jacketed metering pump for molten sulfur

[thepumpdr]

I have experience with metering molten sulfur and would like to up grade my pump to something jacketed. I found a 40K usd$ unit which is kind of expensive for a pump that meters .1-1.5 liter per minute and is not fully jacketed.

So anybody out there that has experience with metering small quantities of molten sulfur?

anybody know of any companies that offer some nice jacketed metering pumps?

thanks!

 

[KenA]

I don't know about jacketed metering pumps, but you could talk to Controls Southeast about their controheat products
(

http://www.csiheat.com/Products/Bolt-On/Controheat/examples on pumps.htm)

 

[thepumpdr]

Thanks for that contact. I found a few fully jacketed plunger type metering pumps (they are hard to come by) and I decided on a unit that is made in india that costs much less than what I had found. What has me worried is that these metering pumps have a packing seal and will leak sulfur. I'm not sure how well packing can hold up to molten sulfur.

 

[irfan08]

thepumpdr,

I am in middle of setting up a proposal on metering skid for molten sulfur. I would love to pick up on your expertise in this matter.

appreciate it,

 

[thepumpdr]

Sure, I know my way around sulfur. Have been manipulating it hands on for 6 years now with success. Ask away.
I have quite the setup coming together now.

It went from incredibly simple and amazingly inexpensive to a very nice elaborate system that should prove to be easier to operate.

I build/install these systems, operate them and fix them from ordering the pump to replacing seals to steam tracing etc..

JTH

 

[irfan08]

thepumpdr,

thanks for your help.

Any good reading material about "how to design a Molten sulfur metering skid or anaything that will help me go in right direction.

1. Our client have (2) 3" 300# coriolis meter run with one master meter. Is this master meter a coriolis also? It has the same symbol on P&ID as for other 2 coriolis.

2. They have the pumps already with 30.7 m3/h and 12.4 bar pressure at operating temperature of 135C. Our scope is just to make the frame for coriolis meter piping, MOV and piping for master meter.

3. Piping is suggested to be 6" with line swaging to 3" flowmeter (coriolis) and MOV which is integral plug valve, steam jacketed to have a oversized flanges.

4. Should I have drain piping steam traced or jacketed?

Appreciate it,

 

[WhiskeySierra81]

We had similar issues with pumping molten iodine (MP=115C)..
Most of the pumps (including ceramic piston metering pumps with heat tracing, PTFE diaphragm pumps in a "hot box" thermostatically controlled to 130 C--I can give you references if you are interested) would end up either leaking at the seals or freezing.

One idea that we came across but were never fully able to implement (project ended) was having a feed tank and metering high temp (130C), pressurized liquid H2O into the tank. Exactly the same amount of I2 (or sulfur in your case) would be displaced into the process, assuming that there was no vapor left in the tank. This takes some design work (obviously) to make sure that there is adequate pressure relief in case the sulfur solidifies, etc., but it should be doable.

Possible holes that need to be investigated:
1) Make sure that the densities are significantly different so that you don't get an emulsion of the phases
2) I think that the equilibrium lies toward elemental sulfur and water, but make sure that you won't form H2SO3 or other compounds in significant quantities (sulfur chem definitely seems complicated)
3) Obviously, this could cause trouble if trace amounts of water will be an issue. We were desperate to find a way to get the I2 flowing, though, and this was one of the few promising, possibly repeatable ways within our budget that we could find.

 

[longeron]

The temperatures of molten sulfur are relatively low- 275-300F. Material compatibility of elemental sulfur is fairly easy. You should be able to get away with one of the more standard graphite/PTFE packings out there. As with other rotating applications you'll want to make sure that the packing is rated for the shaft speed.

 

[witchdoc]

Viking makes a jacketed gear pump that works well in molten sulfur service.