Abrasive Fluid Pumps & Abrasive Pumping Tips
Masterflex® pumps are a top choice pump for abrasive product. Our peristaltic pumps handle fluid gently, thereby reducing tubing wear. With our pumps, fluid only contacts smooth tubing, meaning that particles won’t get clogged in valves or fittings. This is an important advantage peristaltic pumps have over other abrasive fluid pumps as the abrasive materials shorten pump life.
Follow the suggestions below to get the maximum performance from your peristaltic pump:
1. Choose Abrasion-Resistant Tubing
There are three levels of abrasion resistance:
- High. This includes Norprene® and PharMed® brands.
- Fair. This level includes Tygon®.
- Moderate. This level includes silicone, C-FLEX® and Viton®.
It’s simply a matter of determining what fits your lab’s budget.
2. Use an Adjustable Occlusion Pump Head
Pumps press abrasives - hard particles in particular - into the tubing wall, which causes wear quickly. But by using a variable occlusion pump head you can reduce tube squeezing (Figure A), resulting in less wear. That way you'll get the best out of your pump with the least amount of wear on the tubing by first increasing occlusion to prime the tubing, then reducing occlusion during pump action.
3. Select a Larger Tubing Size
Selecting a larger tubing size reduces the rate at which particles contact tubing walls. We recommend the following:
- Soft particles have an ID less than 25% of the ID of the tubing
- Hard particles should be even smaller in relation to the ID of the tubing (less than 5%)
Keeping these ratios will reduce the rate that the tubing is being worn from the inside (Figure B).
4. Slow Down the Speed of the Drive
Slowing down drive speed allows for gentler pumping action, which increases tubing life expectancy.
Since many slurries are also viscous, slowing down drive speed also increases general pump efficiency.
Learn More About Abrasive Fluid Pumps
Contact us today to learn more about Masterflex peristaltic pumps, tubing, and what we can do to optimize production and your process.