NETZSCH Pump technology for maritime applications: universally deployable displacement pumps ensure reliable conveyance of a very wide range of media

When pumps are used on ships and in ports, the technology must meet special requirements: this means the pumps should not only cope with a really wide variety of fluids, such as wastewater and lubricant oil, but should also be as space-saving, maintenance-free and easy to handle as possible. To cover the full range of requirements in the maritime sector, NETZSCH Pumpen & Systeme GmbH has developed three different product lines, which can be universally deployed as transfer and booster pumps on ships and wharves, as well as on offshore platforms – from fuel or sludge transport, through loading and unloading, to stripping.

Thanks to their special design, NEMO^® progressing cavity pumps can also cope with liquid media which contain solids, which means they are for instance frequently used on passenger and container ships to convey wastewater. The pumps are based on a rotor that turns in an oscillating motion within a fixed stator that is geometrically adapted to it. The precise geometrical mating forms conveying chambers during rotation which transport the medium from the inlet to the discharge side. Because the chambers are self-sealing, this not only prevents backflow, but also ensures that the conveyed medium is transported at stable volume and pressure, so that no shear forces and hardly any pulsation occur. With this displacement technology, the consistency, and especially the viscosity, of the medium are insignificant in terms of the product flow. This is why the NEMO® pumps, which have a capacity of up to 400 m³/h, are not only used for wastewater, but also for pumping media, including oil residues and sludge, on oil tankers and cargo ships and even mixtures of oil, gas and sand on offshore platforms.

In addition, a grinder, the NETZSCH macerator, which grinds or separates hard and heavy particles, can also be used for wastewater. It is installed in the wastewater circuit upstream from the pumps and thus provides a remedy when clogging or blocking occurs due to solid contents, because it is even capable of chopping up fibre entanglements. The grinder also prevents the blocking of other pumps in the system, as well as pipelines and further downstream equipment, and is used on passenger ships in particular.

The TORNADO^® rotary lobe pump is ideal for the maritime sector, as it has a particularly compact design, while at the same time ensuring a high flow rate. The TORNADO^® T2 type pumps in particular are specifically designed for the demands of use on the high seas: they not only take into account the limited space available on board, but also reduce expenditure on spare part stock and maintenance. Instead of a complex and bulky timing gear, the aggregate has an oil-free synchronised gear with belt drive which reduces the weight of the pump by at least 30% and ensures a very small installation depth. In addition, the whole mechanism is less susceptible to faults, which means the range of spare parts can be kept very low.