Who’s who in pumps and pipes

PROCESS EQUIPMENT

Who’s who in pumps and pipes

We profile leading suppliers of tailor-made pumps and pipes to the phosphates and sulphur industries.

Essential components

Phosphate and potash fertilizer manufacturing typically requires the handling of highly abrasive and/or corrosive liquids and slurries. Industrial pumps, as essential components of any P and K production system, therefore need to be robust and reliable enough to handle these.

Pumps are used to transfer fluids and suspensions from one stage of the production process to another. They need to cope with a wide range of temperatures, pressures and viscosities, often having to deal with different amounts and sizes of suspended solids too. Flow volumes and flow rates also vary greatly from process to process.

The challenge for fertilizer manufacturers is choosing exactly the right pump for each step in the production process. In extremes cases, getting the pump design or specification wrong can result in catastrophic failure – if there is insufficient flow and poor maintenance.

That makes selecting the correct type of pump, and ensuring pump capabilities closely match process requirements, vitally important. In most cases, pump requirements are largely determined by the properties of the liquid or slurry, including:

• Temperature and pH range
• Chemical characteristics, including contaminants
• Solids content, including amount (g/l), hardness, density and particle-size distribution.

Düchting Pumpen

Privately owned German company Düchting Pumpen has more than 80 years of experience manufacturing advanced centrifugal pumps specifically designed for service in corrosive and abrasive conditions.

Düchting offers best-in-class reliability and performance in challenging environments that expose pumps to severe erosive-corrosive wear. These include industries such as fertilizer production, flue gas desulphurisation, seawater desalination, mining and mineral processing, sand and gravel dredging and chemical pigment manufacturing.

In keeping with its company motto (‘Quality through Experience’), Düchting’s sophisticated pump products are highly valued by its industrial customers. The company combines expertise in hydraulic design – using high-performance computational fluid dynamics (CFX) software – with strong capabilities in pump construction, machining, assembly, testing and commissioning.

Düchting offers an extensive portfolio of single-stage and multi-stage centrifugal pumps. By providing customers with tailor-made, customised equipment as standard, the company aims to provide the best operational performance possible. Minimising maintenance and energy consumption also ensures the lowest lifecycle costs. Partnership arrangements in strategic global locations have also strengthened the company’s reputation for efficiency, reliability, innovation and thorough after-sales service.

Düchting’s portfolio consists of:

• Single-stage hard metal slurry pumps
• Multi-stage dewatering and high-pressure booster pumps
• Non-metallic low-pressure slurry pumps – these combining diamond-like abrasion resistance with a lifetime anticorrosion warranty.

Metallic pumps are offered in either super duplex stainless steel or high chrome iron alloys, depending on the application and individual requirements and parameters. For highly challenging fertilizer production conditions, Düchting offers the SICcast mineral cast pump series together with SIConit after-market coating refurbishment capabilities.

A half repaired pump impeller refurbished (left) using Düchting’s unique SIConit refurbishment process.

PHOTO: DÜCHTING

SICcast is a unique proprietary technology designed more than 30 years ago to combat erosion-corrosion wear. The material consists of an engineered matrix of silicon carbide particles and epoxy resin binder that is mixed under vacuum and then heat cured into high precision moulds at Düchting’s German production plant.

Once cured, SICcast’s finished hardness is close to that of diamond on Moh’s scale. SICcast is so hard that machine finishing with diamond-tipped tools is necessary to produce the wet end components for Düchting’s MC and MCC pump lines.

SICcast is specifically designed to combine complete corrosion resistance with diamond-like abrasion resistance. SICcast pumps are ideal in challenging slurry mediums that shorten service life and reduce the reliability of hard metal (duplex stainless steel or high chrome/nickel alloys) slurry pumps that are more susceptible to erosive-corrosive wear. All wetted components in Düchting’s MC and MCC pump lines are completely constructed of SIC-cast. This design eliminates any contact between the slurry medium and metallic components during operation.

Aftermarket refurbishment of existing worn equipment is also possible through the company’s SIConit refurbishment. This repair service uses a unique coating technology that combines a SICcast EP135 coating material with a cold curing chemical hardening agent. Once cured, SIConit can also be machine finished with diamond-tipped tools to completely revamp and repair existing worn components (see main photo). This returns them to as-new condition with SICcast’s superior protection against corrosion and abrasion.

Düchting’s SICcast mineral cast slurry pumps and aftermarket SIConit refurbishment capabilities are widely used in both phosphate and potash fertilizer production. This is due to their ability to combine optimal performance with equipment longevity and reliability in highly corrosive and abrasive services. Applications include:

• Phosphoric acid
• Sulphuric acid
• Gypsum slurry
• Phosphate rock slurry
• Tailings slurry
• Silicate/sand slurry
• Brine and salt slurries.

A wide range of fertilizer industry applications can also benefit from SIConit refurbishment. These include worn components from existing metallic slurry pump wet end parts, agitator mixer impellers, piping sections, reducers, collection basins, diverters, etc.

Andritz

International technology group Andritz manufactures plants, systems and equipment for the hydropower, pulp and paper, and metal and steel industries. Notably, it is also a specialist in solid/liquid separation for municipal and industrial applications. The company has nearly 30,000 employees and operates from more than 280 locations in over 40 countries worldwide.

Andritz has been an innovative pump manufacturer since the company began in 1852. It therefore has more than a century of expertise and process know-how in the manufacture and supply of pumps. This includes providing standard, project-specific and large, customer-specific engineered pumps. Its track record in major pumping projects includes:

• Providing sustainable water supplies to the megacities of Atlanta, Beijing and Las Vegas
• Helping India to irrigate 3.3 million hectares of agricultural land
• Installing efficient pumping systems for leading pulp and paper producers, and generating clean energy from low-temperature heat for this industry.

Andritz ACP single-stage centrifugal pumps are suitable for conveying many different media and available in a highly wear-resistant open impeller design.

PHOTO: ANDRITZ

Andritz pumps are operating successfully in many small- and large-scale industrial plants and projects worldwide. Its pumps portfolio includes the:

• ACP series of single-stage centrifugal pumps
• ASP series of axial split-case pumps
• ASPM series of multi-stage axial split-case pumps
• VLSP series of vertical line shaft pumps
• SU series of submersible motor pumps
• VVP and CVP series of vertical volute pumps.

These pumps are designed to meet different tasks in water resources management, e.g., the supply of industrial and drinking water, wastewater disposal, cooling in thermal power plants, land irrigation, flood protection, mine water removal and desalination.

Andritz is known globally as a single-source provider of high-quality and high-efficiency products, including pumping equipment. Its comprehensive product and service offering includes engineering, manufacturing, project management, commissioning, after-sales service and training. The company also has strong capabilities in development work, model tests and the industrial internet of things (IIoT).

Sulzer

Sulzer is a world-leader in pumping equipment and technology with a history dating back to 1834. Headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, the company operates from more than 180 production sites and service centres located in some 50 countries around the globe.

Sulzer manufactures and markets a wide range of pumps, mixers, and agitators for the sulphur and fertilizer industries. These durable and reliable pumps are used in the production of phosphate, potash and NPK fertilizers, acids and industrial chemicals. Sulzer offers:

• Process pumps
• Slurry pumps
• Wear resistant pumps
• Self-priming pumps
• Gas removal pumps
• Axial flow pumps
• Vacuum pumps
• Sulphuric acid pumps
• Vertical pumps
• Submersible pumps.

These incorporate advanced materials, a wide range of shaft seals and different sealing systems. Operating efficiency is a key priority for Sulzer and the company prides itself on making extremely reliable pumps that can operate maintenance-free.

Sulzer estimates that shaft seals are responsible for around 60 percent of the operational problems with centrifugal pumps. The shaft seal is therefore a critical component when it comes to the overall lifetime costs of a pump – including capital, operating, maintenance and downtime costs.

Dynamic seals, because of their ability to improve reliability, are a notable design feature of Sulzer pumps. They work as follows:

• When the pump is operating, the expeller generates a liquid ring in the annular seal chamber and evacuates the liquid pumped from the seal cavity
• When the pump stops, the static seal tightens against the thrust ring, preventing any leakage.

By avoiding mechanical wear, leakage and the need for a sealing liquid, dynamic seals helps improve reliability and reduce the costs associated with the operation of the pump. Sulzer pumps are widely-used in phosphate fertilizer production, particularly in the wet process stages involving phosphoric acid (Fertilizer International 493, p46).

Weir Minerals

Weir Minerals designs and produces a wide range of highly engineered pumps for high wear and corrosive applications. The company operates through manufacturing sites and research centres worldwide and is supported by an unrivalled global service network. This ensures Weir Minerals engineers can provide customers with the assistance they require, wherever and whenever it is needed.

Weir Minerals’ range of trusted and well-known brands include:

• lWarman® centrifugal slurry pumps
• GEHO® positive displacement (PD) slurry pumps
• Linatex® rubber products
• Vulco® wear resistant liners
• Cavex® hydrocyclones
• Enduron® comminution equipment
• Delta Industrial™ valves
• Lewis® pumps and valves

With a history dating back to 1891, Lewis® pumps is a well-established brand in the sulphur, sulphuric, and phosphoric acid industries, with equipment installed in more than 120 countries.

Lewis® pumps and valves perform reliably in harsh sulphuric acid environments thanks to their construction from Lewmet® nickel-chrome alloys. Lewmet® provides superior erosion resistance and corrosion protection. It is specifically designed to withstand long-term exposure in the extreme operating environments of contact process sulphuric acid plants.

Sulphuric acid plant operations widely use Lewis® acid valves with Lewmet® alloy. Even in severe service applications, they offer reliable control, such as acid heat exchanger/cooler bypass and pump discharge flow regulation.

By eliminating shaft sealing issues, the vertical design of Lewis® sulphuric acid pumps avoids the safety and environmental problems frequently associated with horizontal pumps in the same application. Furthermore, vertical pumps are simpler to install as they do not need special foundations and suction piping that is normally required by horizontal pumps.

The Lewis 18HTH sulphuric acid pump.

PHOTO: WEIR MINERALS

Weir Minerals offers tailored, engineered-to-order features for customer requirements, including rectangular or circular cover plates, optional suction extensions and custom lengths.

ITT Rheinhütte Pumpen

Rheinhütte has more than 150 years of experience in the design and manufacture of pumps and speciality alloys for the fertilizer, chemical and sulphur industries. Its product range includes horizontal, vertical, axial flow and liquid ring vacuum pumps. These are manufactured in various materials, including metals, thermoplastics and speciality ceramics.

For the fertilizer industry, Rheinhütte offers a range of horizontal and vertical flow pumps, including:

• The flexible RN horizontal pump – a reliable and efficient chemical pump for use with corrosive media that are either free of or contain low level of solids
• The robust RCE horizontal pump – a highly abrasion-resistant pump suitable for media with a solid contents of up to 30 percent
• The RCEV cantilever pump – a vertical version of the RCE pump (see box)
• The GVSO vertical pump – an extremely reliable submersible pump for use with solids-free media or for media with a low solids content
• The axial R PROP vertical pump – a propeller circulation pump used for high delivery rates and low delivery head.

New York-headquartered ITT Inc – the well-established manufacturer of Gould Pumps – purchased Rheinhütte Pumpen from Aliaxis Group in 2019. ITT’s two global pump brands – Rheinhütte and Gould – are extensively use in the sulphur and phosphate industries (see companion article on p58).

Mouvex

Mouvex is a leader in the design and manufacture of pumps and systems for the global energy market. Headquartered in Auxerre, France, Mouvex has representatives in more than 75 countries worldwide. The company forms part of Illinois-headquartered PSG, the pump manufacturing arm of US conglomerate

Mouvex offers its API 674 Series plunger pumps for the fertilizer manufacturing market.

PHOTO: MOUVEX

Dover Corporation. As well as Mouvex, PSG is also an umbrella for a number of other leading pump companies and brands. These include Abaque™, All-Flo, Almatec® , Blackmer® , Ebsray® ,EnviroGear® , Griswold® , Neptune™ , Quattroflow™ , Red-Screw™ and Wilden® .

Many types of pump, such as external gear, progressive cavity, screw and radial/ axial piston pumps, have all gained acceptance for use in the various liquid transfer processes that are common in fertilizer manufacturing. Yet plunger pumps can be an even better choice, according to Mouvex.

Indeed, the ability of plunger pumps to handle almost any fluid, even corrosive or hazardous types, makes them well-suited for use in fertilizer-manufacturing processes. One suitable application for plunger pumps, for example, is the ammoniation/neutralisation process during phosphate fertilizer production. This application requires the injection of ammonia solution into phosphoric acid.

Plunger pumps are reciprocating positive displacement (PD) pumps. These are equipped with one or more in-line plungers. They are configured horizontally and powered by an electric motor or an engine. Plunger pumps can be:

• Single-acting – where suction occurs as the plunger ascends and discharge takes place as the plunger is depressed; or
• Double-acting – in which the suction and discharge stages take place simultaneously on opposite sides of the plunger.

Plunger pumps are designed so that the length of the plunger is longer than its stroke. They should not be confused with piston pumps, as the length of the piston in these is shorter than its stroke.

Plunger pumps are capable of creating very high discharge pressures, in some cases up to 3,000 bar (43,000 psi), although the flow rates they produce are directly proportional to pump speed, not pressure. Conversely, the discharge pressure is not speed-dependent either, being solely determined by the design of the discharge piping. This combination of operational characteristics allows plunger pumps to achieve pumping efficiencies of up to 90 percent.

Component wear is also minimised in plunger pumps. This is because the pump’s packing, being situated in the sleeve surrounding the plunger, not on the plunger itself, results in more uniform wear and longer life.

Other parts including gaskets, rings, bushings, check valves and springs also experience wear. However, with proper preventive maintenance, it is not uncommon for plunger pumps to operate for 20 years without any maintenance, other than the periodic replacement of the wear parts. Plunger pumps also have a small installation footprint. This makes them ideal for operations where the available installation space is limited.

Mouvex offers its API 674 Series plunger pumps for the fertilizer manufacturing market. These pumps adhere to American Petroleum Institute (API) standard 674 for reciprocating PD pumps. This standard defines maximum and minimum operating speeds, material requirements, and testing requirements for plunger pumps used in a wide range of industries, including fertilizer production.

Plunger pumps can be used with viscous liquids (up to 100 cSt) containing solid particles (up to 0.1 mm) at high temperatures (up to 200°C/392°F). These pumps, as well as meeting API 674 specifications, can also be operated in explosive atmospheres, a critical consideration in some fertilizer plants.

Butting Group

The Butting Group is a family-owned business headquartered in Knesebeck, Germany. The company is a 240-year success story, having originally started out as a coppersmiths in 1777. This long history is reflected by the company motto, ‘Progress by Tradition’. Butting is a leading processor of stainless steels with more than 60 years’ experience and know-how in this area. Its core competencies are in forming and welding techniques and materials engineering. Products made by Butting include:

• Stainless steel welded pipes
• Clad pipes
• Customised components
• Spools and plant construction
• Vessels, tanks and apparatus
• Assemblies.

These products are manufactured to high quality standards and sold to customers all over the world.

Butting processes around 100,000 tonnes of stainless steel and clad materials annually. As well as its Knesebeck headquarters, Butting operates from two other sites in Germany at Schwedt and Könnern, and from international locations in Brazil, China and Canada. The company employs more than 1,800 people worldwide.

The company’s Knesebeck headquarters stores more than 5,000 tonnes of welded pipes produced in Germany. These are manufactured in more than 140 different sizes and in 15 different material grades.

Butting surface treats its products by chemical pickling as a standard procedure after production. This guarantees optimum corrosion resistance for the pipes and components delivered to customers. The company is quality assured, operating under the DIN EN ISO 9001 management system.

Butting’s primary product is high-quality, longitudinally-welded piping. Important end markets for its products include the pump and valve industry – the mechanical engineering market in particular – as well as the food and pharmaceutical industries. For many years, Butting has been producing ready-to-install components for the world’s leading pump manufacturers. These are offered in a wide range of different materials, sizes and lengths.

Butting’s manufacturing capability combines a range of different production processes. These include laser, welding, forming and metal cutting technologies, along with surface treatment. The company creates ready-to-install corrosion-resistant pipe components using grinding or blasting, based on optical requirements, and robot-welding

Acid Piping Technology

Based in Arnold, Missouri, US manufacturer Acid Piping Technology (APT) specialises in engineered products for the global sulphuric and phosphoric acid industries. APT notably maintains the world’s largest inventory of MONDI™ pipes and fittings, both for routine supply and emergency replacement.

The company stocks approximately 2,000 acid plant fittings. This includes standard elbows, tees and reducers in a full range of sizes for same day shipment. Stocks also include a wide selection of pipes (3-30 foot size range) and flanges (2-30 foot size range).

This large inventory enables APT to put together and despatch a complete set of components required by a specific project anywhere in the world as a single shipment. This saves time and costs as it avoids waiting for multiple shipments from the same or different suppliers. APT says it has sufficient inventory to replace the complete piping systems of two acid plants (3,000 t/d capacity).

APT also supplies valves and automated valve actuators. Valves stocked include gate, globe, check, plug, ball and butterfly types. These are available in iron, bronze, forged or cast steel, stainless steels (304, 316 and 310), alloy 20, hastelloys, chrome moly, titanium and Monel. These valves can also be supplied with PTFE, PFA and FEP linings. Additionally, APT stocks a range of internals for acid plant towers and converters, including ceramic packing and supports.