Selecting industrial pumps correctly – a guide from practice
Selecting a pump never starts with the catalogue but with the medium. Viscosity, solids content, temperature, density and chemical aggressiveness narrow the field of possible designs so far that usually only two or three principles remain. Only then follow flow rate, head and drive type.
Centrifugal or positive displacement pump?
Centrifugal pumps are inexpensive, robust and ideal for thin media at high flow. Their flow rate however depends strongly on back pressure. Positive displacement pumps – gear pumps, impeller pumps, air-operated diaphragm pumps or progressive cavity pumps – deliver a nearly pressure-independent constant volume and handle high viscosities. As a rule of thumb, above roughly 500 mPa·s you leave the centrifugal pump's territory.
The most common sizing mistakes
- Ignoring NPSH: the suction side receives too little attention – cavitation destroys impellers within weeks.
- Oversizing: an oversized pump operates away from its best efficiency point, consumes more energy and wears faster.
- Underestimated pipe losses: bends, valves and long hoses often cost more pressure than the geodetic head.
- Material chosen by price: the wrong seal material wipes out any saving with the first failure.
Tell us the medium, the flow and the back pressure – we clarify the rest in conversation. Half an hour of sizing often saves a whole year of trouble.VIPTech GmbH, Braderup
Distribution and manufacturer representation
We are Flojet distributor Germany, Delavan distributor Germany and Versamatic distributor Germany – see the ranges of Flojet, Delavan and Versamatic – and additionally represent renowned manufacturers of centrifugal pumps, gear pumps and impeller pumps. This combination lets us recommend across brands – we sell the pump that fits, not the one on the shelf.