Transferring and Metering Liquids with High-Speed Diaphragm Pumps Page 1 of 7

Transferring and Metering Liquids with High-Speed

Diaphragm Pumps
by Erwin Bolt, KNF Flodos AG

Summary

Diaphragm pumps can be used for the transfer and dosing of liquids in many different
applica tions.This article concentrates on fast running diaphragm liquid pumps. It describes
the operating principle, construction and characteristics of the fore-mentioned pumps and
shows the technical advantages. It concludes with an example of the use of such pumps in
laboratory equipment.

Introduction

The tasks of transferring and metering liquids are as old as humanity. From history we know
that 3500 years ago the Babylonians used water-wheels for irrigating their fields; in the same
period, the Egyptians used metering techniques in the manufacture of medicines. Even before
the start of the Christian calendar, Archimedes had invented his screw pump, and the Greeks
used piston pumps for handling water. With the alchemists, metering liquids became
increasingly important.Today the liquid pump industry has developed to become a many-
faceted branch of mechanical engineering, and offers an extensive range of products for
applications ranging from analysis to water treatment.

Types of pump

For transferring and metering relatively small quantities of liquid, oscillating or rotary
positive-displacement pumps are generally employed.
The following types are oscillating positive-displacement pumps:

z diaphragm pumps

z piston pumps

z bellows pumps.

Rotary positive-displacement pumps include:

z peristaltic pumps

z gear pumps

z rotary piston pumps

z screw pumps.

This article concentrates on diaphragm pumps for transferring and metering small quantities
of liquids.

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How diaphragm pumps work

Fig. 1. Construction and operation of a diaphragm liquid pump.

The operating principle and construction of a diaphragm liquid pump are extremely simple
(see Fig. 1).The diaphragm is clamped at its circumference between the pump housing and
the pump head. An eccentric imparts movement to the connecting rod, which in turn moves
the diaphragm to and from. This produces a periodic change in volume of the working
chamber, similar to a piston pump. In combination with automatic inlet and exhaust valves,
this change in volume produces a pumping action. To prevent excessive stretching of the
elastic diaphragm, a support is arranged below the diaphragm.

Depending on the type of drive used, diaphragm liquid pumps can be categorised as high-
speed and low-speed pumps. Low-speed diaphragm liquid pumps operate at speeds up to
about 300 strokes per minute.The flow rate Q of such pumps enjoys a substantially linear
relationship to the speed of rotation of the drive motor. This makes such low-speed
diaphragm pumps especially suitable for metering in proportion to some process variable, or
for execution of a pre-determined number of strokes on receipt of a particular signal. The
flow rate can be varied, not only by changing the stroke of the diaphragm, but also in
response to change in an electrical signal, such as frequency (ac motor) or voltage (dc
motor).

Many requirements for transfer and metering can be met with simpler means. These are
potential applications for high-speed diaphragm liquid pumps. They operate preferably in the
range 2500 to 3000 strokes/min, that is to say 10 times as fast as their slow-running
counterparts. Their size, on the other hand, is in inverse proportion to their speed, so that
very compact dimensions are one of the particular advantages of high-speed liquid
diaphragm pumps. In a period in which miniaturisation is one of the main themes of
technical development, this has time and again been shown to be an outstanding feature,
particularly in comparison with other types of pump.

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Fig. 2. Performance curves for high-speed liquid diaphragm pumps NF60/61 DC and NF60 E.

The rest of this article concentrates mainly on high-speed liquid diaphragm pumps for
transferring liquids. Thanks to their outstanding vacuum performance they are also often
used for suction of liquids or air/liquid mixtures. The pumps are driven by ac or dc motors
directly that is to say with no reduction gear between the two. Figure 2 shows two typical
performance curves for a diaphragm liquid pump; it shows the flow rate in relation to the
suction head/pressure height for two different drives. So that the same pump can produce
different flow rates at given inlet and outlet conditions, this manufacturer equips some of its
products with an adjustable diaphragm support. With this patented system pumps can be set
at the factory to a particular flow rate. It also provides a convenient way of compensating for
the effects of the tolerances of components on performance.

Pumps with resonance chamber system and integral over-pressure

relief valve

Fig. 3. Mode of operation of resonance chamber.

Because of the high speed (up to 3000 strokes /min) special attention must be paid to

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avoiding cavitation. For this reason this manufacturer fits most of its products with a
patented resonance chamber system. The chamber is connected to the suction side of the
pump and works as a pulsation damper; it restricts acceleration peaks in the liquid on the
suction side of the pump, and thus restricts cavitation. Operation (see Fig. 3): in the
resonance chamber (9), an additional diaphragm oscillates at the same frequency as the
working diaphragm (1). During the exhaust stroke of the pump, the column of liquid on the
suction side is not forced to stop abruptly, but can flow into the resonance chamber. 'On the
next suction stroke, the column of liquid is not required to accelerate from a stationary
condition, instead the pump can use the speed remaining in the liquid. The effect is that the
resonance chamber system produces significantly better pump operation.

Fig. 4. Mode of operation of over-pressure relief valve.

There is a general danger with pumps that, because a filter is blocked or a valve accidentally
closed, they may have to operate against a closed system and hence undesirable operating
conditions. In such cases the pressure can exceed the permissible operating range of the
pump.To prevent this happening, KNF has integrated an over-pressure relief valve into the
pump head. A bypass, which connects the pressure port of the pump to the inlet side, is
closed by a spring-loaded diaphragm (see Fig. 4). If the pressure on the pressure side of the
pump reaches the setting of the over-pressure relief valve, this opens and circulates liquid
through the internal bypass from the pressure side to the inlet side, and back to the pressure
side. An adjusting screw enables the pressure to be easily and precisely set. Generally the
overpressure relief valve should be set about 0.5 bar above the normal system pressure.

High-speed liquid diaphragm pumps can be used for metering as well as transferring liquids.
Because of the large number of strokes per unit time, the relationship between number of
strokes and flow rate is not truly linear. Metering is therefore not, as for,slow-running
pumps, achieved by varying the motor speed, but, is dependent on running time or system
volume; the pump runs for a precisely defined time, or until a level sensor is triggered. The
precision of metering of a high-speed liquid diaphragm pump can be significantly increased
if a solenoid valve is installed either before or after the pump, or if a pressure control valve is
fitted to the outlet of the -pump. In this way, high-speed liquid diaphragm pumps can be
successfully used for metering even very small quantities.

In some applications the pulsation of a diaphragm pump is a disadvantage compared with

rotary pumps. These problems can be reduced by using pumps with mcre than one head. The
heads are then connected in parallel, and their eccentrics arranged so that they operate

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sequentially.

Characteristics

High-speed liquid diaphragm pumps have several important characteristics. They:

z are self-priming because they can also handle gases and gas/liquid mixtures,

z can run dry,

z are maintenance-free,

z have long working lives,

z are reliable, thanks to their simple and sturdy construction,

z are chemically resistant; all medium-contact parts can be made of chemically resistant
materials such as PTFE, FFPM or PVDF,

z can operate in any position,

z are very compact,

z are quiet.

Typical applications

An example of the use of high-speed liquid diaphragm pumps in laboratory equipment will
be described briefly. In medical diagnosis, blood analysis has a very important role.Today,
using photo spectrometry equipment, this analysis is almost entirely automatic. Blood
samples are fed to the analyser in sample tubes. The analyser prepares the sample by treating
it with certain reagents, and then examines its spectral properties. A computer processes the
results, assigns them to the sample, and prints them.

Fig. 5. Photo-spectrometric blood analyser flow diagram for the liquid system.

The sample is then passed to a disposal container, and the sample tube washed.

In the apparatus described, four high-speed liquid diaphragm pumps are fitted. Figure 6
shows the flow diagram for the liquids system. The first pump feeds the reagents to the

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sample tube; it is controlled by a timer for metering purposes. The second pump empties the
sample tube it operates as a transfer pump. Two further transfer pumps look after cleaning
the sample tube. One of them feeds a detergent solution into the soiled tube, and the second
sucks this solution out again. Because of the combination of properties described above, a
highspeed liquid diaphragm pump has proved entirely suitable for all these functions.

Fig 6. High-speed liquid diaphragm pumps from KNF.

Numerous further applications for high-speed liquid diaphragm pumps are to be found in the
following fields:

z analysers

z repro equipment

z the cleaning industry

z laboratory equipment

z water treatment.

Certainly the Babylonians, the ancient Egyptians, Archimedes, or the alchemists would be
astonished by some of these technical solutions. But technical progress does not stop here.
The trend to ever smaller products and smaller flow rates continues unabated. KNF Flodos
announced a new, product of small size which will precisely meter micro-litre quantities.

Fig. 7: KNF's new high-speed liquid diaphragm pump, model NF100KTDC equipped with a brushless-dc
motor.

Author

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Dipl.-Ing. Erwin Bolt

studied mechanical
engineering and production
at the Technical High
School in Konstanz. After
15 years international
industrial experience, he
joined the KNF Neuberger
Group in
FreiburgMunzingen,
specialists in the field of
diaphragm pumps. Since
1988 he has managed the
Group's product centre for
liquid pumps, KNF Flodos
AG in Switzerland.

Entire Web Site Copyright (c) 2005 by KNF Neuberger, Inc. (USA) - All Rights Reserved.

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