MechChem Africa November-December 2020

⎪ Products and industry news ⎪

Trash pumps for water with large solids

Dewatering activities on large construc- tion and infrastructure project sites is not always a simple task. In fact, pumping dirty water containing large amounts of debris calls for a ‘trash pump’, according to Henru Strydom, operations manager at Integrated Pump Rental. “Contractors often find themselves having to pump water that contains hard and soft solids suchas trash, gravel, stones, leaves and twigs,” Strydom says. “In many instances, the construction site needs dewatering tobedone at a consistent rate, while reducing the chance of the pump clogging from this kind of material. This is why a trash pump is a popular and reliable option, and it offers versatility in terms of its configuration.” Integrated Pump Rental, with its ca- pacity to design and assemble pump sets in-house, can customise these for users’ specific site conditions. “Our comprehen - sive pump rental fleet has included trash Senix ToughSonic ultrasonic transmitters performdistance and levelmeasurements with non-contact technology, requiring a minimum working distance to the liquid. Elevating the sensor has been one solu- tion, but now there is a better way. When used with the new Senix 90° adaptor, users can achieve the minimal working distance without raising the sen- sor for a more compact installation. The ultrasonic dead band is essentially inside the adaptor, so filling a container won’t interfere with measurement and the sen- sor’s maximum range is unaffected. This stainless steel adapter is now available for all one-inchNPT threadedToughSonic 3, ToughSonic 12, and ToughSonic 14 sensors. Senix ToughSonic sensors measure the liquid or other surface from above. They’re tough and used in some of the harshest factory environments any- where. Senixmakes them smart too. They come with Senix’s new Reference Target TemperatureCompensationtechnologyto eliminatedriftingfromdiurnaleffectssuch

pumps for some time, and more recently we have been tailor making trash pump sets for customers on request,” Strydom says. “By configuring the pump set to end-user specifications we can ensure the pump dewatering solution is fit-for- purpose,” he explains. IPR’s trash pump sets are usually trailer-mounted with a diesel engine for optimal mobility, but Strydom says these can also be static units driven by electric motors. Ensuringproper pump selectionmeans understandingbasic requirements suchas theheadheighttobepumped,thequantity and flow rate required, and the distance over which the water will be transferred. Trash pumps can typically handle solids of up to 76 mm with flow rates of about 110 ℓ /s, and a maximum head of 32 m. “Our self-priming, tried-and-tested trash pumps are often considered the real workhorses of the constructionpump

market,”Strydomnotes.“Apartfromdewa- tering sites, these canalsobe easilymoved into place where large pipelines have to be temporarily bypassed, for instance, moving largevolumes ofwater quicklyand dependably,” he says. www.pumprental.co.za Trash pumps from Integrated Pump Rental can typically handle solids up to 76 mm in size with flow rates of up to 110 ℓ per second, at a maximum head of 32 m. can control relays, light alarms, motors, and more. Steady, repeatable, accurate, easy to use and extremely rugged, thousands are installed throughout the world. Where a tank level requires a rugged, compact ultrasonic installation, there is an equally rugged Senix adaptor available. Senix sensors and adaptors are avail- able in South Africa through Instrotech. www.instrotech.co.za

Need to fill the tank and still measure the level accurately? asrapidtemperatureshifts.Theyarewide- ly used in closed tanks and stilling tubes, in open-airmonitoring for irrigation, stream monitoring, flood and tsunami warnings and sea level monitoring. They are also installed in heavy construction and farm equipment. ToughSonic ultrasonic sensors are exceptional for accurate object detec- tion in a variety of applications.

Easily connected to users’ equipment, Senix sensors have built-in switches that

When used with the new Senix 90° adaptor, users can achieve minimal working distances without raising the ToughSonic ultrasonic

transmitter for a more compact installation.

November-December 2020 • MechChem Africa ¦ 39