Local pumps manufacturer Mather+Platt reports that it increased its stock of the Viking range of internal gear pumps in May. This is an attempt by the company to gain market share by reducing lead time.
Mather+Platt pumps division manager Dave Johnson claims to now have the largest ready stock of this type of product in South Africa.
“Positive displacement Viking internal gear pumps are used in mining applications across South Africa, where they transfer viscous fluids of up to 440 000 kinematic viscosity,” says Johnson.
The pumps also have applications in petro- chemical processing (bitumen, pitch and viscous oils), chemical processing (sodium silicate, acids, plastics, paints, resins, adhesives and mixed chemicals), pulp and paper (acids, soap, lime, kaolin and sludge), and the food industry (chocolate, butter, fillers, molasses and vegetable fats).
The internal gear pumping principle uses two rotating gears, which unmesh at the suction side of the pump to create a vacuum, pulling fluid into the pump. The spaces between the gear teeth transport the fluid on either side of a crescent to the discharge side, where the gears remesh to discharge the fluid.
“Mather+Platt’s Viking range of gear pumps is extensive, comprising six distinct lines,” Johnson points out.
There are universal seal pumps in 12 sizes, comprising heavy duty, foot-mounted models with enlarged bearing housings that allow seals and seal technologies to be exchanged without removing the pump from the flow line. Materials of manufacture include stainless steel, steel, ductile iron and cast iron.
The high-speed compact pumps, in six sizes, are recommended for medium- to heavy-duty applications with no speed reducer being required.
Johnson notes that the motor-speed pumps are manufactured in ductile iron and may be foot-mounted or close-coupled to international electrotechnical commission frame motors for a compact footprint.
The general-purpose foot-mounted pumps are available in 14 sizes, and are made from cast iron for medium-duty applications, with jacketing options also available.
The C-flange-mounted pumps are available in eight sizes, and are made from cast iron for medium-duty applications and do not require a speed reducer.
For applications in which leakage and fugitive emissions must be eliminated, or where downtime for seal maintenance would be problema- tic, there are mag-drive pumps in 12 internal gear and 22 external gear sizes to replace shaft seals with magnetic drive.
“Mather+Platt can also custom-build Viking pumps for special applications, including abrasive liquid pumps with hardened construction and silicone carbide seals; and ammonia pumps with double mechanical seals, pressurised seal chambers and oil reservoirs, lubricated idler bushings and adjustable return-to-tank bypass valves,” Johnson concludes.