for compressed air systems have fired when pumps aren’t running simply due to leaks in air lines plant personnel are unable to find and fix. These tanks are some of the largest volume transfer in chemical applications, thus the savings for switching from pneumatic to electric is amplified.

Ideal pump configuration: 1.5”and 2” polypropylene or PVDF pumps.
 

Processed chemical transfer to storage tanks

Once chemicals are mixed, the final product needs to make it to the customer. While some final product gets transferred to a storage tank to await final shipment, many chemical processors transfer direct from the mixer to the product’s final packaging for immediate delivery to the end user. The mixer will be evacuated using a pump and depending on the volume it will be transferred to different containers in preparation for delivery.

For bulk deliveries, product is typically transferred directly from the mixer into a tanker truck or an intermediate bulk container. Packaged deliveries are more commonly transferred into drums and pails for smaller volume product.

QUANTM pumps are a great transfer solution for this part of the process because of the advantages of directly integrating an electric motor. Thanks to the I/O, you can take a signal and tie it to your filling equipment via a level sensor or tank monitoring device. You can start and stop the pump, and change the flow rates at any time, allowing you to run your chemical transfer pumps remotely.

Ideal pump configuration: 1.5”and 2” polypropylene or PVDF pumps.
 

Unloading bulk chemical at end user

Chemical companies are choosing QUANTM pumps for bulk material unloading at customers’ sites because of the significant noise reduction. At full power and flow this EODD clocks in at 74 dBa while AODD’s are around 100 dBa – a sound pressure that is higher than OSHA regulations.

When pneumatic pumps are selected for unloading trucks, they’re typically powered from the truck’s air breaks, meaning the truck engine must be powered on to generate enough compressed air for pump operation. QUANTM is an EODD running only on direct power. Not only is the pump operation itself significantly quieter with QUANTM, but users won’t need to start up the truck engine, providing big advantages when supplying customers in residential areas.

Ideal pump configuration: 2” pumps in polypropylene or PVDF are the most commonly used.
 

Wastewater Treatment

Most chemical blending facilities have some form of wastewater treatment since the processes often involve water than can become contaminated, making it unsuitable for direct release into the environment. Users need a durable pump that can pass larger particles rather than get clogged up with waste.

QUANTM pumps can be used to transfer between holding tanks after each pass through filter press. Larger pumps are typically selected for this part of the process to suit the large volume transfer and the size of particles in contaminated water.

Ideal pump configuration: 2” in polypropylene
 

Chemical transfer and feed pump overview

To summarize, a table that lists the pump models and materials per task to be carried out.