TECHNICAL FEATURE
drain TRADER
Upwardly Mobile with
ATEX-approved pumps A Mobile Pump?
If the first picture that pops into your head is that of a diesel-powered, generator-type unit, then fine; therewill always be a need – but aside fromdiesel not striking the right environmental chords,what if your mobile pump has tomeet the demands ofATEX? Chalwyn valves and SparkArrestors certainly do their job tomeetHealth&Safety requirements, but they do not, for example, control surface temperatures in theT4 range of 135°C. Such are the rigorous and sometimes complicated demands ofATEX that it is not uncommon for pump users to position control panels away fromtheATEX area in order to complywith the
regulation.Not the end of the world, but hardlywhat you’d call convenient. For an increasing number in industry though, that first picture of amobile pump is beginning to change instead to that of one with an electric-drive. “I think there’s still some lack of awareness that ATEX-approved electric-drivemobile pumps are available”, saidDavid Brown,Managing Director of Borger. “Theremust be”, he added,“because I’mquite shocked to see non-ATEX units still in use at some petrochemical sites”.
‘Electric-drivenmobile pumps leave costly diesel units laggingway behind’
Borger sellsmobile pumps that are diesel as well as electric, so Brown is keen to stress that he’s not on an anti-diesel crusade.Where needsmust, especially for emergency use where no power supply is available, there are no end of Borger pumps in operation, including, for example, in the Republic of Ireland,where they are used to combat
flooding.However, believes Brown,where mains power is available, electric-driven
mobile pumps – lighter, far less cumbersome and somuch better for the environment – leave costly (storage, transportation, labour) diesel units laggingway behind, “Diesel usually has to be bought in bulk too”, continued Brown,“and there’s the time involved of having to keep topping up a diesel mobile pump - plus the fact that such a large amount of fuel is used. But in a potentially explosive environment, anATEX-approved mobile pump is amust. Just recently for a petrochemical company,we built a customizedATEX-compliantmobile pump for transfer operations and removal of residues fromstorage tanks in an Ex zone 2 of their refinery”. Brown explained howin order to be able to use the pump everywhere on the rough refinery premises, themobile unit (including the drive) ismounted on a base-frame equippedwith fork-lift openings and crane lifting
eyes.Atelescopic loader or a crane transports the pump to its respective application
site.The fluids are often polluted with organic solids, so a filter systemis in place to separate themout.Without hardly any pulsation, tri-lobe screwrotors pump the medium,with only the lobe tips of the rotors needing replacement in case ofwear. “The unit is operated froma fullyATEX- compliant control cabinet on the actualmobile unit”, says Brown.“Thismakes everything so muchmore convenient for the operator. If defined pressures or temperatures are exceeded, the pump switches off automatically.And in order to protect against uncontrolled pressure surges, themobile pump is equippedwith aVariocap and a bypasswith rupture disks. Knowing that everything isATEX-compliant provides great peace ofmind”.
44 drain TRADER | October 2020 |
www.draintraderltd.com
Borger has also recently suppliedmobile pumps for amineral oil company’s refinery. The entire pump unit, including the pump itself, the drive and the control technology had to bemanufactured inATEX-compliant design. For flexible use on the premises, themineral oil company need to convey changingmedia and use themobile pumps for "pigging" the pipelines – on the basis that the highest degree of safetywould bemet for the potentially explosive atmospheres.
‘Moved through narrowaisles for transfer operations’
‘Mobile’is self-explanatory of course, so there is no end to the number of uses of amobile
pump.Aworld away fromthe strictATEX requirements at refineries,mobile pumps from Borger are also in use at…French vineyards. Custom-built, the stainless-steel pumps are moved through narrowaisles for transfer operations,with thewine producers able to set the required flowrate very easily via the control unit. Screwrotors convey thewinewith lowpulsation so that it does not foamup – whilst temperature sensors in the pump’s cover and pressure sensors in the suction and pressure lines ensure the highest level of safety and
quality.The pump can be operated via the Borger control unit or the supplied remote control. David Brown concluded:“Diesel-powered mobile pumpswill always have an important role to play. But fromrefinerieswith their strict ATEX requirements - to vineyards – and for all types of applications, electric-driven, plug-in- and-playmobile pumps offer big advantages. For being lighter, farmore cost-effective, safer and somuch better on the environment, they are an attractive investment – and a very good hire option too”.
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