Seal-less, valve-less hose pumps

Paul Boughton

Bredel Hose Pumps has added two new models to its APEX range of seal-less, valve-less hose pumps. Widening the APEX performance envelope to 6,200 litres/hour at pressures of up to 8 bar, the new APEX28 and APEX35 pumps offer significant capex and opex savings compared to other pump technologies in chemically aggressive or abrasive applications.

Recent international product trials across a range of applications have put the new APEX models to the test in process-critical abrasive slurry transfer operations. User feedback has demonstrated that, when compared with existing pump technologies such as air-operated diaphragm pumps and progressive cavity pumps, the new APEX models can extend the time between scheduled maintenance intervals dramatically.

The most notable feedback relates to significant reductions in abrasive wear on the previous pumps. For example, one of the trials undertaken in the USA showed that, while the user’s existing air-operated diaphragm pumps need to be maintained every 7 or 10 days, the APEX35 ran continuously for over three months without maintenance. Additionally, there was no requirement for compressed air which equated to another significant saving.

The results in the USA were not in isolation: a brine dosing application in Germany showed that during the first six months of the trial, the APEX35 required no maintenance whatsoever and the operator made huge savings over the downtime previously experienced each month with a progressive cavity pump.