The benefits of Thermoplastic Pumps

Very often, we at Shanley Pump and Equipment, Inc. get the question as to why anyone would use thermoplastic pumps instead of traditional metal pumps. A simple answer to this question is that a thermoplastic pump will have better resistance to some compounds such as acids, corrosive chemicals, and even seawater! 

Shanley Pump and Equipment, Inc. is the North American representative for Tecnium Corrosion resistant pumps. Tecnium is a world leader in corrosion resistant pumping technology by using thermoplastics for their pump designs. Thermoplastic pumps are often less expensive and will last longer than metallic pumps. 

Thermoplastic pumps such as Tecnium have chemical and abrasion resistance better than stainless steel and fiberglass (stainless steel will wear 10 times faster than thermoplastics...fiberglass will wear 5 times faster), which if you are using pumps for the movement of corrosive chemicals should be great interest to you. 

There are uses for Tecnium Pumps in acid production, desalination, seawater transfer (zoos and aquariums), food processing, plating,  petrochemical, steel production, and many more.

The benefits of using Tecnium are many including:

• Attention to quality control. Each pump is tested thoroughly before being released for sale.
•  Every impeller and casing is machined (not molded) to exact tolerances from pure, virgin plastic.  Molded plastic can have air bubbles, weak spots or irregularities in the plastic, which can lead to failure or sub-par performance.
• Tecnium plastics have no fillers. There is no carbon, clay or glass in the plastic that can affect chemical resistance.  Fiberglass will “wick” if there is a crack or break in the plastic, weakening the plastic and eventually causing catastrophic failure.  Fiberglass gets spongy when exposed to sunlight.  Tecnium pumps are armored for added UV protection.
• Tecnium vertical cantilever pumps run dry indefinitely and have no bearings or bushings in the liquid that could eventually fail.
• Less expensive than stainless steel or other exotic metals
• Pipe flanges are bolted into steel rather than to the discharge and suction flanges on the pump
• Mag-drive units run in “neutral” preventing damage when run dry.
• Plastic Pump Body is encased in steel to protect the pump from outside damage.
• Very low or no maintenance costs with operation

To give an idea of the flexibility of the Tecnium line, a few recent installations included:

• 8 vertical cantilever pumps constructed in polypropylene, PVC, and PVDF for a water plant at a California municipality (Picture enclosed).  Will be used to pump, Citric Acid, Sodium Bisulfate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Hypochlorite, Liquid Lime, Hydrogen Peroxide, and H2SO4.
•  A Zoo in the Southern US, pumping seawater for the Otter exhibit a BNB horizontal flexibly coupled polypropylene pump was utilized.
• An acid plant in the South for pumping acid spillage and acid tank transfer. A BHC close coupled horizontal and BAS vertical cantilever unit was used.
• For pumping spent acid in steel mill in Pa Acid was being transferred between trucks. A BTS vertical cantilever and BHC close-coupled was utilized.
• At an American Uranium mine.  There are over 100 Tecnium pumps moving some of the harshest chemicals in very harsh environments.

Contact a Shanley Pump and Equipment, Inc. representative today for more information as to how a Tecnium pump could benefit you and your organization.