29 Apr Applications for Prominent Pumps – When Precision is Crucial

While prominent pumps may be an apt name for th4se products given their exceptional performance characteristics, the title preferred by their German manufacturer is written as ProMinent®. The name describes a brand known and trusted globally as a leader in designing and manufacturing fluid metering and flow-management equipment for more than half a century.

The company’s products have gained applications in a wide range of industries, especially for those tasks in which precisely measured quantities of fluid are a critical requirement. While water is most often the fluid in question, the extensive range of prominent pumps includes models for metering other liquids and gases and even solids. Let’s take a closer look at some typical uses for these versatile devices.

The Oil and Gas Industry

Merely to withstand the inherently harsh environment in which this industry must often operate requires pumping exceptionally robust equipment. Furthermore, extremes of weather are among the least daunting of the challenges such equipment must overcome. Typically, the fluids to be handled are highly corrosive or abrasive and may also be toxic or combustible – challenges for which the exceptional performance of prominent pumps positions them as the metering solution of choice throughout this industry.

Onshore and off, these devices are essential to feed the measured doses of additives, catalysts and inhibitors required at various stages in the operation to ensure the flow of oil and gas is safely maintained. In addition to their robust structure, these pumps are also renowned for versatility. A single unit can drive multiple pump heads, and each can dispense either the same or different chemicals, as necessary.

Water Treatment Plants

Here also, prominent pumps play a crucial role in several operations. For example, sand filtration and sedimentation may fail to remove organic solids because they form fine colloidal suspensions. Water treatment plants often employ a dosing pump to add a measured quantity of a suitable coagulant or flocculant to overcome this problem.

Although it is not a regulatory requirement, the pH of drinking water influences its taste. Consequently, treatment plants strive to keep their supply somewhere between pH6,5 and 8,5, adding precise amounts of acid or alkali, as necessary. Once again, prominent pumps are frequently the chosen tool for the job. Furthermore, their characteristic high precision and chemical resistance also make this company’s products ideal for use during the final disinfection process. During this stage, precisely metered volumes of chlorine gas, its dioxide or, in some plants, ozone, are introduced to ensure the water remains free of microorganisms whilst en route to the consumer.

The Beverage Industry

Whether the beverage produced is bottled water, fruit juice or beer, ensuring hygienic handling will be as important as the ability to dispense consistent, precisely measured volumes. Both qualities have served to make prominent pumps a preferred choice throughout this industry.

In support of the industry’s diverse needs, the company supplies a range of motor- and solenoid-driven units with differing capacities and operating pressures for use in metering applications. It also provides equipment for generating and dispensing chlorine dioxide for sterilising bottles.

How Do These Pumps Work?

Dosing or metering pumps can take several different forms. However, they all rely on the action known as positive displacement and differ mainly in terms of the mechanism responsible for producing that action. For example, some prominent pumps act like a syringe, using the movement of a plunger or piston to draw in and then expel the measured doses.

Positive displacement pumps play a vital role in healthcare. Patients who undergo renal dialysis for kidney disease or keep their blood flowing with a cardiac bypass machine during open-heart surgery owe their survival to a positive displacement mechanism know as peristalsis. In this case, the fluid is moved within a flexible tube by the action of rollers that compress it, thus forcing the contents forward. Some prominent pumps rely on this peristaltic action. They operate smoothly and silently, working much like the small units used to provide air for home aquariums.

Other positive displacement mechanisms involve the use of screws, vanes, and gears, which provides end-users with a range of models for use in every conceivable operation involving the transport and measurement of fluids.

In South Africa, Prochem Chemical Pump Manufacturers are industry leaders. In addition to manufacturing our own standard and bespoke products, the company stocks and supports a wide selection of prominent pumps.

For more information, simply contact us today.