Ethanol has many uses from fuel additive for automotive to solvents and organic compounds for livestock feed. It is a colorless, volatile, and flammable fluid. Production of ethanol involves slurry solutions of agricultural crops, enzymes, and yeast solutions. Pumping requirements are demanding due to high slurry content.

Pumping Consideration

In pumping, the biggest problem is high slurry content. Slurry from raw materials can cause havoc on mechanical seals resulting in many leak issues. Not only that, a large amount of flush water is needed to keep the seal faces clean. The prospect of a leak, particularly in a refinery can be exceptionally dangerous and cause costly downtime. Many stages prior to obtaining pure ethanol require jacket heating of the pump to keep the slurry from solidifying and again destroying mechanical seals.

Wilfley’s cost-saving, robust metallurgy(s) and leak-free solution to pumping Sulfuric acid:

Wilfley’s dynamic sealing technology in combination with the Solidlock static seal offers a leak-free pumping system without the use of flush water. Pumps run without any external flushing system, providing a reliable operation 24/7 reducing maintenance time and costs. Wilfley’s WCD4 Duplex Stainless Steel can withstand the erosive nature of ethanol slurry.