The air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) Pump is one of the most commonly used pumps in the industry due to its advantages over other pumps like centrifugal pumps. Walk into any heavy chemical usage factories in Malaysia and chances are that you will see multiple units of AODD Pumps in action.
Considering the quantity and importance of the AODD Pumps to an operation, it is critical to ensure that the AODD Pump works for as long as possible. Any breakdown in the AODD Pumps mean operational downtime and increase in spare parts consumption.
The irony of it all is that, while the AODD Pumps are used in huge numbers and in critical processes, many factories do not actually use them correctly, leading to premature failure of the AODD Pumps.
Here are the 3 most common mistakes leading to premature failure:
Wrong Material Selection
The AODD Pumps are usually available in several materials for each of the parts. For example, the body are available in Polypropylene, PVDF, Aluminium and Stainless Steel 316 while the diaphragm would be available in PTFE, Santoprene, Hytrel, NBR, EPDM, among others, depending on the manufacturer.
Using highly corrosive chemicals like Nitric Acid 68% or Sulfuric Acid 98% with polypropylene will see its operational life reduced compared to using them with a PVDF body.
If your liquid contains abrasive solids like metal chips or coagulant, using a PTFE diaphragm will see it wear out very quickly. Instead, you should use an elastomer like Santoprene whose abrasion resistance is higher. In the case of liquid containing metal chips like used coolant, a Stainless-Steel body would fare much better than a plastic ones.
Suction Condition
Is your AODD Pump placed far away from the tank outlet?
Is the suction hose or pipe smaller than the AODD Pump inlet size?
Are there many twist and turns between the tank and the AODD Pump inlet?
Have you restricted the suction flow by partially closing a ball valve?
These are all recipe for an early malfunction of your AODD Pump. Avoid these suction conditions like a pest and you will witness not just a longer operational life but also lower consumption of air.
Discharge Condition
If you are pumping a very viscous chemical to a location far away with the AODD Pump, then the probability of the diaphragm being torn is high. The life of the AODD Pump reduces further if the discharge pipe has many turns.
When faced with such a situation, you can simply follow what we did for a customer whose AODD Pump operated for 5 years without needing any change of spare parts.
All in all, while the quality of the AODD Pump brand does influence how long the pump can last, the material selection and installation condition have a greater impact on its longevity. Subjecting the best AODD Pump in the world to poor installation condition, it would still fail prematurely.
Autoflo Technology has been in supplying chemical pumps to industries in Malaysia for over 20 years. We are also the official distributor of the #1 AODD Pump from Italy: Fluimac Phoenix AODD Pump.
