The 'eccentric' alternative

ECCENTRIC disc pump technology is becoming a growing option for food production as an alternative to traditional lobe/circumferential-piston-style pumps. The versatility, reliability and sanitary operation of this technology make it ideal for an array of food applications – including the handling of yoghurts; ice cream; custards and chocolate; both low- and high-acid beverages such as milk and fruit juices; sensitive ingredients such as aromas for confectionary; and viscous liquids such as tomato sauce, mayonnaise, mustard and baby food.

French engineer André Petit invented the eccentric disc (or movement) principle more than a century ago. His eccentric disc pump technology revolutionised liquid and semi-solid transfer and handling operations, with the tar, asphalt and bitumen industries the first to fully embrace the new technology.

Building on Mr Petit's spirit of innovation, Mouvex over the years has added new technologies to its portfolio, including rotary vane and screw compressors, rotary vane and lobe pumps, peristaltic (hose) pumps, hydraulic coolers and flow meters. This has allowed the pumps solutions company to expand its global reach into a number of the world's most prominent industries, including the agri-food market.

No need for seals or hoses
Basically, the eccentric disc pumping principle has produced a family of pumps that does not need mechanical or dynamic seals to operate. This makes eccentric disc pumps perfectly suitable for the sanitary/hygienic operating conditions that are the hallmark of food production, processing and packaging. The eccentric movement principle features a disc inside a pump cylinder. This disc is driven by an eccentric bearing installed on the pump shaft. This creates four distinct pumping chambers that increase and decrease in volume as the disc is rotated by the eccentric bearing, which produces both suction and discharge pressures as the chambers move in pairs that are 180 degrees apart. This ingenious method of operation ensures that the fluid passes through the pump at a constant and regular flow rate.

This gives the eccentric disc pump an operation that is similar to that of a peristaltic pump, but without the need for any hoses, which can often fall victim to their own inefficiencies. During operation, the pump's disc is driven by the eccentric movement of the shaft allowing product to flow through both the pump's inner and outer chambers.

This style of operation eliminates any possibility of pulsation within the pumped liquid, and since the pump does not depend on clearances to facilitate product flow, any slip is negligible. Additionally, with the pump needing no mechanical seals, there are no surfaces present where products that are difficult to seal and prone to crystallisation – such as corn syrup, liquid sugar and glucose - can adhere and cause damage, which eliminates a maintenance concern.

Speaking of maintenance, eccentric disc pumps also feature CIP operation that does not require the vertical drain porting that robs lobe and circumferential-piston-style pumps of a good portion of their efficiency . When cleaning an eccentric disc pump, pressure is introduced to the back of the disc through a pumping chamber. When the flush pressure overcomes the spring, the disc moves away from the cylinder, and the cleaning solution passes through the pumping chamber. This allows a large amount of cleaning solution to travel through the pump, resulting in thorough cleaning and the elimination of the need for bypass piping.

All these features combine to make eccentric disc pumps as much as 30% more efficient than their lobe/circumferential-piston-style counterparts, resulting in increased productivity and reliability and reduced cost for the food-plant operator.

Applications in liquid and semi-solid transfer
Over the years, Mouvex has created many different styles and types ofNike Mens Shoes