A large number of disc pumps have been installed
at this sugar mill in Australia to replace centrifugal and positive
displacement type pumps. The previous pumps caused extensive damage
to the sugar crystals, by shearing them in the pump mechanism.
The disc pumps have solved this problem and
keep the sugar crystals in the magma intact during pumping. In
addition, the disc pump system can handle fluctuations in the amount
of entrained air in the magma, without cavitating or otherwise
failing in service. The cost savings are significant both in reduced
product damage and lower repair bills.
Case Study: Fruit
Juice Beverage
Product
losses have fallen from 20–40% to zero at a fruit juice plant in
Pennsylvania, using the disc pump. The juice contains extremely
delicate and shear sensitive gelatin fruit spheres; the previously
used Sine pumps degraded as much as 40% of the product. The
non-impingement pumping mechanism of the disc pump has reduced this
to zero.
Case Study: Cooked
Corn
A major manufacturer of corn chips in the US has standardized on the
disc pump system for pumping the delicate corn in their plant. The
company estimates that they are saving $10 million a year (ten
million dollars every year) by switching to disc pumps. The savings
have come from the reduction in corn product damage, from 17% to
0.5%.
The decision to standardize on the disc pump
followed extensive testing of several different types of pump for
transferring the cooked corn/water slurries, all of which caused
moderate to severe corn damage. The disc system also compared
favorably with the other types of pumps in terms of capital cost,
reduced maintenance and increased reliability.
Case Study: Chicken
& Chicken Parts
Disc
pumps have been installed at a recently built chicken processing
facility in the South following extensive testing of different pump
designs on the market (progressive cavity, positive displacement,
centrifugal, chopper and air-diaphragm pumps).The disc pump
equipment is being used in various applications throughout the
plant.
One of the toughest jobs is handling poultry
waste, consisting of chicken entrails, guts, heads and bones.
Because of the open design of the disc pump, clogging has not been a
problem even when pumping the large and stringy solids. Pumps are
also installed in the DAF (dissolved air filtration) area; pumping
blood (abrasive); pumping fluid from the blood coagulator (abrasive
and contains entrained air); and handling poultry fat (viscous and
shear sensitive).
The company has found the key benefit of
installing the disc pumps to be a significant reduction in
maintenance and downtime, and in the case of handling the chicken
fat, a higher quality product.
Food
Processing and Sugar Manufacture
Product
losses have fallen from 20–40% to zero at a fruit juice plant in
Pennsylvania, using the disc pump. The juice contains extremely
delicate and shear sensitive gelatin fruit spheres; the previously
used Sine pumps degraded as much as 40% of the product. The
non-impingement pumping mechanism of the disc pump has reduced this
to zero.
Disc
pumps have been installed at a recently built chicken processing
facility in the South following extensive testing of different pump
designs on the market (progressive cavity, positive displacement,
centrifugal, chopper and air-diaphragm pumps).The disc pump
equipment is being used in various applications throughout the
plant.