Application areas of diaphragm pumps

Diaphragm pumps are suitable for pumping different fluids. The safe transport of toxic, highly acidic or basic substances as well as abrasive, combustible and environmentally hazardous materials opens up numerous application options for diaphragm pumps in the chemical industry. In this industry, systems and chemical pumps for critical processes need to be safe and reliable. In practice, diaphragm pumps are used both for manufacturing various chemicals, often under extreme conditions such as high temperatures and pressures, as well as for precisely metering micro flows in laboratory environments. 

Diaphragm pumps are frequently used in the oil and gas industry. In oil production, for example, for chemical injection to treat oil, gas or water, and also for gas drying, diaphragm pumps ensure reliable operation and high process safety. Depending on the discharge pressure and flow rate, various materials can be used for the diaphragm. Elastomers and thermoplastics such as PTFE or metal diaphragms are common. 

Diaphragm pumps are also used in gas odorizing systems. In these systems, the pumps meter a strong-smelling gas into odorless natural gas or into LNG/LPG/CNG (liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, compressed natural gas). This is done for safety reasons, since escaping gas is highly dangerous. Leaks must be detected early to avoid explosions and accidents. For example, the diaphragm pumps are operated in odorizing systems at gas pressure regulation stations, "gate stations" or junction points in the natural gas distribution grid and in LPG odorizing at gas stations and filling stations. 

Operators in refineries and downstream applications also benefit from low-maintenance diaphragm technology. For special applications a remote head design can be used, a special design where the drive unit is spatially separated from the pump head, e.g. for manufacturing biofuels, since temperatures up to 400 °C occur in these applications. 

Multiplex diaphragm pumps are suitable for mixing various components into one end product. A process called "recipe metering" allows ingredients to be mixed together in various proportions. Thanks to the modular design, drive elements with different reduction ratios and stroke lengths can be combined. This allows the individual pump elements of the multiplex pump to run at different speeds and flow rates. Thus, various fluids, which may have drastically different viscosities, can be conveyed and mixed efficiently and cost-effectively using one drive. 

Diaphragm pumps with hygienic design meet the requirements of the food industry with respect to product sterility, cleanability, sterilizability and material surface roughness. Hygienic diaphragm pumps are used for manufacturing drugs and pharmaceuticals, metering additives, diluting buffers, and as a part of process chromatography systems. 

In general, diaphragm metering and process pumps are used when hazardous or highviscosity media need to be pumped or when dry running is a concern due to process conditions. Because the separating diaphragm ensures mutual shielding for the pumped fluid and drive, the diaphragm pump guarantees that the respective fluid is pumped safely, reliably and without leaks, thus solving one of the main problems with plunger pumps.