When selecting a laboratory pump, why should you choose a hand pump or a drum pump? Drum pumps safely and easily transfer fluids from drums and barrels and other types of storage vessels with capacities of up to 200 litres. Manually-operated hand pumps are flexible and economical. They may be used for transferring fuel or water from containers into tanks. They also pump alcohol, oils, detergent, alkalis, or acids from tanks, carboys, or drums.
What are Drum Pumps?
A drum pump is designed to provide a safe and easy way to dispense or transfer practically any type of chemical from a container like a drum or a barrel. Drum pumps are called barrel pumps as well. Many different accessories, lengths, tubes, and models are available to meet diverse industry requirements. There are some that depend on manual operation using plungers, levers, or handles for dispensing fluids.
How Do Drum Pumps Work?
Drum pumps work by fitting on top of a drum opening via a narrow tube where a vertical shaft is housed. Drum pumps are also equipped with a small motor that attaches to the shaft and runs on DC or AC electric motor. This motor turns the drum pump on using a switch. After the drum pump has been actuated, the pumping mechanism on the base of the tube sucks the content out. The base of these tubes relies on either a rotor or a small centrifugal pump impeller. You can actuate some drum pumps by hand by using a crank. A piston pump can also be used for manual turning. Drum pumps may be used interchangeably, although there are some that are hard-wired to a barrel or drum.
Drum Pump Benefits
Drum pumps are a useful and practical option to transfer and empty out liquids in drums. The biggest benefit is the major subtleties that both electric operated and hand-operated drum pumps possess. Drum pumps offer other benefits including they are available in both non-metallic and metallurgic materials to minimise corrosion whenever the pump is being used with corrosive liquids, that they can be hard-piped to the system, and portability.
Drum pumps can be hand-operated or they might include electric-driven, variable-speed, and air-driven diaphragm pumps. The motor might be batch controlled for dispensing preset volumes automatically or be explosion-proof. The pump’s tubing material (stainless steel, PVDF, plastic) is critical and needs to be compatible with whatever chemical is being pumped. Drum pumps can come with short to long tubes and small to large container capacity. When drum pumps are mixed it helps to ensure that the media is properly homogenised and mix while pumping it in one operation as well.
Hand Pump Benefits
Hand-operated pumps are among the most economical and simplest pumps in the industry. They include rotary, siphon, piston, and diaphragm hand-operated drum pumps. The pumps are made out of PTFE, stainless steel, and inexpensive plastics. Some hand pumps have been designed to pump particulate laden or shear-sensitive fluids. Laboratories also use hand-operated vacuum pumps for siphoning, filtration, checking leaks, and more.
Why Should Drum Pumps Be Used?
Economical: Many drum pumps and hand pumps are available for users who are on a tight budget.
Safe Options: You can use air-operated drum pumps where electrical power might be unsafe or impractical hand-operated pumps can be a good choice when you need to use a disposable pump.
Flexibility: Adapters allow drum pumps to be used with a wide range of containers.
Compatibility: Available with various tubing set materials to make them compatible with your application.