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PUMPS
IRN SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2013
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IRN
reports on new pumps and other news from companies
including SPP, Xylem, Pioneer Pumps, Eekels, Andrews Sykes,
Gorman-Rupp, Grindex and Atlas Copco Portable Energy.
P
ioneer Pump’s investment in its UK pump
rental fleet – now numbering 200 units - is
starting to provide opportunities outside the
UK, with rental contracts undertaken in Europe and
further afield.
In the Netherlands, Eekels Pompen BV recently cross
rented several high pressure pumpsets for refinery
work at Rotterdam’s Europort. Pioneer 250SH and
150CX pumpsets with spark arrestors and mechanical
shutdown equipment were able to halve the previous
cycle time on crude oil tank testing undertaken on
some of the world’s largest tank farms.
There are additional rental projects upcoming
involving high pressure and high flow pumpsets in
Eastern Europe and West Africa. Pioneer says these
applications tend to be seasonal, short and high flow,
which would not have favoured a pump sale solution.
Tom Nicholson, managing director of Pioneer’s
rental company, said he has been “staggered” by
the demand for its pumps and its turnkey services;
“Companies are renting 18” pipework and hose in
the same manner as they are smaller high pressure
pumps, which proves there is real demand for a more
specialist supplier in the European market.
“It does not matter to us whether this equipment
is needed in Ghana, Kuwait or Stanlow, the fact that
we have the kit, it performs and people focussed
on service with the backing of a strong investor, we
Gorman-Rupp’s Prime Aire Plus priming-assisted pumps are
available in sizes up to 8” (200 mm) discharge sizes and for
flows up to 1124 m3/hr (4950 gpm) and heads to 145 m
(475 ft). Suitable for both clear liquids and with large solids,
the Prime Aire Plus units are available with the latest EPA
Tier 4 compliant engines – a John Deere engine in this case –
or electric motors.
Grindex updates sludge and drainage pumps
Swedish pump manufacturer Grindex has launched “next generation” versions of its Minex, Minette, Minor,
Major, Master and Matador drainage pumps and the Salvador, Senior and Sandy sludge pumps.
Grindex says the changes improve pumping performance and reduce maintenance and spare part needs.
For example, the pumps have a new seal design with a robust metal housing that improves heat transfer and
sealing function for a longer life, and the pumps also have fewer parts, which reduces the risk of leakage and
speeds up maintenance.
The Minor, Major, Senior and Sandy have new lifting eyelets for hooks and the dry running performance has
been improved thanks to more and better air valves, and larger oil volume.
Features that improve robustness include new wear resistant impellers for the Minex and Minette drainage
pumps, a wear resistant coating of polyurethane for all sludge pumps and a polyurethane-option for the
Minor to Matador drainage pumps.
A further safeguard measure is the SMART motor protection system, which cuts the power if the
temperature gets too high or if it loses a phase.
Grindex technical engineer, Jonas Bladh,
says; “Many of the changes in this
latest generation of
pumps are based
on conversations
with our customers
and field engineers.
We’ve
listened
to what they have
to say, and where an
improvement could be made we’ve
made it”.
A Pioneer 150CM high pressure pumpset working at the Welsh
Slate Penrhyn Quarry.
Pioneer says rental
strategy paying off
have managed to make real inroads into the
markets.”
Simon Ruffles, managing director of Pioneer
Pump in the UK, said the demand for its rental pumps
was not having an impact on its sales business;
“Our group sales including rental will be up almost
threefold in 2013 with both sales and rental growing
strongly and we fully expect this to continue in 2014.
“We have launched six new pumpsets already in the
first seven months of this year and we will have a
further five by the year end including a new pumpset
capable of flows close to 40000 gallons every minute,
again a high performance pump previously unseen
on the European markets.”
