Today’s pumps, valves, and flow meters are being designed with greater accuracy and flexibility to handle a wide range of fluids, chemicals, and other materials. Demands for more reliable operation and lower energy usage dictate these parts be made of materials lighter than previously available, yet robust enough for high pressure, high duty cycle applications.

The performance and reliability of pumps and valves has gotten better, thanks to improvements in sealing materials and fittings, noted Dr. Joseph Kovach, Vice President of Innovation and Technology for Parker Hannifin’s Hydraulics Group. “Systems have become leak-free. We‘ve done interesting things with material and face sealing technologies.

Bent-axis designs are reducing the amount of friction in pumps and allowing higher operating speeds, Kovach noted. He added that some innovative pump designs now incorporate valves to regulate flow and reduce energy usage.

Here are some of the latest fluid handling products:

Ball Valves
Trunnion-style ball valves from Innovative Pressure Technologies (IPT)

Trunnion-style ball valves from Innovative Pressure Technologies (IPT), Erie, PA, handle working pressures to 20,000 psi. The valves have a bi-directional, trunnion-style enclosure and a blowout-proof, one-piece stem suited for severe-duty service in critical process isolation, hydraulic process fluid, and automated service with actuator applications.

The valves have independently adjustable, spring-loaded seats for long life. Standard port sizes are 316, ¼, ⅜, or ½ in. Standard connections are male or female NPT, M/P cone and thread, and H/P cone and thread. Fiveway valve configurations optimize process control, with an optional three-way valve for switching or diverting operation. Construction materials include type 316 stainless steel, glass-filled Teflon packing, and glass-filled PEEK seats and Viton seals.

High Pressure Pump
Flojet® Pentaflex Series 7.0 GPM high-pressure pump from ITT Corp.

ITT Corp., White Plains, NY, has unveiled its Flojet® Pentaflex Series 7.0 GPM high-pressure pump. The pump is constructed with co-injection mold diaphragm technology, which according to the company eliminates potential leak paths. The pump’s five-chamber design enables the pump to handle operating pressures exceeding 60 psi and self-priming capabilities exceeding 10 ft.

The pump is available in models rated 12 and 24 Vdc. It is made of Santo-EPDM and Santo-Viton to resist corrosion.

Flow Monitor
FlowHUB hydraulic flow monitoring solution from Webtec Products Ltd.

The FlowHUB hydraulic flow monitoring solution from Webtec Products Ltd., Milwaukee, WI, can replace up to six discrete hydraulic components, saving installation time and cost. It can measure, display, and signal alarm conditions, and transmit flow readings to a programmable logic controller or data acquisition system.

The flow monitor covers five flow ranges up to 100 gpm at up to 6000 psi. Custom and OEM versions are available. Applications include condition monitoring, preventive maintenance, component testing, and closed-loop control.

Metering Pump
MDP series progressive cavity metering pump from Seepex Inc

The MDP series progressive cavity metering pump from Seepex Inc., Enon, OH, has a rotating member made of a tough nylon called Xytel ST801. The material is reportedly unbreakable, resists abrasion better than stainless steel, and runs reliably at low speeds and under high pressure.

The pump meters low-to-medium viscosity fluids with repeatable accuracy of up to +/-1%. It is available in four sizes with capacities of 0.1 to 580 liters/hour and pressures to 12 bar. The pump can incorporate a specially designed electric motor with an integrated frequency inverter and forced ventilation, or with mechanical variable speed drives. Pump speed can be regulated from 0 to 600 rpm by a potentiometer or external analog signal.

Portable Flowmeter
Ultraflux UF801-P ultrasonic flowmeter from Flowline

The Ultraflux UF801-P ultrasonic flowmeter from Flowline, Hertfordshire, UK, incorporates dual processors that increase the speed of signal acquisition and accuracy of measurement to +/-0.5%. The meter can be used on pipe diameters from 10mm to 10m, and includes an integral logger with a data capacity of greater than six months and a 14-hour battery life.

The flowmeter can be set up and operated using the integral keypad or via software. External input options include current, voltage, pulse, frequency, or RTD input. Multi-parameter inputs can be accepted, and a thickness gauge input is optional.

Variable Speed Pump

The Industrial Variable Speed Metering Pump from Fluid Metering Inc., Syosset, NY, is a variable stroke rate pump for industrial process applications. It features a high-torque, three-phase variable speed motor suited to handle a broad range of fluid viscosities. Flow rates range up to 2,300 milliliters per minute. The pump’s CeramPump valveless piston design requires just one moving part in the fluid path. It is suited for moving viscous fluids.

Diaphragm Valve

The DR® Series radial diaphragm valve from Swagelok, Solon, OH, incorporates a single body valve design with a boreline seal that minimizes entrapment areas and enables users to align themselves with BPE standards. A single DR valve can replace complex weir-style valve assemblies, reducing system footprint.

The valve is made of Type 316L stainless steel with modified PTFE wetted single-piece diaphragms. It is available with sanitary clamp or butt weld end connections. The valves are designed for system pressures up to 150 psig and operating temperatures to 280°F. Five sizes from ½ to 2 in. are available with a choice of pneumatic or manual actuators in plastic or aluminum.

Electromagnetic Flowmeter

Targeted at process applications, the FlowMaster electromagnetic flowmeter from ABB Instrumentation, Warminster, PA, is available in sizes from 1/10 to 80in. The flowmeter has self-cleaning and double-sealed electrodes to enhance reliability and performance. The high-temperature design, combined with a reinforced PFA liner, prevents liner deformation and makes the flowmeter suitable for hot-fluid applications.

The meter’s backlit, graphical display can be easily rotated through 270° without the need for any tools, allowing field customization of the display. A through-the-glass control enables operators to input short, quick data for all user-specific parameters. All product versions use a common electronic cartridge to simplify installation and lower spare part costs and inventory.

The flowmeter provides redundant storage of data in both the sensor and transmitter memory to ensure measurement integrity. The onboard sensor memory eliminates the problems associated with pluggable data memory.

Flow Meter

The CI-2005 flow meter from Bowman Industries, Tuscson, AZ, is for applications requiring real-time metering control of chemicals. It handles flow from 0.05 GPH to 400 GPH at pressures from 20-300 PSI, with +/- 1% FS accuracy ensuring precision. A 4 line X 20 character digital display reveals human interface data with brightness & clarity with multiple user menus. RS232, 4-20mA, and relay outputs for set point control or loop control are standard. Programmable alarms, selectable engineering units, and field re-ranging are field friendly.

The part of the meter in contact with liquids is isolated from the electronics yet can be close coupled for easy installation, operation and maintenance. The absence of moving parts and a sub-venturi flow element guard against pump pulsations.

Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps
NASH Vectra SX series of industrial liquid ring pumps and compressors from Gardner Denver Nash

The NASH Vectra SX series of industrial liquid ring pumps and compressors from Gardner Denver Nash, Trumbull, CT, includes five models rated 1½ to 10hp. The pumps make it possible to reduce power consumption by 40% and water usage by 50%.

The pumps are designed with optimized internal passages and low operating speeds, ensuring reliable operation. Three versions are available: a high-vacuum version that provides efficient performance to 1in. HgA, a water handling version designed for large amounts of process water or carryover (up to 10 times the normal amount), and a compressor version for a wider pressure range. Both monoblock and pedestal drive arrangements are available. The pumps are constructed of cast iron with a type 316 stainless steel impeller and a corrosion-resistant pump body.

Sanitary Pump
PX2 Hygienic Series(TM) from Wilden Pump&Engineering Co.

The PX2 Hygienic Series(TM) from Wilden Pump&Engineering Co., Grand Terrace, CA, is designed to handle demanding sanitary and hygienic applications. It is certified to 3A standard 44-03 and EHEDG doc.2 and doc.8. The stainless steel pump comes with the patent-pending Pro-Flo X™ air distribution system, which enables the user to control flow rate as well as efficiency, simply by turning a dial.

Flow Valve

The NEX bidirectional flow valve from the Precision Fluidics Division of Parker Hannifin, Hollis, NH, delivers up to 250 mlmin of flow through a 0.030 inch orifice at pressures to 30 psi. It is available in 3 configurations: 2/3-way normally closed, normally open or 3-way distributor. The valve provides a response time of less than 20 msec (full cycle), with power consumption as low as 0.5 watts.

The NEX valve can be used as a standalone valve with tube connections, or in multi-station manifold mount applications.

Ultrasonic Flow Meter
F601 portable flow meter from FLEXIM Americas Corp.

A portable flow meter from FLEXIM Americas Corp., Edgewood, NY, the F601, performs non-invasive flow measurement with ultrasound. Clamp-on-transducers are rapidly fixed on the pipe. Only two transducer pairs are needed to cover the diameters most common in industrial applications (½ to 96in. OD).

With the flow meter, no zeroing procedure is necessary since calibration data and transducer parameters are saved in a transducer internal memory and automatically sent to the electronic unit upon connection. In less than 5 minutes, reliable values appear on the display. The meter’s lithium-ion battery allows more than 14 hours of battery-powered measurement. Remaining battery capacity is displayed.

Beside the standard version, F601 can also be delivered in a version with a wide range of signal inputs and outputs, and in a version with high precision temperature probes.

Leak Detector
M-1075-Y mass flow leak detector from InterTech Development Company

The M-1075-Y mass flow leak detector from InterTech Development Company, Skokie, IL, has a touch screen with simple and intuitive menu-driven operator controls. Embedded web pages allow managers remote monitoring, including interactive test parameter updates. A real-time display shows all leak test stages, and a data storage in-buffer stores up to 1000 test records.

Communication features include an Ethernet connection, USB port, and optional Wi-Fi. The detector has password protected operator log-in and is ad-hoc network capable.