Marine Pumps
What is a marine pump?
A marine pump is used to move or circulate sea water. For example, they are used in large salt water tanks that house marine life where it's important to make sure that the water is continuously circulated so that it stays clean, fresh, and livable for the animals or plants.
In other cases, marine pumps may be used to move sea water out of an area for purposes of construction or pollution control, or they may be used on boats, ships, or submarines to get rid of flood water that enters the vessel, or to move ballast or bilge on the vessel.
How do they work?
Because sea water is highly corrosive, marine pumps need to be much more corrosion resistant than standard pumps, and they must contain parts and pumping mechanisms that are less susceptible to wear and tear. Also, many are considered submersible pumps.
Marine pumps may be centrifugal pumps or positive displacement pumps. Positive displacement marine pumps are usually flexible impeller pumps made with rubber impellers that are not susceptible to corrosion. Many marine pumps also contain a filtering element that prevents any solids in the water from entering the pumping chamber and potentially clogging up the inner workings.
Expert Advice
Author explains the reasons why it's important to determine the right pump type and size when evaluating a pump for a slurry application.
Article explores some of the key principles behind positive displacement pumps and what makes them different from centrifugal pumps.
Incorrectly installed suction and discharge piping can create stresses on the pump casing and thus reducing the reliability of the seal and bearings. Read tips on how to eliminate this occurance.
Industry Updates
Godwin Pumps has officially changed its company name to Xylem Dewatering Solutions, Inc. the company announced this week. The company manufactures the Dri-Prime automatic self-priming, dry-running pump.
The McIvaine Pumps World Market report projects that pump purchases by the power industry will reach nearly $3.5 billion this year. The forecast puts the bulk of those purchases in East Asia, followed by West Asia and Western Europe.
SPX Corporation has completed its acquisition of CLYDEUNION Pumps, a global pump supplier and maker of technologies used in oil and gas processing, power generation and other industrial applications.
Pump Tweets
Here's a great read in The Atlantic highlighting the importance of water pumps -- and the man who repairs them -- to a small Kenyan village. In a farm town as small as Kikuyu, you're in serious trouble if the motor on your water pump breaks down, the writer reports. "Crops wither and die quickly in the sweltering heat. New motors are expensive, and out of the price range of subsistence farmers."
Colfax introduces an online energy savings calculator for oil and gas industry pump applications. The calculator allows head-to-head comparisons between centrifugal pumps and rotary positive displacement pumps in both single and multiple pump applications. Check it out at the Colfax website.
Frost & Sullivan has honored NETZSCH Pumps & Systems with the 2011 Best Practice Award for increased customer benefit. NETZSCH's customer focus and product innovation were a few key factors in winning the award. NETZSCH is a leading manufacturer of progressive cavity pumps, screw pumps, lobe pumps, metering pumps and other equipment.
Graco introduces a new hose pump that uses a single, oversized roller that compresses a low friction hose through a full 360-degrees of rotation. This design can put 40% less stress on the hose compared to conventional shoe pumps running at the same flow rate. The pump also has 50% more fluid flow per revolution than C-shape positive displacement pumps.