To this day, many system operators base their decision for purchasing a new pump solely on the purchase price, even though the majority of costs arise later on. Aside from the initial investment costs, operators should therefore particularly take energy consumption, operating expenses as well as maintenance, downtimes and resulting production losses into consideration when determining the overall life cycle costs of a metering pump. When it comes to small and medium-sized metering pumps, differences with regard to energy costs between different models or manufacturers are negligible. The primary focus for purchasing should, therefore, be maintenance costs and possible production losses.
Robust sandwich diaphragm made from PTFE
With its ecosmart series, Leonberg, Germany-based pump manufacturer Lewa GmbH has developed a diaphragm metering pump specifically based on these purchasing considerations. The four available sizes cover flow rates of up to 300 l/h and can operate under operating pressures of up to 80 bar. Three-phase motors or AC motors are used as drives in accordance with IEC or the American NEMA standard. The M900 pump head is suitable for virtually any type of chemical and is hermetically sealed. It features a hydraulic-operated, freely oscillating sandwich diaphragm made from pure PTFE.
Due to this special pump head design, LEWA ecosmart is also suitable for contaminated fluids or suspensions. The diaphragm protection system reliably protects the pump from misuse or impermissible operating conditions. An individually adjustable pressure relief valve in the hydraulic part moreover protects the pump against potential overload situations and thus rounds out the concept. The exceptional high reliability, availability and suction lift capability of LEWA ecosmart as well as the very long service life of the diaphragm of at least 24 months are based on this. Moreover, the sandwich diaphragm is continuously monitored and immediately reports any fault or damage. Because of the double-layer diaphragm, you don't need to worry about a contamination of the process fluid. This allows the operation to continue for a certain time, which makes it easier to plan production downtime.
Metering precisely and reliably without high maintenance efforts
Thanks to a 90° angle between the pump head and plunger axis, ecosmart is built in a compact and space-saving way. The robust eccentric drive that allows you to adjust any stroke length freely and precisely, permits adaptation to various liquids and process requirements and ensures disturbance-free operation over many years. The practically maintenance-free labyrinth plunger seals as well as a common oil bath for drive unit and pump head make maintenance easy for the operator. All that is needed is commercially available mineral oil. The low investment costs, simple and practically malfunction-free operation and robust longevity reduce the life cycle costs of the diaphragm pump to a bare minimum. And production losses can be almost completely eliminated when a back-up pump with a corresponding infrastructure has been installed.
Water treatment in power plants is a typical application area for ecosmart pumps which are designed in accordance with the API 675 standard. They are used in industrial water treatment processes for metering additives or in the oil and gas industry for injecting chemicals. Moreover, pumps from this series take over the tasks of pH value adjustments, metering solvents in the chemical industry as well as feeding corrosion inhibitors. And they are utilized for metering color and flavorings in the food industry or additives in the plastics industry.
