If you’re looking for pumps used in paper industry, then you would have come across the term “non-clog pumps.”
While centrifugal pumps are ideal for transporting clean water and liquids with low viscosity, they cannot handle liquids with solids, abrasives, and other floating objects. Using a regular centrifugal pump to handle solids-containing slurries is devastating for the pump. It could lead to pump breakdown, downtime and loss of production. This is where non-clog pumps come into the picture.
In this guide, Sintech, the top paper industry pumps suppliers in India, walk you through the design, features, advantages and cons of non-clog pumps.
What is a non-clog pump?
The term refers to pumps with a specially designed rotor or a 100% recessed impeller. This design makes it easy for the pump to handle solid objects as large as the pump’s discharge width. Non-clog pumps are primarily used in industrial applications that require transporting slurries with high solid content. It’s mainly used in the following processes:
Paper manufacturing
Sewage treatment
Dredging
Mining
Oil and gas exploration
Food processing
Sugar manufacturing and many more
The Design on Non-Clog Solids-Handling Pumps
Solids-handling, non-clog pumps are a type of end-suction centrifugal pumps. But, unlike regular centrifugal pumps, they have a unique design. It combines a volute casing with an impeller, which creates a large internal clearance for the pump to handle large solids found in wastewater, slurries and other industrial fluids.
Additionally, specific solids-handling pumps used in paper industry have speciality designs. These include a vortex (open impeller) or a screw impeller that can handle longer and large solids. However, the one drawback with an open impeller design is that it isn’t as efficient as the other design. You have to balance efficiency and the size of solids handling needed as per your requirement. Since non-clog, solid-pumps have to handle abrasive liquids, they are made of stainless steel or cast iron.
Features of Non-Clog Solids-Handling Pumps
Non-clogging operations
Vortex-free design
Solids can easily flow out through the discharge
Prevents sudden changes in particle direction and turbulence
The fluid does not pass through the impeller
Suitable for liquids having big submerged particles
Ideal for handling slurry, pulp, and sludge
Are Solids-handling Pumps the Same as Submersible Pumps?
As one of the best paper industry pump suppliers in India, we often get this question from new customers. While both solids-handling pumps and submersible pumps are used in similar applications, they are NOT the same.
The primary hydraulic design of submersible and solids-handling pumps are the same. But, the similarities end there. Unlike submersible wastewater pumps, solids-handling pumps cannot be used in wet applications. They are installed in a dry pit that is located adjacent to a wet pit. On the other hand, a submersible pump is directly installed in the wet pit.
Do solids-handling pumps never clog?
This is another question that we often get from customers. While solids-handling pumps are referred to as non-clog pumps, they can clog if slurries with solids bigger than the pump’s handling capacity are introduced. So, professional pump experts prefer the term solids-handling pumps instead of the misnomer non-clog pumps.
Configuration of Solids-Handling Pumps
Solids handling pumps are highly flexible in terms of pump configuration. They can be installed either vertically or horizontally. Let’s take a closer look at these pump configurations.
1. Horizontally-Mounted Solids-Handling Pumps
They are mounted on a frame, just like standard end-suction pumps. The pump is installed on a baseplate next to the motor and coupled with a flexible coupler. Belts can also be used to configure solids-handling pumps. It can also be set up as a self-priming pump.
2. Vertically-Mounted Solids-Handling Pumps
Vertically-mounted pumps do not require the floor space occupied by horizontally-mounted pumps. However, pump removal becomes challenging in a vertical-setup. In a vertical-setup, the pump is positioned so that the motor is above the pump. The biggest advantage of a vertically-mounted pump is that it lifts the motor vertically, preventing motor damage in the unlikely event that the pump room floods. The motor can be fixed at ten or more feet above the pump, with the two connected by a universal-joint shafting.
Advantages of Solids-Handling, Non-Clog Pumps
Due to the design of the pump, sediments found in water do not clog the pump. This makes the pump ideal for situations handling water with mud, dirt and other residues.
Non-clog, solids-handling pumps have an open impeller. This makes it easy for larger objects to pass through without damaging the impeller. This feature makes it ideal for applications that handle slurries with dissolved solids like the paper industry, food processing, sugar manufacturing and more.
The two vane impeller design shreds stringy material to eliminate clogging.
Industries Used
Solids-handling pumps are used in the following industries:
Sugar manufacturing
Pulp and paper industry
Wastewater management
Fertilisers
Mining and more
Order the Best Solids-Handling Pumps
If you need help selecting pumps used in the paper industry, sugar manufacturing, fertilisers, chemicals manufacturing, mining and more, get in touch with our pump experts here at Sintech. With over three decades of experience manufacturing the best industrial pumps in India, we can help you find the ideal pump for your specific requirements.