Ceramics
Pumps built to last
ABEL diaphragm pumps are the perfect choice for applications that involve fine ceramics, such as the manufacture of porcelain, tiles and sanitary products, as well as in the technical ceramics industry. They are far more resistant to highly abrasive ceramic masses than other pump designs. In particular, our piston diaphragm pumps from the HM and CM series are used to transport kaolin slurry and abrasive ceramic slurry at high pressure, e.g. on spray driers and chamber filter presses.
ABEL Diaphragm Pumps have been proven reliable at plants throughout the world when used to convey silicates, such as feldspar, quartz sand, or silicon carbide. They are mainly used as pumps for feeding spray driers, In contrast to diaphragm pumps that operate with compressed air, ABEL diaphragm pumps also require an extremely low amount of energy, which cuts overall costs by a considerable amount.
Pump Applications in Ceramics
Transfer of abrasive ceramic slip and glaze
Filter press feeding for dewatering of ceramic and koalin slip – also filter cloth cleaning
Spray dryer feeding to produce granules/powder
Advantages of ABEL Pumps
Use Case in Spray Dryer Feed
In the ceramic industry, the spray dryer is the last phase of the powder preparation cycle. The greater part of this process involves spraying the slip into a current of air. A pump sends the ceramic slip under a set pressure through the spray nozzle placed inside the drying chamber.
Previous Problems with feeding Spray Dryers
The customer is one of the largest tile manufacturers in Japan. It produces many tons of tile powder per day, utilizing three spray dryer units. The use of existing vertical plunger pumps caused the following problems in the 24h process:
- leakage in the cylinder due to highly erosive slurry
- damage of the piston caused by grain content in the slip
- time-consuming and difficult replacement of spare parts due to complicated design
- very long delivery time of spare parts
- pulsation in the discharge pipe
Since spray drying is a continuous and precise process, these problems became unacceptable.
Spray Drying Process
The ABEL Solution
lt was soon realized that the ABEL pump is better suited for the process than the existing plunger pumps. The ABEL compact diaphragm pump can withstand highly abrasive slurries containing grains by using high strength polyurethane diaphragms and ball valves which do not allow any contact with precious internal parts of the pump, such as the piston and regulation devices. Due to the right use of material, no pollution of the ceramic slip with metallic or other particles.
The use of a large discharge pulsation dampener eliminates pulsation in the flow at any pressure and assures a continuous flow of the ceramic slip into the spray dryer. 24h Operation is guaranteed by having an operating pump and stand-by pump combination. The variable frequency drive controls the flow in order to compensate not only the wear of the spray nozzles but also to enable the production of various kinds of powder qualities.
