What Exactly Is a Drum Pump?
If you’re wondering what a drum pump is, it’s a portable pump you can use for emptying IBCs, carboys, drums, barrels, and tanks. Many processing and manufacturing plants use liquids that are delivered to them in 100- or 200-litre drums, and these drums are too heavy for you to just tip them in order to decant any liquids inside them. There is a good range available at Flux Pumps.
Why Is a Drum Pump Useful?
Drum pumps are made in such away that you can easily and safely transfer nearly any chemical you need to from barrels and drums. As customers have many different requirements that need to be satisfied, there is a wide variety of different models and tube lengths available.
Step 1: Ascertain the Application Requirements
It’s crucial to figure out how your pump will be used prior to choosing the proper pump series, motor type, tube construction, and accessories.
- Chemical type or name: This is really essential information, and it’s mandatory that you make sure any drum pump tube materials you use are totally compatible with any fluid you intend to pump. Additionally, it’s crucial that you figure out if a fluid is combustible or flammable.
- Container size: Drum pump tube lengths are going to be different based on the specific container in question. For instance, you would need a 100-cm long pump tube for a conventional 200-litre or 45-gallon drum. Tanks and IBCs typically require longer lengths. Use shorter lengths for 15- and 30-gallon containers.
- Required head and flow: The majority of drum pump applications are just simple transfers, but some have higher rates of flow so they can empty larger tanks or IBCs. Others have higher head or pressure capabilities so they can transfer liquids to the very top of a machine, up to a second floor, or to just pump fluids with higher viscosity.
- Specific viscosity and gravity: Differing drum pumps have various capacities in terms of pumping any fluids with a specific gravity more than 1.0 or a certain viscosity over 1 cP. These capabilities are dependent on the pump design, as well as the motor that is driving the pump.
- Temperature of any fluid getting pumped: All drum pump tubes have an upper temperature limit. The length of the tube, the series, and the construction all determine the maximum temperature limit.
- Motor preference: Ascertain whether or not the site has a certain motor style preference, like air, electric, or explosion-proof electric. If an electric motor is preferred, then find out what specific voltage is necessary.
Step 2: Pick the Proper Tube Material and FTI Pump Series
Once you are able to ascertain the application requirements, you can then move on to picking the right FTI pump that would work best for the particular job in question.
- Pick compatible materials: Start things off with the exterior tube materials. Outer tubes come in materials like CPVC, PVDF, 316 stainless steel, polypropylene, and pure polypropylene/PVDF.
- Utilise a chemical resistance guide in order to choose an exterior tube material which resists the material getting pumped. Our handy information page has chemical resistance guides for your convenience.
Note: Every pump tube has other materials that come into contact with the pumped fluid on top of their exterior pump tube material.
Step 3: Pick the Proper FTI Motor
Choose the right motor: Use any motor preference information available to you when picking a motor from the tech flier which best suits your needs and requirements. Not every motor is usable on every pump series.
If you are pumping a combustible or flammable product or are working in a hazardous location, then be sure that you use an air drive or explosion-proof electric motor that’s attached to a tube manufactured out of stainless steel while also using our static protection kit.
Step 4: Pick Your Accessories
- Drum adaptors: Secure a tight fit of your tube inside the drum, and this is available in many different construction materials.
- Lubricator/filter assembly: This will ensure a lubricated and dry air supply for any air drive motors you use.
- Flow meters: These allow for precise measurements of any liquid you are pumping.
- Hose: This is flexible PVC in most cases.
- Nozzles: These allow you control over the liquid flow.
- Strainers: These protect your pump from any damage from foreign objects.
- Static protection kit: Use these for the safe transfer of combustible or flammable liquids when you use stainless steel tube pumps and either explosion-proof electric or air motors.