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No risks, no buts...

Throughout all areas of fluids handling there are demands for pumps to deliver
leak-free performance. Primarily, these demands are to be found in sectors where
the fluids being handled pose a threat to health, safety, the environment or where
the intrinsic value of the fluid is very high.
Where the fluid handling process requires the use of centrifugal pumps, preventing
both vapour and fluid leakage has to be a serious consideration...

Inherent risk of shaft seals


Centrifugal pumps containing
rotary mechanical seals can
and do provide very high
levels of fluid and vapour
containment, and are used
successfully in a great many
difficult applications. However,
an element of seal failure will
always remain should external
influences impinge on pump
or system performance. A
centrifugal pump that does
not contain mechanical seals
and delivers far higher levels
of leak-free performance is
the magnetic- drive pump.
More commonly known as the
mag-drive pump, all the driven
elements are enclosed within
the pump housing, so there is
no impeller shaft connection
to an external motor. Most
significantly, they offer high
levels of liquid and vapour
containment and are a highly
effective solution for a great
many challenging applications.

drive magnet and the driven


magnet. The drive magnet
is located on the external
assembly and is attached to the
electric motor, and the driven
magnet is encapsulated with the
pump housing and is attached
to the pump impeller. The
drive magnet turns the driven
magnet without there being
any physical contact, hence
the term magnetic coupling.
Because the pump and motor
are separated it is necessary for
them to be carefully aligned and
mounted securely on a base
plate during installation in order
to reduce the possibility of
misalignment during operation.
When load (torque) is applied,
the coupling deflects angularly
and the magnets create a force
of simultaneous attraction and

repulsion. This force is used to


transfer torque from the motor
to the impeller.
The permanent magnetic
coupling creates neither
slippage nor induction currents
during rotation, factors that
will contribute to increased
energy efficiency. Should
excessive torque be applied,
the magnets will de-couple
and not re-couple unless the
pump is stopped. There is no
energy loss in a permanent
coupling unless an electrically
conductive containment is
placed between the outer and
inner magnets. If an electrically
conductive material is used for
containment, eddy currents will
be generated, resulting in some
energy loss.

Mag-drive pumps remove the


need for rotary seals and as a
result, when applied correctly,
they eliminate up to 90% of the
problems associated with seal
downtime.
Working principle
Mag-drive pumps use a series
of magnets attached to the
pump shaft which is contained
within the pump housing.
Forming a seal-less unit,
the pump shaft is driven by
magnets on the motor output
shaft which is rotated by the
motor acting on the pump shaft
magnets through the housing.
Like conventional centrifugal
pumps fitted with mechanical
seals, the magnetic drive pump
is driven by a standard motor
which is connected to the
magnetic drive via the coupling.
The magnetic coupling consists
of two cylindrical magnet
assemblies, these being the

A volute casing with the end removed exposing the impeller. The
casing sections are sealed with an o-ring system, the material of
which is specified to be chemically and temperature compatible with
the transfer media. There is no frictional wear on any o-rings within
the pump so the fluid will be 100% contained.
Providing the pump handling the fluid as specified when ordering,
the operation should be flawless for a long service life compared to
other pump types.

Applications
The leakage that occurs in
traditional mechanically sealed
pumps can result in unwanted
costs for plant operators:
maintenance and environmental
damage being prime examples.
Up to as much as fifty per cent
of the cost of owning a pump can
be spent in the year after the
pump is purchased as a result of
maintenance issues. The leading
causes of high maintenance in
conventionally sealed pumps
include those associated with
mechanical seal replacement
and the premature wear of the
bushings and close-fitting metal
parts due to insufficient support
of the pumping elements.

are varied as the range is


readily available in metallic
and non-metallic construction
and can accommodate flows
ranging between 100lt/min
and 200m/h, pressures up to
200bar and temperatures as
high as 205oC.
Industry sectors where
these pumps have a proven
track record and are used
extensively include chemicals,
electronics plating, food and
drink processing, mining,
galvanic, pharmaceuticals,
steel production, tanker
offloading, and offshore oil
and gas production.

Verder Global stainless steel


pumps are a good option
when it comes to handling
HTF. In this application
the fluid can be at a high
temperature and pressure,
so if there was a leak in the
gland area of a mechanically
sealed pump the fluid would
pose a serious danger to the
operator. Designed for high
temperature and high pressure
applications, the build quality
of the components makes
them compatible with the most
aggressive fluids.
Where acids are concerned, the
Verdermag ETFE lined pump

Then there are the environmental


costs of leakage, which include
cleanup, possible system or plant
shut-down and environment
hazard fines and penalties. And
if there are wider environmental
issues to contend with, there
is the damage to a companys
reputation.
It would, however, be wrong
to single out the mechanically
sealed centrifugal pump as
being unsuited to pumping
media that require high levels
of containment. This pump type
has a dominant position within
the pump industry and has
nothing to prove when it comes
down to delivering excellent
performance in some of the
most exacting applications and
environments. What the magdrive centrifugal pump offers is
an alternative option that needs
to be considered when product
containment is the key issue.
Its design also means that it
can come into contention where
floor space is at a premium, for
it is a relatively compact pump
particularly where flow rates are
in the small to medium range and
pressures are modest.
The applications for the
Verdermag mag-drive pumps

Verdermag units installed in a fast-loop system ready to be


shipped to a petrochemical company. The fast-loop system
requires high pressures to maintain the homogeneity of the
oil necessary for accurate monitoring. The two Verdermag
units were both specified due to their ability to handle the high
system pressure and reliability.
Many of these systems are in remote working environments
where downtime carries an exorbitant cost. The pumps
provide peace of mind to the end user and contractor that the
heart of the system is always working.

has a proven track record. ETFE


is similar to PTFE but harder
wearing. In the case of the
Verdermag U series, the ETFE
lined components such as the
impeller, front and rear casings,
liner and internal magnet are
reinforced with 20% carbon
fibre to strengthen and increase
temperature capabilities to 90oC.
Caustic is a good example of
where the ETFE lined pump is
a sound option and Verders
customers have used this type of
pump on caustic as a gland leak
would cause a concrete base to
rot.
Hot water can be a challenge for
the mechanically sealed pump
and from a maintenance point,
pumping this far less exotic and
low value fluid could still call for
a mag-drive pump, with a heat
exchanger being a good example
of its suitability.

Above: A cross-section of a Verdermag non-metallic model. The


Impeller and all wet-side surfaces are encapsulated in ETFE which
is compatible with many aggressive fluids. The O-ring is also
visible, providing absolute containment of the fluid.
Below: A Verdermag high pressure metallic model, commonly
used in fast-loop systems, power stations and nanofiltration
processes.

Summary
In the past mag-drive pumps
may well have been expensive
to operate, as the impeller would
rotate more slowly than the motor
speed. This could add heat to the
media being pumped, but todays
generation of pumps through the
use of rare earth magnets can be
just as efficient as mechanically
sealed pumps. Mag-drive pumps
come into their own where there
are sealing problems, so when
users talk about balanced seals,
utilities, flushing, double seals or
cartridges, then it is time to start
looking at the mag-drive pump.

Verder UK supply pumps for virtually every chemical type and application. The Verder range includes
leak-free mag drive pumps, chemically inert non-metallic AODD pumps and peristaltic pumps.
Contact us for advice on specifying a pump for your urea process on 01924 221 001 or email
sales@verder.co.uk

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