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WEMCO is the market-leading brand of vortex impeller pumps used infood, wastewater and industrial processing applications where fluidscontain high levels of solids, fibrous materials and aggressive slurries.The strength of these pumps lies in their ability to operate in conditionswhere such fluids require a gentle pumping action or choking/fouling thepump impeller is a common hazard.

“Becoming the exclusive GB distributor for thisEuropean range of pumps is a significant developmentfor AxFlow, giving us greater exposure to problem-solving applications in all industries,” comments AxFlowManaging Director Tony Peters. “WEMCO recognisedthat with our nationwide teams of sales engineers andservice centres we would be able to provide the highestlevels of support for their extensive customer base.”

WEMCO's vortex pump technique is based on theprinciple of a whirlpool: a vortex is created by the

rotating, recessed impeller, extended into the suction line, drawing theliquid and solids into the pump, then quickly through to the discharge,whilst minimising the solids contact with the impeller and volute.

WEMCO Torque Flow pumps sign up

“The WEMCO heavyduty C Range of HighChrome Iron recessedimpeller pumps,containing the uniquecup-shaped or curvedimpeller, impeller backplate and two-piecehousing has a largeuser base in Great Britain,” continues Tony Peters. “We shall also beseeking to increase demand for the WEMCO A, WP, S and F ranges ofclose-coupled, long-coupled and cantilevered pumps.”

Commenting on our appointment, Mr R Shorer, President of WeirMinerals France said: “The synergy between AxFlow and our WEMCOpumps brand is more than obvious, representing tremendous businessopportunities. AxFlow is operating in the same markets in which wehave been successful, that is waste treatment, food and chemicalsamongst others. Our significant installed base on the one hand andAxFlow’s market presence and established industry contacts on theother, will certainly ensure a substantial growth for years to come.”

WEMCO has appointed AxFlow as its exclusive GB distributor for the European built range of

recessed impeller Torque Flow pumps.

2010 sales top £10 millionSales for AxFlow GB in 2010 exceeded £10 million for the first time.

Hitting an all-time high of £10.42 million, sales were up by 5% on 2009

reflecting the sixth consecutive year of growth for the Company.

“We set out to target £10 million,recognising that this was a tangiblemilestone even during a period ofeconomic downturn,” says ManagingDirector Tony Peters. “To haveachieved it by such an impressivemargin is fantastic and signifies thatAxFlow is a major force in the supply ofpumps and associated services toindustry and manufacturing throughoutGreat Britain.”

AxFlow’s ability to offer a comprehensive range of centrifugal, rotarypositive displacement and reciprocating pumps, spares and repairs isenabling customers to use the company as one source for all theirpumping requirements.

“We have experienced a positive response from customers to the localpresence that we are providing from our regional offices in London,Huddersfield and Aberdeen,” continues Tony Peters.“Customers really appreciate ourability to provide face-to-facetechnical support throughout thewhole of Great Britain.”

Tony Peters also reports that therehas been a significant increase inthe Company’s service and repairbusiness as more pump users havecome to recognise the benefits ofhaving ready access to a wide rangeof engineering technologies andconsultancy capabilities.

“We are succeeding by investing innew product developments fromsome of the world’s leading pumpmanufacturers and expanding our range of service operations,” saysTony Peters. “It is a policy that we shall pursue with vigour throughout2011 as we intend to continue expanding in order to grow market shareand provide even better support for all our customers.”

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Blackmer X and MLX positive displacementpumps have a proven international track recordfor offloading tankers completely and will dryrun for short periods in hazardous areas. TheBlackmer pump is widely regarded as thepetroleum industry standard for handling clean,low viscosity fluids and will satisfy low NPSHrequirements. These attributes were noted byStopford Projects when contracted to upgradetank offloading, blending bio-ethanol intogasoline and road tanker loading at severalterminals throughout the Midlands andSouth East.

For the bio-ethanol blending, the pumps had toprovide a flow of between 7 and 67m³/hr andbe capable of providing 5% ethanol for theaccurate blend. The bio-ethanol is injected infront of the gasoline stream header andbecause the gasoline line pressure varies adifferential between the ethanol injectionpressure and the gasoline has to bemaintained. Keeping the higher pressuremeant the Blackmer pumps operating at 11bar. Once blending has taken place, the fuel istransferred to road tankers for distribution.

Tank off-loading, blending and road tankerloading is normally performed on demand andundertaken in a single area. Blending close tothe loading rack minimises the risk of theblended fuels being contaminated andprevents them from going out of specification.Consequently, physical space for the pumpsetsis limited making compact pumps capable ofhandling these poor viscosity products withoutpremature wear an attractive proposition.

The Blackmer X and MLX pumps operate byemploying several vanes that slide into or outof slots in the pump rotor when the pump isrotating. Because the self-adjusting slidingvanes continuously adjust for wear, they keeptheir near original efficiency and capacitythroughout the pump’s life. There is no need toincrease the pump’s speed over time, so thepump is very energy efficient. With theBlackmer X and MLX pumps, once they are setup there should not be any reasons for makingadjustments for many years.

Following our presentations, Stopford Projectsand their customer specified the Blackmerpumps for all the sites and applications.In addition, we also supplied centrifugal pumpsfor adding denaturant bio-ethanol at one of the

sites. In order tocomply with therequirements forIP15 rated ATEXzones, we offereda designmodification forthe Blackmerpumps whichmatched theoriginalspecification for adouble mechanicalseal arrangement.

“When we firstbecame aware ofAxFlow’s previousexperience, our project was at an advanced stage,” says Maurice Worthington of Stopford.“Bringing our client into meetings with AxFlow was instrumental in getting a change to theiroriginal pump specification. AxFlow were able to bring Blackmer’s international experience in bio-ethanol to the table and it was this which helped to convince us, and most importantly, our clientas to the suitability of the pumps.”

Blackmer pumps for bio-ethanol blendingFuel suppliers throughout the UK have to ensure that a certain percentage of all fuel sold on their forecourts contains a minimum of 5% biofuel. For

most suppliers it has been necessary to upgrade their handling, storage and blending terminals in order to cope with changes in fuel blends, and this

has provided the perfect opportunity to promote our Blackmer sliding vane pumps.

Precision chemical dosing skidsWhen it comes to designing dosing skids for some of the most difficult liquids, you can always

count on AxFlow to come up with a pumping solution, even when the delivery deadline is a

challenge.

Stadis 450 is a chemical used to increase theelectrical conductivity of distillates and alsominimises the risk of electrostatic dischargeand ignition during the transport, handling andpumping of fuels. Being a highly volatile liquid,safety is essential when it is being added tofuels. Alongside this attribute is the need forhigh accuracy dosing.

Our Aberdeen facility has recently designed,built, tested and supplied two injection skids fordosing Stadis 450. Completed in just threeweeks, both skids comprised a precisionreciprocating air operated diaphragm meteringpump capable of delivering 2.8 lt/hr at 5.5 Bardischarge pressure.

These air operated pumps were selected toeliminate electrical supply requirements and fortheir easy operation and precise meteringcapabilities.

The flow rate can be controlled and calibratedto a high degree of accuracy using acombination of both stroke length and pumpspeed. This combination gives a turndown of100:1, with an accuracy of +/- 0.5%.

When our Service Base engineers were calledin by AMCO to make recommendations for thereplacement of the four Gwynnes 24-inch and48-inch mixed-flow vertical land drainagepumps which had been operating at the EastHull pumping station pumping station since1949, the cost-effective solution was repair notreplacement.

The first external inspection indicated that thepumps were in need of replacement. Whenlater removed from service for inspection it was clear that they could be renovated to astandard that would meet the futurerequirements of AMCO’s client, theEnvironment Agency. Most importantly, wewere able to undertake the renovation projectin a time frame quicker than a full replacementprogramme and at a more competitive price.

The two 24-inch pumps were found to be in areasonable condition, but the bronze bushes,sleeves and grease-lubricated bearings werefairly well-worn although serviceable. The two48-inch pumps did need more work and it wasnecessary to cast a new wear ring for the backof the impeller on the third pump as the originalwas cracked. When the impeller race wasremoved on this pump it completelydisintegrated.

The recommended course of action meantbalancing the impellers and replacing all thewearing parts such as bushes and sleeves onthe shafts on all four pumps. In addition, all thewhite metal Mitchell bearings were overhauled,the pads re-metalled, thrust collars skimmedand all the internal surfaces of the housingshot-blast and repainted.

The weight of the pumps, up to 12 tons, madeit necessary to dismantle them on site thenrebuild them back in Huddersfield once therefurbishment jobs had been undertaken tocheck tolerance and dimensions. The pumpsthen had to be dismantled again be rebuilt onsite. From first day onsite, through to havingthe pumps re-installed and ready to run tookour team just 12-14 weeks.

Old for new at East HullReplacement may at first seem the easiest option when pumps that are well beyond their design

life are removed during plant renovation, but this can be costly and may not always be the best

long term solution.

Hermetic predictsgrowth for cannedmotor pumpsThe world market demand for canned motor

pumps is growing as producers look to

address climate change and eliminate rogue

emissions, reports Hermetic Pumps.

Because it is 100% leak-free, the Hermeticcanned motor pump is considered to be thebest available technology available wherethere is any concern regarding productleakage to the atmosphere. AxFlow andHermetic have enjoyed a long workingrelationship and here in the UK we haveexperienced growing interest in thisspecialised area of pump technology. Canned motor pumps are characterisedby their compact and integrated design, with the motor and pump forming a singleunit with the rotor and impeller fitted on to acommon shaft.

The hermetically sealed can and the motorcasing offer primary and secondarycontainment, plus a low operating noise level.These factors make our Hermetic pumpssuitable for the safe handling of volatileorganic compounds. Where applicationsrequire a low flow, high differential pressureAxFlow offers the CAM and CAMR models,which are built with multiple impellers. Highflow and low differential pressure applicationsare met by the single stage CNF model.

MizAir trials boost energy savings

One of the UK’s leading paint manufacturers

has been putting the MizAir air flow control

system through its paces on large AODD

pumps, and the results have been truly

impressive.

The extensive trials were conducted by thepaint company on a 3-inch aluminium AODDheavy duty transfer pump, currently absorbingaround 125scfm (standard cubic feet/ minute)of air volume from their air compressor. “Whenthe MizAir was energised, it took just a fewpump strokes to register the pump’s air needsand programme the exact amount of airvolume required to complete the pumpstroke,” reports Peter Carfrae, Wilden ProductManager. “At the same time it also made surethat the pump was displacing the maximumliquid per stroke.”

The results supported all the publicity aboutthe MizAir, showing a reduction of almost 40%in the volume of air being used and a flowincrease of over 10%. Also, noted was aconsiderable reduction in the pump’s physicalmovement and noise level, due to the pumpoperating more efficiently and smoothly. Thisperformance should increase the pump’soverall MTBF.

“Our customer is currently conducting furthertrials around their plant to evaluate thepotential overall site air savings,” continuesPeter Carfrae. “In the meantime, the first orderfor our MizAir units is already being installed.”

AxFlow Ltd, London Head Office:

Tel: 020 8579 2111

Email: info@axflow.co.uk

Web: www.axflow.co.uk

Aberdeen Base:

Tel: 01224 729367

Email: infoscot@axflow.co.uk

Huddersfield Base:

Tel: 01484 543649

Email: service@axflow.co.uk

With nine models available giving capacities upto 124m³/hr and differential pressures of 10 bar,the MDL Series pump provides gentle producthandling characteristics, making it ideally suitedto handling viscous, non-abrasive and sensitivefluids where low shear is of major importance.Designed and engineered to conform to EHEDGcertification for the European market, this rotarylobe pump is easy to clean and is suitable for CIPregimes.

The MDL Series will satisfy the many middlerange duties and applications in the sanitaryproducts and food processing industries thatneed a positive displacement pump, but do notjustify the costs of high-end specification pumps. The pump’s four-way mounting gear case,including vertical alignment of ports, gives usersgreater design freedom when it comes toinstallation and is easy to disassemble/assemblefor service and maintenance. Furthermore, theunique design of the gear box ensures that thereis no cross-contamination of the lubricating oilinto the product zone. A single mechanical sealcomes as standard, but where required there isthe option of a flushed double mechanical sealthat can run dry indefinitely.

Introducing the Waukesha MDLA new hygienic rotary lobe positive displacement pump has been developed by Waukesha and it is now available to our customers in Great Britain.

The Waukesha MDL has been developed for medium duty sanitary applications within the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

Christmas crackerThis is a vertical 36'' suction, double entry

split case centrifugal pump which is used to

circulate millions of gallons of cooling water in

a coal fired power station. Having seen 42

years of service it needed to be freshened up!

Mark Redgrove Technical Service Manager

reports: “Repair turnaround was performed

over the Christmas / New Year holiday period

and involved new bearings, new casing and

impeller wear rings, new split mechanical seal

assembly, cartridge mechanical seal to

replace gland packing, complete

refurbishment and a repaint. Delivered 6th

January,” Job done!