In 2013, we had a customer in the snack food business. They approached us because they were using sine pumps that they had gotten from Watson-Marlow. They were using these on a peanut butter filling for their snacks. The maintenance manager indicated that these sine pumps were a maintenance nightmare. They were constantly rebuilding the pumps. More importantly, they were getting significant wear on these pumps. The maintenance manager said, “Someone is eating all that metal.”
That’s a concern. So we were able to convert his processes and his pumps over to lobe pumps. And these pumps have been successfully operating for them for over eight years now. It’s been quite a success—low maintenance and easy to clean, plus the lack of metal going downstream for this client and for his customers. The last thing we at Pye-Barker want our clients to worry about is how much metal their customers are getting out of their product. In this article, we’ll outline the advantages of lobe pumps.
What is a lobe pump?
There are a lot of different technologies of pump out there. The lobe pump is a great pump depending on the type of application you’re looking for. It has gears that don’t actually touch, so there’s not going to be any wear in there. It’s going to allow you to operate the pump in certain situations. As the cavities open and the gears come around, it’s going to create an open suction area. It’s going to pull that product in, allow it to flow around the outside edge, and as the gears re-mesh, it’s going to push it back out to the outside. Lobe pumps make a great application, especially in the food industry. They work well to pump a lot of different viscosity's of products across the board.
Why should you use a lobe pump?
One of the great things is that it has a large chamber, so it’s good if you’re pumping something like cherries or olives or something that’s got some particulates in there. If you were to use an internal gear pump, it would just chew that stuff up. Or say you’ve got a product like mayonnaise and you don’t want it to shear—you don’t want to chew it up, and you don’t want to degrade the product. You can run that through a lobe pump and it’s going to gently handle that product.
Lobe pumps allow you to pump without the chance of anything contacting anything else. There are two lobes that are tied together with gears on the backside, so they’re never going to come in contact with each other. You can dry-run that pump for a period of time and it’s not going to wear anything out because nothing’s touching.
Certain models are able to be cleaned in place (CIP). Some of them are designed to clean out of place (COP), where you pull the lobes out and flush through. So for sanitary hygienic applications, it’s great. Also, lobe pumps are good for a lot of different pump viscosity's and different fluids.
Lobe pumps give a pretty consistent product flow; there’s not as much pulsation as you might find in other pumping technologies. The product pumps so consistently that we’ve measured with a decoder to count the pulses, and we’ve found it’s extremely accurate.
Where should you use a lobe pump?
Ron has a lot of experience in the food and beverage industry—one specific example being in the bakery industry. They would use a lobe pump to pump eggs, liquid butter, margarine, and even chocolate. They’d pump icings and fillings with varying viscosity's—sometimes they were light and fluffy; sometimes they were heavy and abrasive. Some pie fillings would even have chunks in it. Cherry filling, for instance, could be pumped through there without degrading the product.
Lobe pumps are great for hygienic applications. They’re used in pharmaceuticals, chemicals—anywhere you’ve got an application where you have a challenging viscosity or a product that needs to be handled in a certain manner. Cleanability comes into play, as well as pressures and temperatures. It’s got a wide range of applications. It’s a nice pump technology for industrial uses.
What are the benefits of the Wright Flow pump line?
When we talk about lobe pumps at Pye-Barker, we’re really talking about the Wright Flow pump line and their technology. They have multiple pumps out there—the TRA10 and the TRA20, which cross over with some of the other brand names identically. So if you need to match up with a different brand pump, Wright Flow is interchangeable and compatible. You can plug and play parts, pieces, or the entire pump.
Wright Flow allows you to use different seal technologies. If you have an industrial application, you need mechanical seals. If you have a food application, you need single O-ring seals or double O-ring seals because you’re running high pressure. If you’ve got applications where it’s high temperature, and you need Viton™ seals or rubber seals—whatever type of seal technology you need, Wright Flow has that type and the capability to do it on that pump.
If you’ve got a Waukesha U1 pump, our TRA10 is going to be an exact drop-in replacement. Even the parts and components swap out for those pumps. If you’ve got a different brand, we can usually match it up pretty closely or almost exactly. But some of them are identical swaps for the main brands or other brands that are out there that ours are identical to. They’re great pumps for those applications.
Wright Flow is excited about the revolution pump that they have. It’s compatible but it’s not an exact component replacement swap. But you can take one pump out, put the revolution right in, and you’re going to end up with a better pump right in the same spot. Slip it in, but it’s not going to be like you could pull the rotor off one and stick it on the other one.
There are numerous sealing options on the Wright Flow. Based on your product, if we’re looking for the solution to that, and we understand what the temperature is, what the pressure of that application is, and what the cleanability is, we’ll be able to specify what seal options go in that pump. Each of these pumps can come with a single O-ring seal, a double O-ring seal, a single mechanical seal, or a double mechanical seal. And the seal materials will even be changed based on temperature and pressure. Whatever you’re looking for, Wright Flow has a lot of different seal options for those pumps. And they’re very standard-style seals that are easy to maintain and easy to pop off and change.
CIP stands for clean in place. With CIP, you can leave the pump like it is. You won’t have to open or break it or anything. You can hook up your clean in place system and it will prove your flow parameters to your feet per second of flow, your residence time for chemical concentration, and the temperature concentration. You get a little ticket that proves that you met all those parameters for a clean in place process.
COP stands for clean out of place, where you’re going to open the pump up for cleaning. You usually just remove the rotors, you’ll run your flow through it, and then you put the rotors back in. Depending on your auditing body and/or parameters, you may be allowed to CIP or COP. In chemical applications, for washing between certain chemicals, you’re going to need to have a certain process to allow for that.
Wright Flow pumps are known for their clean in place ability. You’re going to choose your lobe design. If you need a CIP pump that can be cleaned in place, we’ll make sure you have the right lobe design and any back flush lines or jets needed for that to be cleaned in place. We’ll look at it and help you size your flow temperature requirements to make sure that it is going to pass your CIP for chemical residence, speed, flow—everything that you require for CIP. If not, then we can do COP as well, where you’re going to pull the rotors, pump through the system, and put the rotors back in afterward.
What materials are available on a lobe pump?
Stainless steel is obviously a more common one, but we have them in varying grades and different materials. It’s going to depend on your application and what you need it to be used for.
Lobe pumps are very low maintenance as far as what you need to do to them to keep them running. It’s a very simple operation. The seals are easy to work on and change. Your basic maintenance guy will have no issues at all with a couple of O-rings and an O-ring peg and basic hand tools, with changing these seals and putting them on and off. Because they’re non-contacting inside, there’s no metal going downstream. There’s no internal rotor wear. There’s no faceplate wear on these.
You’re going to want some sort of a relief protection downstream and/or a relief protection faceplate, depending on your application and the pressures you’re pumping. But the biggest thing is making sure you understand your application and that you size these appropriately for that application. You want to be looking at the right flow, the right pressure range, and the right temperature range for what your product is going to be. You want to look for the right flow pump—the Wright Flow pump.
For more information:
Call Eric Lunsford at 404-363-6000 extension 1217 or email him at Eric@PyeBarker.com
This article is a synopsis of a conversation between Eric Lunsford, President & CEO of Pye-Barker Engineered Solutions and Ron Wright, NW Georgia Territory Manager. Ron has 30 years of experience in industrial maintenance, 20 of those years in the industrial food industry. For the past five years, Ron has been helping clients solve problems as an industrial equipment account manager.
Eric Lunsford, President and CEO of Pye-Barker Engineered Solutions, talks about preparing your air compressor for cold weather:
Imagine that you're settling in for the biggest college football game of the year on a nice Saturday. Your drinks are cold, your snacks are hot, your friends and family are all gathered around. Then, just before kickoff, the phone rings.
You don't want to answer it, but you can see that on the line is the Saturday production supervisor, so you take the call. He says that the air compressor hasn't started this morning. And the only difference between Friday's production run to Saturday morning is the freezing temps that hit overnight.
Even though Saturday is a live production day for him, he’s got no machines running and he's got nobody working. And despite the fact that you were all prepped for the college football game, he needs you to come down to the plant ASAP, figure out what's going on, get it fixed, and get the plant running again.
Now I know that seems far-fetched, but we hear stories like this all the time. I don't want that to happen to you. So in this article, I’m going to outline the top seven steps that you can take to prepare your air compressor for cold weather.
Step 1: Check your condensate drains
I’m talking about the condensate drain that’s on the water separator on the compressor. I also mean the drain on the dryer and the drains on receiver tanks.
First of all, if they’ve got strainers on them, you want to make sure the strainers are not plugged with rust or dirt. They’re a guard, so whatever the strainers catch, it’s to protect the drain. The key is to make sure that your strainers are clean and your drains are working properly.
And you want to make sure, if possible, to get a heat source on it. If temperatures fall into the twenties, you may want to use heat strips or maybe just a heat lamp. The last thing you want is for the moisture separator to fill up with water that then freezes. Then the compressor can't work; it'll just unload and load. It continues to build up. We’ve seen where pipes actually become clogged completely with ice. It happens quickly because it's compressed air. You get a lot of condensate from compressed air.
It’s good routine practice to make sure that those strainers are clean and the drains are working.
On dryers, you get rust from the pipes that go to the dryer drains. If those drains clog up, then the dryer can't drain the water and you get moisture downstream. You also want to check your filter elements too, just to make sure those drains are working.
Usually, you find out a drain isn't working because you start getting water and/or oil downstream—mainly water. It costs a lot of money for your production or equipment to be down. It costs tens of thousands of dollars to repair equipment that's damaged because you've got condensate in the air. So it's always a good idea to check and make sure there's no condensate in your bowls. Your equipment usually has bowls—moisture bowls with little filters. Those are just incidental contact; they’re not fine filters. But if you see oil or water downstream, you’ve got a problem with your dryer or a drain. If you've got oil, that oil is no good. That's been run through pipes and has picked up all kinds of debris. That oil needs to get out of your pipes, because if not, it’ll do damage to your equipment.
Step 2: Check your downstream air dryer conditions
Make sure your condenser on your refrigerated dryer is clean. If your dryer shuts off on high pressure, more likely than not, the condenser is clogged.
If the condenser is clean, then it could be a fan motor. On your dryers, especially in cold winter temperatures, you want to make sure the mufflers are replaced. I would replace them as soon as it gets below freezing. Because what happens is, if you get back pressure because of clogged mufflers, it can only be 10 or 20 pounds of pressure in your regenerating tank. And that causes an increased dewpoint because you can't purge the air out of the tower that's regenerating efficiently. So you want to make sure you check your mufflers or replace them. It’s a simple thing to do.
For people who have dryers that don't have a dewpoint monitor on the dryer, we would recommend getting a dewpoint monitor. Because you never know until it's too late, until you start getting water downstream, that there's a problem with the dewpoint going to the plant. It's a nice portable unit. It’s 110 volts, and you tie it right into the discharge outlet of the dryer and it tells you the dewpoint and it monitors the dewpoint all the time. It's got dry contacts on it in case you want to put an alarm on it. It’s so vital to your operations. A dewpoint monitor is an excellent idea, an excellent tool to tell you what's going on.
If you get water downstream, especially in the cold wintertime, you're going to start freezing pipes outside. If it stays below freezing for a couple of days, there's not much you can do even if you’re heating pipes. You're just melting ice and sending it downstream and freezing it somewhere else.
With a refrigerant air dryer, I think the first thing you want to do is make sure it’s actually on and working. A lot of times you can flip the switch and the fan comes on but the compressor doesn't come on. So you want to make sure you're pulling down to where you're supposed to be on the suction gauge. You want to make sure your drains are actually operating. You want to make sure the fan is working within low temperature situations.
Now, if you get too cold, a lot of the bigger dryers have a low-pressure switch. So you can actually turn the dryer on. It will not come on because it's under low pressure because of the low temperature. It's not going to come on until that low pressure switch trips and tells us it’s okay to start running. Some of the smaller ones, you just have to keep them off because they will freeze up. They don't have any low-pressure protection. If that happens, hopefully you’ve got a bypass and can go around it. It's not good for the moisture situation, but at least you're getting air. Sometimes you just leave the valves open and let the hot air run through it. And eventually it thaws and the drains take care of it. With the desiccant dryers, the mufflers need to be changed and you need to make sure it's switching properly.
Step 3: Make sure your air intake openings are protected from rain and snow
You want to check your intake boot. You want to check your inlet on your intake to make sure that it's not pointed upward. We've seen some situations where they come from the factory that way, where the intake is actually turned to the side or turned up. It actually would suck in moisture. And moisture in bearings is not good. It’ll prematurely take out your compressor. You want to turn them down. And you also want to have at least a roof over your compressor.
Most of the customers we see have their compressors under a roof or protected, and they've got the heavy-duty filters to prevent moisture getting to them. Sometimes it gets pretty close with compressors that are close to the drain for the roof and it’s just pouring off the side of the roof. But if your intake filter gets wet, it also restricts your air flow. If it gets wet enough, you could cause that paper to start coming apart. You just don't want moisture getting in your compressor.
Another thing is, if your compressor is running below 165 degrees or 160 degrees, you may develop a little moisture in an oil tank. You always want to make sure if it's running that cold, you probably need to either put a higher thermostat in, or have that compressor enclosed a little better so that some of that heat stays in the room and the machine can run a little warmer.
Step 4: Check and change your filters regularly
With the winter months and colder weather coming in, it’s important to check and change your filters. The main thing is your air filter. If your filter is clogged, if it gets really dirty, it can cause a compressor not to operate and compress properly. You're just restricting the flow so it can't pull the air in to compress it. So you want to make sure that your filters, especially your air filters, are clean. Just periodically check that.
If we're doing scheduled maintenance for a customer or they're doing it themselves, of course, doing it on time is the main thing. I can tell you a little story about a concrete plant that had a paper element. It had gotten so clogged and so dirty that it actually sucked some of the element out of the plastic housing into the intake of the air compressor. And we had to dig it out. So that's something that a customer probably should have picked up on, if the air filter has gotten that dirty. Just keep an eye on things like that and be aware of it. Let us know, or get an air filter yourself.
Step 5: Check the weather stripping and the insulation
Most compressors up north are kept in a room. Down south, we don’t see all that much in the way of weatherstripping or insulation, which is why we recommend a heat lamp. That's primarily what we see. And if you do have one, it's a good idea to check it or at least plug it in.
When we have customers that we know will be getting temperatures in the twenties, we’ll shoot them a text to tell them to make sure their heat lamps are plugged in. Otherwise, lo and behold, they go home for the weekend and the heat lamps are not plugged in. And they get temperatures in the twenties. And they’ve got a control issue on Monday morning at 5:00 AM, and the phone's ringing.
So keep an eye on the weather and what you have for winterizing. At the minimum, have a heat lamp in the area of the controls. If you don’t put a heat lamp on, you may have control issues.
When a compressor is running at a good temperature, you're trapping moisture in your control lines. It's just the nature of the beast; it's inevitable. They all get it. Then you shut the machine off, maybe for a Christmas holiday. It's been running all month. Then you have a couple, two, three days off and you’ve had a cold snap. The condensate gets trapped in the control lines and freezes, and then it blocks the signal, what the compressor is supposed to do, whether to load or unload or blow down—things of that nature.
How do you get that condensate out of those control lines? Turn a heat lamp on and let it dissipate and evaporate.
You get moisture. That's just the way it is. And that's exactly what happens. We’ve had to actually take parts off of compressors and thaw them in the truck because they were just frozen. It was all frozen. And of course, this was up north. But there’s no other way you can do it. You're just going to compound the problem with no heat in the compressor room or outside. Just put a heat lamp on it; that'll take care of it. It'll keep it warm enough where that moisture can flow, when it needs to get out of that control line through either a regulator or a control filter drain.
Step 6: Check your receiver tanks
Should you be worried about condensation in your receiver tanks when it gets below freezing? Absolutely. That's one of the places. The receiver tank collects almost all of the condensate. A lot of it's dropped out with the moisture separator, probably 80%, but then when it gets to the receiver tank, you get a lot of moisture.
We’ve had customers say, “Oh geez, we’ve got water downstream.” Well, you're sending all that water and the tank is filling up. You’ve got a 400-gallon tank and it fills up and you go to use your air hose, you put your air hose on the side of the tank and all you get is water. And it's like, “What the heck's going on here?”
Fifty horsepower and above, I would not recommend putting a time drain. You’ve got a little screen, a strainer, and it doesn't take much corrosion to clog it. Then your drain can't drain the water. We recommend a zero loss drain that'll handle the load of water you're going to get. You can see the water that's being drained; you can see it in the little holding tank on the drain. It's a very reliable drain versus the timer drains. Customers like the timer drains because they're inexpensive, but they can't handle that load of moisture. By the time you’ve replaced those timer drains once, twice, three times a year, you could’ve bought one of these other drains. It's so reliable. It'll probably last you five, 10 years. And it could even go beyond that. Timer drains are good for your filters, anything below 50 horsepower, you can put them on the filters in your tanks.
You do get a lot of corrosion that falls out in the receiver tank. Check your strainers. Especially if it's an older tank, you're going to get a lot of corrosion in there and it plugs up. A lot of times you don't even get to the zero loss because the discharge on the bottom of the tank has plugged the pipe solid. It's a pain to get that clean. So if you get it clean, try to stay on top of it.
If you pull a strainer out and it's completely clogged with rust, our recommendation is this: don't just clean the strainer and put it back in. There’s a little valve before that strainer. Just crack it and slowly open it so you can purge that out. Because what's going to happen is there's going to be rust in there and there's going to be bits of corrosion. It's going to just clog that strainer right back up again. So if you go in there and you clean the strainer, you could put it back and say, “Oh good, we're good.” And a day later it's clogged again. Or it could be a half an hour later, after a couple cycles of the drain.
That time drain is going to have a hard time catching up and trying to get rid of all that condensate that's in that tank. If it's got 20 gallons of moisture, turn that drain down so it goes off every minute. You can either drain the whole tank manually, or you can turn up the drain to where it drains every minute for 15 seconds, 30 seconds, until that tank is empty. Then shut the valve, check the strainer again, and readjust it to every seven or eight minutes for maybe five seconds.
Step 7: Check your lubricant and test it for water
Lubricant is the lifeblood of the machine. There are customers that we test regularly, but it's primarily not for moisture, it's for acid. Acid is the killer in the polyglycol blended fluids. With the polyglycol fluid, moisture actually blends in with the fluid. It doesn't separate out like with a PAO. And that's what causes acid in the machine. So, yes. Get it tested, not just for water concentration, which is an issue in the wintertime, but for contaminants, breakdown of the oil, varnishing, and so on and so forth.
We’re very adamant about taking oil samples. If you use a PAO synthetic or a polyglycol, you can get 8,000 hours out of it. But there are a lot of things that the compressor ingests, whether it be exhaust fumes from diesel, welding fumes, chemicals, chlorine, sulfur—anything like that, that can cause harm to the additives that are put in, especially polyglycol, but also PAO fluids.
Now, polyglycol has an extra additive to it, and what that does is that starts your acid number a little higher than your PAO oil. And what happens with polyglycol is that it will actually absorb, blend chlorine, blend diesel fumes, welding fumes, any kind of chemical exhaust. It will actually blend and degrade that polyglycol. We’ve seen it where it turned to complete acid and ate through pipes. So that's why it's important.
We at Pye-Barker offer our Gardner Denver products. Gardner Denver does have aftermarket polyglycol, and it's a very good product. But you still have to sample it, and Gardner Denver provides that service free of charge. On our aftermarket products that we offer, lower-priced lubricants for older machines, we also offer free oil analysis for that. So we stand behind our products and we're firm believers in making sure that your equipment is protected, because that equipment costs a lot of money to purchase. And you want to protect it.
You stretch the oil filter, you get particles in the oil, then it goes through the separator, you shorten the life of the separator, you shorten the life of the oil. That's why we take those samples to get the total acid number (TAN) and also to check for particulates in the oil, for phosphorous, for viscosity. Just make sure that everything's okay with your oil where you're not running the oil and it's actually being detrimental to your compressor bearings.
That covers our seven steps for prepping your compressor for the cold weather.
You may wonder, what kind of effect does the colder intake air have on the compressor? What happens to the operation of the compressor when the temperature drops into the twenties?
Basically on a reciprocating compressor, the effect is marginal. In the worst case, it doesn't do much. Your compressor has a thermal valve, so it's going to take that air and it's still going to heat it up. Heated compression is rapidly raising the temperature. The only concern you have is if you have a turbo compressor, you're better off with colder air than hotter air. Hot air is less dense and it's not as efficient. Cold air shouldn't affect your compressor much at all.
At Pye-Barker, we're here to assist you. We can help you out, whether it's with your compressor, whether it's with piping issues, whether it's with downstream air quality, or proper applications for your equipment—we're here to help you out. Email me at Eric@PyeBarker.com or call me at 404-363-6000 and we’ll get a cold weather assessment scheduled for you.
Leakage is often treated as an unpreventable inconvenience or a necessary evil for many applications. This is particularly true of viscous liquids passing through positive displacement pumps, which have a tendency to leak out along the positive displacement gear pumps
To learn more contact your sales rep or simply fill out the form on the right and a Pye-Barker representative will contact you.
Hard metal pumps are at the heart of the slurry industry. Without them, transporting abrasive, slurry materials from one point to another within the system would be difficult if not impossible.
A hard metal pump is sometimes called a slurry pump since it handles slurries that could clog or wear out other kinds of pumps. It is made with a sturdy material that is specific for the kind of mixture that it will carry.
Solid particles in the slurry can be abrasive. Hence, the linings are often made with a metal or rubber that could withstand the knocks and scratches that the particles can create.
Specific designs withstand slurries with extreme temperature and pH levels, too. And since these solid-liquid mixtures could be thick and difficult to pump, this kind of equipment generally requires more power to operate. And therefore, it requires a higher operational cost than a standard water pump.
Determining what kind of hard metal pump you will use in your process will depend highly on the material that you will be moving.
But with all the options that you have, it could be confusing and choosing the wrong one could be a costly mistake. Let this article help you in understanding the basics of slurry pumps and in choosing the most suitable one for your process.
How does a hard metal pump work?
Many hard metal pumps are some form of Centrifugal pump. The inlet of the pump is at the center of a rotating impeller. As the mixture flows in between the blades of the impellers and reaches the edges using centrifugal force, pressure energy builds up in between the impeller and the casing. This, in turn, generates kinetic energy that will pump the mixture.
The mechanism is quite simple making this kind of equipment extremely productive and easy to maintain.
Also, understanding this mechanism can help you decide on which parts and features you need to look at closely when dealing with this kind of equipment.
The impeller must be sturdy, the casing must be easy to maintain, and the motor and rotating shaft must operate smoothly.
What are things to consider in selecting hard metal pumps?
Characterize the material
In designing your pumping system, not just in selecting which pump to use, you will need to consider several parameters such as:
Consider the flow
If the particles are small enough and tend to create a homogeneous mixture, then, the slurry may be considered non-Newtonian.
Knowing this will determine the behavior of the slurry when subjected to stress. Is the shear rate proportional to the shear stress you applied? Newtonian. Does it require a higher amount of force before it starts flowing? Non-Newtonian.
Determining the homogeneity of the mixture also helps you visualize how the mixture behaves inside the piping system. The settling solid particles will be in contact with the walls of the pipes and pump while the non-settling ones will flow steadily.
Even the velocity at which the particles travel along the pipeline will matter. If the velocity is too fast, it will lead to faster wear and tear of the pipe. Also, there will be more friction losses.
Meanwhile, if the velocity is too slow, the particles may settle which can lead to sedimentation and will still have friction losses.
With all these things to consider, choose a hard metal pump that has a wide working range of parameters and that is designed specifically for your system.
Determine the discharge requirements
The total discharge head is the sum of the static discharge head and the friction losses. If you have a target pressure, take note of that as well. Basically, you must know the height at which you want to discharge the mixture and the power requirement depends on this, too.
What are the industries that use hard metal pumps?
Here are some of the industries that employ this kind of pump:
This kind of equipment is versatile, and many industries use it in their processes. In these industries, you will find three types of this kind of pump.
Nagle Pumps, Inc., an industry leader for more than 50 years, provides all three kinds with features boasting a long service life and high capacity.
The design includes impellers with large passages to minimize wearing while maximizing the throughput. The bearings are also isolated and specially designed to be heavy-duty and leak-free.
Moreover, Nagle Pumps are easy to maintain which further extends its life. Some parts like the bearing cartridge and the stuffing boxes are easily removable for easy access and maintenance.
Another industry front-runner is the Finish Thompson DAP Series, ANSI Process Pump B73.1. It is one of the most versatile ones in the market.
The wide range of parameters and dimensions of this pump are designed such that it can replace other ANSI pumps in the DAP family without changing the pipeline system. Options for high-temperature systems are also available.
It can withstand the highly corrosive and abrasive slurries of most industries with various materials you can choose from:
Summary
Investing in the equipment that will make your process smooth, defect-free, and productive will surely lead you to better business profitability. Although there are a lot of aspects that govern your business costs, surely, a big percentage of that is your equipment.
With the vast selection of hard metal pumps in the market today and the increasing demand for it, it is easy to be overwhelmed. But if armed with the basic knowledge about it, you will surely find something fit for your process.
Take the time to understand your system requirements and contact Pye-Barker Engineered Solutions, your trusted equipment provider, for more assistance.
Surely this is a challenging time for all of us.
First and foremost, I want to let you know that we are committed to the safety of our team and to you, our valued partners.
And to assure you that Pye-Barker remains open and ready to support your needs.
As communities begin to feel the impact of the corona-virus (COVID-19), I want to share with you the steps we’re taking at Pye-Barker to help protect the health and safety of our clients and team members, which is always our top priority.
We’re closely monitoring local and national reports on the evolving impact of COVID-19 and, based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization and applicable public health agencies, we’ve developed plans and established a task force that will allow us to respond timely and appropriately.
Our housekeeping and sanitation efforts in all our offices and warehouses has been greatly expanded. We’re frequently disinfecting often-touched surfaces such as door handles, countertops, keyboard, phones, restroom surfaces, shop, and warehouse areas.
Our outside sales team is instructed to call before visiting any client. Our service team has also been instructed to not to pass thru the offices of our clients if at all possible and to practice safe distancing while on site.
At this time, all of our facilities are open for business during their regular hours, Monday through Friday 8am – 5pm, to meet the needs of our customers. All of your contact phone numbers and emails are still valid. Should one of our three offices need to close for some reason, our other offices will be available to avoid service interruptions.
Our After-Hours service continues to operate during this period. The main office number (404) 363-6000 will allow you to access our After-Hours options after 5pm during the week and 24/7 over the weekends and any holidays.
All of our main suppliers (Viking, Gardner Denver, Crane, Travaini, Lewa and Zeks) have stated that they do not anticipate any supply chain interruptions at this time. However, the situation is fluid and some delays or disruptions may occur. We have already seen this in other market segments.
Pye-Barker has always been committed to stocking the inventory our clients need and we are willing to do everything we can to support you in these difficult times. If you do have some components or parts that are critical to your operation, please identify these parts and speak with your sales representative as soon as possible. We will evaluate all requests on a case by case basis and do what we can to make sure your critical systems are supported during these times.
Again, the health and safety of our clients and team members is our top priority and we’re committed to doing our part to help keep you safe.
Thank you,
Viking pump buyers no longer have to rely on mechanical seals or packing for their pumps. Packing breaks down and needs to be replaced. Mechanical seals break down causing leaks. Both packing and mechanical seals require contact with the rotating shaft – which increases wear and tear on the shaft… and causes energy to be wasted in the form of friction.
Viking has developed the O-pro seals to create a robust seal and lubrication chamber all in one. The O‐Pro™ Barrier seal functions as both a seal and bracket bushing.
New Viking pumps can be purchased with O-Pro seals and Viking pumps already in service can be upgraded with an O-Pro seal kit for a simple field retrofit. Available from Pye-Barker Engineered Solutions today.
How Does An O-Pro Barrier Seal Work ON New Pumps?
The O‐Pro™ Barrier seal replaces packing and/or mechanical seal by occupying the internal bracket cavity with a machined seal gland utilizing O‐rings to seal externally on the bracket and internally on the shaft. The area between the bracket, gland and shaft are then filled with a lubricating fluid. This combination of O‐rings and lubricating fluid provide a robust seal preventing process fluid from leaking out of the pump, as well as, a lubrication sleeve in which the shaft operates in creating a low wear environment, increasing pump life.
How Does An O-Pro Cartridge Seal Retrofit Onto Existing Pumps?
The O‐Pro™ Cartridge seal replaces packing and/or mechanical seal by sealing the bracket cavity with a machined seal gland that utilizes O‐rings to seal externally on the bracket and internally on the shaft. Internal seal cavity between the gland and shaft is filled with a lubricating fluid. The combination of O‐rings and lubricating fluid provide a robust seal keeping process fluid from leaking out of the pump. The design of the O‐Pro™ Cartridge seal allows for an easy retrofit while addressing the need for stainless‐steel seal construction.
FOREST PARK, GA, January 9, 2020 – Pye-Barker Engineered Solutions, www.pyebarker.com, announced today that they have acquired Florida Air Technologies, LLC as part of their 2020 growth plans to exceed customer expectations. Since 1936, Pye-Barker has served the needs of industrial companies in Georgia with compressed air, pumping and blower/vacuum systems.
“With this acquisition, our clients will know that we are committed to growing to meet their needs and improving our coverage of the Southeastern United States,” states Eric Lunsford, Pye-Barker Engineered Solutions President and CEO. “All of our partners will receive faster access to industry-leading air compressors and accessories that are all backed by our more than 225 years of combined engineering expertise, certified maintenance and repair services and 100% satisfaction guarantee.”
This month, Pye-Barker acquires all of the air compressors, air dryers, vacuum pumps, air treatment products, lubricants, and repair parts previously owned by the Orlando company. All employees of Florida Air Technologies will keep their jobs at their current location, and all accounting services will move to the company’s main headquarters in Forest Park, Georgia.
"We were ready to sell and looking for a company that had a long-term vision and shared our values for providing excellent customer service,” states Sundar Mylavarapu, Florida Air Technologies President and CEO. “We approached Pye-Barker because they are successful and well-respected in the industry, and we know they will take good care of our customers.”
Pye-Barker has grown over the past 83 years by providing customers with the high-quality products and services they need, quickly and cost-effectively, with as little stress as possible. This acquisition is part of their continued mission for growth throughout the southeast of the United States.
“This will be a smooth transition for everyone involved, and we look forward to offering new and current customers an expanded selection of products, enhanced repair capabilities, and 24/7 emergency service they can rely on and all of the additional benefits of this acquisition and others in the pipeline,” says Lunsford.
Each different kind of pump possesses its own weaknesses and strengths. As a buyer, you might find it challenging to choose among the options that can be selected for the same type of application. Today we’re sharing information regarding Finish Thompson end suction pumps in GA.
An end-suction pump is the most fundamental type of centrifugal pump designed with a covering. The suction is on one end of the pump and the discharge is placed at the top, which is why it is was referred to as an end suction pump.
Finish Thompson end suction pumps in GA usually contain a casing which has coil windings and an impeller. When the liquid passes through the fins and blades of the impeller, the velocity increases. The liquid then passes through the casing where its high velocity is converted into high pressure through a process of circulation.
End suction pumps can be propelled by:
• D.C. motor;
• Hydraulic motors;
• A.C. electric motors;
• Steam turbines;
• Air motors;
• Diesel and petrol engines.
End suction pumps may be frame-mounted or close-coupled, making them the best option for non-critical and intermittent and service applications.
Types of Finish Thompson End Suction Pumps in GA
Close-Coupled End Suction Pump: In these pumps, the motor shaft and the pump shaft are the same, and the motor bearings and pump bearings are the same. The impeller is attached directly to the one end of the motor shaft. These close coupled pumps require less space and are also cheaper than the frame-mounted option. Close-coupled design provides compact construction and space savings and. A permanent rigid alignment in these pumps eliminates the need for all other alignments, thereby prolonging bearing and seal life.
Frame Mounted End Suction Pump: This type of Finish Thompson end suction pump in GA has bearings and shafts that are independent of the motor. To transfer energy from the pump to the motor, a coupling is required. The frame-mounted category of end suction pump comes with a double volute design. The main features of this option are lower life-cycle costs and increased efficiency. The footed bearing frame delivers easy maintenance. The impellers are trimmed and balanced providing customization.
With a wide variety of centrifugal pump configurations available in the market today, it is vitally important to fully evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each type of end suction pump when choosing a new pump for your industry to minimize the maintenance costs, particularly when you are involved with critical applications.
If you need a pump, blower, vacuum, air compressor, or a complete system - or would like to learn more about Finish Thompson end suction pumps in GA - we will specify a solution based on your needs and requirements. Call our office today to speak with one of our experts.
When it comes to chemical, petrochemical, gas and other industrial processes, reciprocating compressors play a chief role. These compressors are the most widely used and well-known compressors that involve positive displacement based on a specific set of reciprocating compressor parts in GA.
So, what are these reciprocating compressor parts and what do they do?
These are positive-displacement mechanisms that work on a reciprocating principle to be able to deliver gas at high pressures. The motion is supported within the device with the use of pistons. Reciprocating compressors can usually be separated into two types: Separable (high speed) and Integral (low speed). Within the natural gas industry, large reciprocating engines are utilized to generate low-pressure plants, move natural gas through the pipeline, and supply high-pressure gas for a good drilling.
Types Of Reciprocating Compressor Parts In GA
Reciprocating compressors are made up of numerous parts; below, we examine some of these parts.
Cylinders: The cylinders found in process industries are detachable from the frame, so they accommodate both suction and discharge valve plates. Small, higher-pressure cylinders are usually made from steel, while larger, low-pressure cylinders are created from cast iron.
Pistons: Often referred to as the heart of the reciprocating compressor, the pistons are made from low-weight materials such as aluminum to decrease rod load and shaking. They are responsible for the conversion of energy to the gas in the chamber from the crankcase.
Piston Rod: The piston rod is threaded through the piston and is responsible for transferring the reciprocating crosshead into the piston. They are usually manufactured from alloy steel.
Distance Piece: This detachable housing connects the frame and the cylinder. I can include multiple compartments and it can be open or closed, single, double, or extra-long. The purpose of these reciprocating compressor parts in GA is to separate the rod that enters the crankcase and gets lubrication from the cylinder that is in contact with the gas.
Rod Packing: Much like the piston rod, rod packing is important to prevent gas leakage as it passes through the crank closure and cylinder. Packing rings are located at the head of the rod packing assembly.
Crankshaft: Reciprocating compressors above 150 kW (200 hp) typically include crankshafts constructed from steel. Each crankshaft should have a changeable balance weight, but when over 800 rpm the crankshaft should be balanced dynamically
Bearings: The main rod and connecting bearings should be split-sleeved and steel-backed. Anti-friction bearings can only be used in components that are rated lower than 150 kW.
Connecting Rod: Similarly to crankshafts, connecting rods are used in compressors that are above 150 kW (200 hp). Also made from forged steel, it also has a drilled hole to allow the oil to pass.
Cross Head: This component is used to guide pistons into the cylinder bore, so it allows a longer strength and greater capacity with a heightened control of oil carryover.
Valves: Possibly one of the most essential reciprocating compressor parts in GA are the spring-located, gas-actuated, valves. In general, one of these three valve configurations is used: Plate Type, Poppet Type, or Ring Type.
Lubrication System: Both heavy-duty and medium compressors need force-type lubrication. The main components are the:
• pressure regulating valve;
• lube oil tank;
• main oil pump;
• dual oil filter;
• lube oil cooler;
• associated accessories.
Reciprocating compressors transport natural gas from the suction manifold and into the natural gas cylinder, which is also referred to as the compression cylinder.
An internal combustion engine powers this entire process.
When the compressor’s operating life increases, the rings packing systems will wear out, resulting in higher leaks. Therefore, high-quality components and expert installation are key to ensuring balance in this essential system.
If you would like more information regarding reciprocating compressor parts in GA, contact us today to speak with one of our experts.
Wright Flow Technologies provides resolutions for challenges in fluid handling around the world. Pairing the correct pump with your fluid processing requirements is easy with innovative, robust designs, an extensive product offering, and cleanability. Today you can raise the bar on ease of maintenance and performance with Wright Flow Revolution pumps.
With front-loading seals, they are the most progressive circumferential piston pump in the industry. In addition, it is the only pump available that uses patented hybrid technology, accepting RLP or CPP technologies.
The deep grooves through which the rotors travel offer large spaces to minimize bruising and shear of solids. The fluid is moved around the channel by the rotor wings and is relocated as the rotor wings re-mesh, creating pressure at the discharge port.
The pump output is proportional to speed, and the flow direction is reversible. Suction Wright Flow Technologies rotor pistons revolve around the circumference of the channel in the pump casing to continuously generate a partial vacuum at the suction port as the rotors un-mesh, causing fluid to go in the pump.
• Chemical: Raw ingredients, chemical transfer, solvent recovery
• Personal care: Skincare products, toothpaste, cosmetics, shower and shaving liquids, hair care products
• Beverages: Distillers, fruit and vegetable purees, carbonated drinks, juices
• Food: Baby food, edible oils, soft fruits and vegetables, soups and sauces, egg, fish, meat, poultry, whey protein, confectionary
• Dairy: Butter cheese, cream, milk, yogurt, yogurt fruits
• Bio-Pharmaceutical: Ointments and creams, ferment, injectables, ultra-filtration, plasma and blood processing
Features and Benefits of Wright Flow Revolution Pumps
Cleanability
• Clean-in-place capability is standard for all Wright Flow Revolution pumps
• Self-draining pump head from innovative cusps and cusp reliefs
• Innovative seal design with no dead zones and dynamic leak path
• No dead zones on the front cover
Ease of Maintenance:
• Can perform quick, front-loading seal changes while the pump is still in-line
• Simple front access for setting rotors clearance
• Convenient preventive maintenance parts kits available
Performance:
• Improved volumetric efficiency in low & high viscosity applications
• Up to 15% better flow performance than competitors’ CIP configuration
• Exclusive alloy rotors that allow running at tighter clearances are standard
• Long-life sturdiness from heavy-duty bearings, helical gears, and shafts
Seal Changes:
• Change seals more efficiently with just three steps to access the seals while the pump is still in line
• For maximum utility, Wright Flow Revolution pumps come out of the box with interchangeable O-ring and mechanical seals.
Seals:
• Single mechanical
• Double mechanical w/ flush
• Single O-ring running on a replaceable sleeve
• Double O-ring w/ flush running on a replaceable sleeve
• Complete range of material options
Gear Box:
• Powder coated cast iron is standard
• Stainless steel is optional
Pye-Barker specializes in creating engineered solutions to help industrial companies in GA with their compressed air, pumping and blower/vacuum systems.
We help our clients create engineered solutions specific to their needs. We then deliver - and are certified to maintain and repair - all the equipment we supply to our clients. We also offer parts, repairs and engineering services.
If you would like more information regarding Wright Flow Revolution pumps – or would like to determine if it’s the best option for your application – contact us today to get started.
