Solutions for Pumps

One of the key features of Belzona products for pump is their proven efficiency enhancement properties, which effectively increase pump performance.

Solutions

What makes us different?

Cost Effectiveness

• One of the key features of Belzona products for pump is their proven efficiency enhancement properties, which effectively increase pump performance.

Ease of Use and Safety

• Belzona products are solvent free and cure at ambient temperature, eliminating the need for hot work, and have been designed to be easy to use and as safe as possible.
• Belzona products are certificated to ANSI/ NSF Standard 61, which is suitable for contact with potable water.

Durability

• Belzona products are resistant to a wide range of chemicals and heat, and in addition provide excellent corrosion resistance. They also serve as electrical insulators, which eliminates galvanic corrosion.

Why does it work?

Belzona's products have been tested under strict laboratory conditions in the latest facilities of the National Engineering Laboratories (N.E.L.) and have been proven to enhance and improve pump efficiency. With their high hydrodynamic properties that reduce turbulence and tension on the surface, Belzona solutions allow fluid to flow smoothly and thus to maintain or improve its original head/ flow characteristics.

Benefits

By applying Belzona solutions, pump manufacturers could improve either the head of the pump or the flow going through the pump. In other instances, Belzona solutions could 'top-up' a pump's performance. Belzona 1341 Supermetalglide has been independently tested by N.E.L. (National Engineering Laboratory, Scotland) and was proven to potentially help enhance fluids flows by up to an impressive 6%.

Moreover, unlike traditional repair solutions, which are risky and costly, Belzona's coating systems can help end users (i.e. water plants or the food industry) to solve many of the typical problems encountered by used pumps, thus maintain/ improve pump performance as well as reduce power consumption costs without any health and safety issues.

Causes

In general, approximately 70 to 90 percent of the energy used in surface water treatment is for pumping. Pumps use mechanical forces to move gases, liquids, or slurries from one place to another; this fluid handling accounts for the largest use of energy worldwide; however, the efficiency in pumps decreases after years in service. The main problem is increased turbulence, caused by the detrimental effects of erosion-corrosion.

• The different forms of corrosion include uniform corrosion and localised corrosion (i.e. bi-metallic corrosion, deposit corrosion, pitting and selective dissolution).
• The different forms of erosion include impingement erosion, entrainment erosion and cavitation.

These lead to rough and pitted surfaces, which in turn increase friction, therefore reducing the efficiency of the system.

Environmental Damage

Consequences

Several problems can eventually lead to losses in pump efficiency, such as hydraulic, mechanical, and volumetric losses. This can have a number of costly implications, including:

• Poor performance
• High operating costs
• Unplanned outage
• Shorter service life
• Frequent maintenance expenses

It is therefore essential for companies and organizations to look for a complete solution to improve and enhance pump efficiency.

Traditional Maintenance Challenges

Some conventional maintenance solutions can be used to solve erosion-corrosion problems on pumps or to enhance pump efficiency. The solutions most commonly used for this problem are the selection of a different material for a pump and/or the application of various coating technologies.

Selection of the Material

The materials that are most commonly chosen, due to the cost, are conventional materials such as cast iron and stainless steel. However, the resistance of cast iron to corrosion and erosion is relatively low, which means this material is easily degradable; in the case of stainless steel, localised corrosion occurs when its protective passivation film is damaged. It also requires manpower and time to achieve a smooth metal finish.

Coating Technologies

Another way to reduce erosion-corrosion and to improve efficiency is to isolate the metal surface from its contact environment; a wide range of factory coating technologies can be applied, including glass flake coating, thermosetting polyurethane coating, modified solvented epoxy, and modified solvent-free epoxy; these have good corrosion protection properties. Nevertheless, these coating technologies possess some disadvantages, such as:

• Presence of VOC's that might cause health and safety issues and it is shrinkage.
• Relatively poor adhesion and resistance to erosion, cavitations and impact compared to conventional solvent- free epoxy systems.
• Brittle and easily damaged during routine maintenance.
• Hi-build that forms flow restriction.
• Limited storage stability
• Low reactivity at low temperatures

A coating system with high erosion-corrosion resistance and which meets international health and safety standard is therefore required.

History

Belzona has seen pump applications increase dramatically of late, as companies seek to minimise running costs by tackling the problem of reduced efficiency. With over 55 years of experience, Belzona systems and technologies have achieved enhanced efficiency in new and used pumps.

Many companies across the world also benefit from Belzona's solutions in fluid-handling related areas, including:

• Pumps
• Water boxes
• Valves
• Pipes
• Water tanks
• Impellers
• Turbine runners
• Filters and strainers

To find out more about Belzona products, please contact one of our technical support consultants or your local distributor for information.