API 610 8th Edtion Acid Pump
I need to procure a sulphuric acid( Strength 98%) centrifugal pump. But
the problem is that as per API 610 8th edition Table - G.1 and Table
H-1, for sulphuric acid strength > 85% , the pump material class is
S-1,(i.e. CS pressuer casing, CI impeller, CI inner case parts etc) and
for acid consentration 85%-<1% the pump material class is A-8( AUS
316 base parts).
In short, I want to point out that for higher acid
concentration pump materlals class suggested in API 610 is of lower
metallurgy, while for lesser acid consentration pump material class is
of higher metallurgy.
The size of the pump (flow required) will influence the type of pump
selected, as well as the acid strength and temperature influencing the
selection of material of construction. Chris0164 is correct in pointing
out the need for alloy material for lower concentrations. I would
reserve the use of PTFE lined pumps for weak acid services.
The
98% sulphuric acid could be handled in carbon steel tanks and piping, if
it is ambient temperature. Once the acid temperature gets above 100
deg F the corrosion rate is increasing to a point where other materials
are used.
The Charles Lewis Pump Co. (WEIR Group-ball valve) has a range of
vertical pumps for large flows of sulphuric acid and molten
sulphur. Large flows would be in the acid plants of 3500 tons/day and
more. Their standard pump casing is a process iron. Pump impellors are
hardened alloy.
In Europe the vertical pumps from Friatec Rheinhutte and from Ensival are commonly used in those large acid plants.
Small
flow pumps for neutralization / pH control service could be mag-drive
pumps of Alloy 20 casing and impellor. The mag-drive pump and the
vertical pump both avoid the leak problems of packing or mechanical
seals.
The Lewis Pump casing material is a somewhat proprietary cast iron
recipe. The grain structure has a compacted graphite structure that is
between that of grey iron's flake graphite, that of ductile iron's
spheroidal graphite, and that of the pearlitic grains of tempered(?)
steel. Their line of Lewmet alloys are used for impellors, flow
orifices, and valves where the higher velocities result in severe
errosion even for Alloy 20. The alloys range up in hardness to where
the parts are not weldable, and shaping is done by grinding, not by
conventional machine tools. If you check the Friatec Rheinhutte pump
materials, they seem to have a couple of dozen alloys of optional
materials.
The use of carbon steel for tanks and piping is possible
where flow velocity does not remove the suphate film that provides
protection to the metal. If the velocity goes higher than 2 ft/sec or
0.6 m/sec, then erosion does increase. Stainless steel can tolerate
some higher velocity, but temperature usually is limiting parameter and
the problems of packing / mechanical seal temperatures with severe weak
acid corrosion at the stuffing box / mechanical seal face will force the
pump material selection to Alloy 20 or higher.
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