Seal-less Regenerative Turbine Vane Pump Resolves Volatile Situation (World Pumps : June 1999)

The magnetically driven, Magnatex MPT regenerative turbine vane pump has gained praise as a superior pump for the safe and efficient handling of liquid fluorocarbons at a DuPont monomer processing facility in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA. Initially, DuPont process engineer, Scot Kessler, experienced difficulty in finding a pump with the performance characteristics to successfully address the tough pumping challenges of his application. Specifications called for a pump capable of performing dual roles. Positioned under the pot of a distillation column, the pump had to be able to circulate the highly volatile liquid fluorocarbons, as well as function to off-load the final product without cavitation. The process also required a pump capable of reliable operation under 2 ft of static NPSH while accommodating changes in line pressures up to 100 psi (6.9 bar). Additionally, the pump had to be capable of generating flow rates of only 2 - 3 gpm.