Sandpiper Pumps from Kelair Pumps Australia

Case Study
Sales Engineer Rudi Jahrig (QLD)

Sandpiper trouble free in fumed silica transfer

A resin manufacturer on Brisbane's south side had to add fumed silica into a mixing vessel. As many as ten bags had to be added into a 2 1/2 metre tall blending tank where the contents would be unloaded through the open manhole.

This material is being used as a thickening agent for certain resin products. Although the bags contain only 5 kilos of powder, they are very large due to the low specific gravity of the fumed silica.

Adding the fumed silica posed the following problems for the customer:

• The bags were difficult to manoeuvre up the vertical ladder.
• The emptying of the bags took a long time through the manhole.
• A lot of powder was wasted and the operator was exposed to the fine particles.

The customer looked into numerous possibilities to solve the problem, but equipment such as a complicated vacuum system was just too expensive.

Visiting the plant and listening to the problems, Kelair's engineer suggested a 2" Sandpiper air-operated double diaphragm pump.

The set-up involved a 2" aluminium Sandpiper pump fitted with Buna-N diaphragm, valve balls and valve seats.

A non-collapsible plastic hose was connected to the suction end and discharge of the pump.

The suction hose was fitted with a 1.2 metre long plastic pipe which could be inserted through a small opening in the bag.

The discharge hose was attached to the outlet of the pump in order to convey the powder to the top of the blending tank, which was fitted with a camlock fitting.

The diaphragm pump has been in service for more than two years on the dry powder application, with the following results:

• The emptying of a 5 kilo bag takes less than 45 seconds.
• The waste is close to zero.
• The operator is working on the ground and exposure to the silica is absolute minimum.

Over the past two years the pump has been completely trouble-free and has not required any spare parts.