Main Reasons For Using a Drum Pump

If you were to buy a new laboratory pump, would you choose a drum pump or a hand pump? Drum pumps are able to transfer fluids from drums and barrels to other storage solutions up to a capacity of 200 litres, in a safe and easy manner. On the other hand, manually-operated hand pumps are flexible and economical. They can safely transfer water or various fuels from containers into tanks. They can also pump alcohol, oils, acids and many other such fluids from tanks, and drums.

What are Drum Pumps?

Drum pumps, also known as barrel pumps, are machines that can safely and easily transfer or dispense various types of fluids from containers such as tanks, barrels and drums. There are many different types of drum pumps and accessories to cater to the requirements of a wide array of industries and areas of activity. Plungers, handles and levers are also available, in case there’s a need to dispense the fluid by manual operation.

How Do Drum Pumps Work?

A drum pump works by sliding inside a drum and along its narrow tube that hosts a shaft. The small electric motor attached to the shaft makes the pumping mechanism work. A switch turns the motor on and off. As the pumping mechanism moves, it sucks out the content from the barrel. At the base of the tube there’s a rotor or a centrifugal pump impeller. Some drum pumps don’t have a motor; they are actuated manually, with the help of a crank. Others use a piston pump to achieve the same outcome. Even though drum pumps are interchangeable, some of them are hard-wired into a barrel or drum.

What are the Key Benefits of Drum Pumps?

Economical and useful, drum pumps are among the best methods to empty out and transfer liquids in drums. Their biggest benefit is the extreme versatility of both manually-operated and automatic drum pumps. Also, these pumps are extremely portable and easy to integrate into most systems. They are available in both metallic and non-metallic materials, thus being able to withstand corrosion when they need to pump corrosive fluids.

Drum pumps can be manually operated, but also automatic, based on air or on electric motors. Motors can be explosion-proof or batch regulated, being therefore able to dispense incremental, preset volumes of fluid. The tubing material is very important, as it has to be compatible with the materials to be pumped. Drum pumps may feature tubes of different lengths and they can cater to various container capacities, starting from very small drums and barrels to very large tanks. Mixing drum pumps have to ensure that media are properly mixed and pumped in one go.

What are Some Important Benefits of Hand Pumps?

Manually-operated pumps are the simplest and the most economical pumps available today. There are several types of hand pumps: air operated diaphragm pumps, piston pumps, siphon pumps, and rotary drum pumps with manual operation. These pumps can be manufacturers from a wide range of materials that include inexpensive plastics, as well as stainless steel or even PTFE. Shear-sensitive and particulate-laden liquids require special hand pumps. Many laboratories use hand-operated vacuum pumps to check leads, filtrate and siphon, among many other operations.

What are Some Reasons to Use a Drum Pump?

Flexibility: When using the right adapter, these pumps can suit a wide range of containers
Compatibility: These pumps are compatible with virtually any application, thanks to the different tubing set materials available
Safety: Whenever electricity isn’t an option, air-operated pumps are the ideal choice
Economical: There are many fairly inexpensive hand pumps and drum pumps.