Thermal separation process

The thermal separation process is a commonly used separation process in process engineering. In this process of thermal separation of media, part of the medium is evaporated by distillation and condenses elsewhere in the process. It is important to maintain the correct temperature window for the medium in question, as many organic substances decompose at comparatively low temperatures. The end product would suffer from considerable quality losses as a result.

Thermal separation process: The concentrate pump

In the thermal separation process, a concentrate pump is used in addition to the feed pump. The gear pump at the bottom of the column enables the gentle and uniform discharge of the concentrated medium.

The design, materials and pump size are based on the properties of the feed medium, in particular the changes generated by the column in terms of viscosity and rheological behavior of the fluid.


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If required by the process, a large pump inlet flange and optimized inlet geometry provide cavitation-free discharge even of highly viscous, viscous fluids.

Hydraulic heating by means of heat transfer oil allows not only the pump head to be heated, but also the discharged fluid.

The shaft seal is vacuum-sealed and designed in accordance with the TA Luft (German Clean Air Act). For example,buffered mechanical seals or combinations of threaded shaft seals and double, buffered stuffing boxes are used.   

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What are the special features of the concentrate pump?

The heating channels in the pump housing, which are arranged close to the friction bearings and gearwheels, and the heating channels in the pump covers ensure a uniform pump and media temperature. This ensures uniform temperature control and thermally gentle discharge of the sump product from the column.

Different combinations of seals are also available for different applications. For example, vacuum-tight shaft seals in the form of double-acting mechanical seals or threaded shaft seals in combination with stuffing boxes can be used.

Depending on requirements, the pump inlet can be designed in accordance with the inlet conditions. The condensate pump can also be optionally designed with materials other than the standard materials by means of a modular system. For example, if a medium has solids or crystals or even tends to deposit and must therefore be discharged at low speeds, robust or hardened materials are suitable.

Operating parameters

Pumptype
POLY
Flow rate l/min
strongly viscosity-dependent, can therefore not be specified exactly
Possible seals for this application
Vacuum-tight shaft seal, such as double locked mechanical seal or a combination of vacuum threaded shaft seal and locked packing gland. For low-viscosity media, the use of a magnetic coupling is also possible
Heating
hydraulic, if required