A Carver Pump Story
Alloy 20 in Sulfuric Acid Applications
When no one else could answer the call, Carver Pump showcased their engineering and design flexibility for a power plant in trouble.
Cleaner Air
A byproduct of coal fired power plants is sulfur dioxide. If released into the atmosphere, it can produce acid rain, which is harmful to living organisms. Coal-burning power plants are required to use scrubbers or other methods to remove the sulfur dioxide from their emissions. This substance is then processed into sulfuric acid, diluted with water, and stored for proper disposal. Due to the corrosive nature of sulfuric acid, storage and handling equipment must be constructed of specific materials.
Finding the right fit
During a visit with a customer in the power generation industry, Carver Pump had the opportunity to solve a problem they were encountering with another manufacturer’s pump. The self-priming, non-metallic, PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) end-suction horizontal pump the customer was using in their sulfuric acid application needed to generate 9 feet of lift and was not holding up to the application requirements. These pumps were being used in their water treatment secondary containment section of the power plant that was part of the plant runoff collection system. Due to multiple breakdowns, occurring 4-6 weeks apart, and lack of support from their current pump supplier, the lead engineer sought a pump manufacturer to supply a new vertically-mounted pump for the sulfuric acid application.
The Carver team assessed the difficult conditions of service and considered a wide variety of horizontal and vertical pump configurations, as well as material choices ranging from composites to high performance alloys. To eliminate the potential cavitation problems that could be caused by lifting the fluid 9 feet, Carver proposed its GVS vertical sump pump series for the application. This pump line can be specified for depths of more than 22 feet and flow rates greater than 2500 GPM.
Submergence Depth
Up to 22 Feet
Flow Rates
Up to 2500 GPM
Making the switch
Carver chose alloy 20, a nickel-chromium-molybdenum-stainless steel alloy that is an ideal material to stand up to the highly corrosive sulfuric acid solution. Alloy 20 is corrosion resistant and commonly used in many sulfuric acid applications. The Carver Pump team has extensive experience with this alloy and judged it an ideal material for the wetted parts of the pump
The first set of pumps was delivered and has been in operation for nearly a year, we are currently working on the sizing for the next set of pumps needed in this application. Carver Pump recently redesigned the GVS series into the G2S series, incorporating many enhancements, such as combining the motor bracket and bearing frame into one rugged casting and adding a new bushing for efficiency.
Power Generation
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