Preliminary trade fair report for the Hannover Messe (April 23 – 27, 2018)

Diaphragm metering pump with wide-range speed control enables more flexible adjustment of flow rates in the low-pressure range.

Additional exhibits: NIKKISO centrifugal canned motor pump and pulsation/cavitation demonstration stand

To provide products with consistently high quality, precisely timed, exact metering of all ingredients is extremely important for manufacturers in the food industry and, in particular, in the pharmaceutical industry. Metering pumps are indispensable for this. They can be controlled with the greatest possible precision regarding the quantity of ingredients and time at which they are added, while also ensuring gentle handling. At Hannover Messe 2018, LEWA GmbH is presenting a new wide-range speed control for the proven ecodos pump series, which makes it possible to achieve a stroke rate from 1 to 210 strokes per minute without needing to change the stroke length. The system is primarily suitable for solutions with multiplex pumps in the low-pressure range up to 20 bar, while also enabling a linear performance curve. Furthermore, the pump experts will be displaying a NIKKISO centrifugal canned motor pump and a pulsation/cavitation demonstration stand, where the pumping operation of a LEWA ecoflow will be demonstrated live.

For use in the food and pharmaceutical industries, all wetted materials of the LEWA Ecodos pump series meet the requirements of the FDA, USP Class VI and the EU directives for the food industry.

Moreover, the 1.4435 stainless steel applied here is the suitable choice for most requirements, as pump heads made of this material are designed for pressure ranges up to 20 bar and fluid temperatures of up to 80 °C. The pump head is made of PP or electropolished stainless steel with a surface roughness of < 0.5 µm in the hygienic variant. This makes cleaning the surfaces of wetted parts easier. The geometry of the pump head is designed in a way that residue from process media is reduced to a minimum. This also makes it possible to clean (CIP) or sterilize (SIP) the device easily on site. Thanks to the optimized dead space in the pump head design, the amount of process fluid in the working area can be kept low and the rinsing, emptying and drying processes can be carried out easily.

Metering accuracy of ± 1 percent with only one control variable

Until now, the combination of changing the stroke length and speed during operation of diaphragm metering pumps enabled a flow rate metering accuracy of ± 1 percent to be achieved in an adjustment range of 1:50. The new wide-range speed control from LEWA achieves this same accuracy simply by adjusting the speed of the servomotor or a controlled 3-phase motor. The stroke length is no longer necessary as second variable for varying the flow rate, this results in simplified handling. The wide-range speed control of the servomotors enables fully variable control of the stroke rate from 1 to 210 strokes per minute, four times more compared to earlier adjustment range. In addition, the servomotor provides the option of using the full torque at a speed of 0. This ensures that the system has a particularly gentle startup, as each process can be started with a delivery rate of 1 percent, compared to the otherwise usual 10 percent. This high variability can also be recognized in the linear performance curve. In test runs with triple to sextuple pumps, extremely low pulsation was noticed on the test stand. This means that the new wide-range speed control from LEWA is a simple and cost-effective solution, especially for metering tasks with multiplex pumps.

Sealless NIKKISO centrifugal canned motor pumps in accordance with API Standard 685 and ATEX Directive 2014/34/EC  

To mark the gradual takeover of the sale of sealless NIKKISO centrifugal canned motor pumps by LEWA GmbH, these will also be presented at the Hannover Messe. The special design of these pumps is primarily required for applications involving the transfer and circulation of critical—sometimes even explosive—fluids in the chemical and petrochemical industries. They therefore satisfy all the requirements of API Standard 685 and ATEX Directive 2014/34/EC. In addition, application-specific adaptions can be designed. The encapsulated and entirely leak-proof design, which has the motor located inside the pressure-resistant stator casing, allows for a sealless pump design. This minimizes both immediate and long-term hazard risks for personnel and the environment. The bearings used are slide bushings, which can be designed in various materials depending on the application area.


Transparent pump head makes fluid motion visible


Visitors at the Hannover Messe can also stop by a pulsation/cavitation demonstration stand, where various operating states of a diaphragm metering pump will be on display. This includes the behavior with low suction pressure and the influence of pulsation dampers and different pipeline designs. Thanks to the M 900 pump head being made of plexiglass, visitors can follow along as the operation of a LEWA Ecoflow diaphragm metering pump is demonstrated live. This provides valuable information for choosing the correct installation under various conditions and in various applications.

The LEWA team will be available on Hannover fair grounds in Hall 15 at the joint "Pumpe DE" booth in the PUMP PLAZA to speak with you and answer specific inquiries.

Your contact persons are our Area Sales Managers, Heinz Woldering and Torsten Krüger.