Pumps for many applications in the chemical industries A traditional DKM market For over 50 years, the chemical industry is one of the main applications of the DKM pumps in both mineral and organic chemistry, for basic and finished products alike. Special equipment and special accessories have been developed for certain markets, sometimes in collaboration, sometimes at the request of the chemists: check valves, diaphragms, pulse shock absorbers. In many cases, the products manufactured to fulfil the requirements of nuclear chemistry have been adapted to meet requirements in other chemical fields. DKM pumps are designed to operate 24/24 under industrial conditions. For these chemical applications, DKM mainly supplies double diaphragm elastomer hydraulic pumps with a capacity ranging from 0.3 l/h for dosing to 12 m3/h per head for positive displacement transfer, and metal diaphragm pumps when and where necessary. Specific Requirements
- A Range of Difficult Fluids
For chemical application, the range of dosed products is virtually unlimited. Products that are explosive, highly flammable, toxic, radioactive or simply corrosive or abrasive, or which contain suspensions: DKM enjoys wide experience in a comprehensive range of fluids and offers very considerable expertise in the choice of materials intended for applications in the chemical industries. Hence the choice of materials for components in contact with fluids – dosing chambers and diaphragms – is an extremely wide one, even where special applications are concerned. DKM’s flexibility and adaptability always provide the solution that is best tailored to the requirements of the process.
- Ease of Maintenance
The simplicity and robustness of the equipment, achieved thanks to DKM’s experience and compliance with API 674 and 675, ensure maximum availability of the installations. To meet the chemists’ need to guard against breakdowns resulting from non-optimised maintenance, a team of technicians provide a programme of scheduled maintenance agreed jointly with the customer and performed by specialists. A few concrete examples of products for the chemical industry: bromine chemistry: bromine dosing and injection pumps. Super K and Super KL drive mechanisms, with diaphragm dosing heads, fitted with reversible check valves to ensure complete draining of the check valves and the dosing head with no need for disassembly. Brominated products are extremely harmful, but the reversible check valves prevent any contact. Fertiliser chemistry: water + NH3, phosphoric acid, potash, sulphurous anhydride, phosphate. Methionine: dosing of phenol, methanol, sulphuric acid at different concentrations (flow rates 10 to 150 l/h with double diaphragm and metal diaphragm Super K and Super KL pumps), transfer and dosing of caustic soda, sodium cyanide, thioproprionic aldehyde and hydroquinone (flow rates from 800 to 4200 l/h, Super MD double diaphragm, simplex and triplex pumps, pressures 5 to 30 bar) HFA manufacture: injection of hydrofluoric fluids, dosing of fluoric organic compounds, chlorine and other halogen compounds. Polyester: dosing of catalysts, titanium oxide, pigments and ethylene glycol (several hundred l/h, pressures 5 to 35 bar: Super K double diaphragm and plunger piston pumps) and components (double diaphragm dosing heads fitted with variable profile preformed diaphragms).