Tikkurila Trusts on Larox Pump Technology
Tikkurila, Finland based paint producer, installed the first Larox LPP-T65 pump in 2006. As a result of good experiences of the Larox pump technology, three LPP-T65 and four LPP-T40 pumps are successfully operating today.
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Process Conditions (DN40 emulsion pumps, DN65 dissolver pumps)
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Density
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1100 kg/m3, 2000 kg/m3
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Temperature
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25°C, 40°C
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Viscosity
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2400 cP, 3000 cP
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Pumping time
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2 - 3 h/day
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Flow rate
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7,5 m3/h, 12 m3/h
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Pump Pressure
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0.5 - 8 bar, 0.5 - 6 bar
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Medium
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Latex emulsion, paint paste
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Established in 1862, Tikkurila develops, markets and produces paints and coatings for the general public, professional painters and industrial users. As part of the international chemical industry group Kemira Tikkurila has seven production units in Europe.
Eight LPP-T65 pumps are operating at Tikkurila’s new Alcro-Beckers paint factory in Sweden. Both Tikkurila in Finland and Alcro-Beckers produce water based Latex in a similar processes including the following stages: pre-mixing, grinding or dispersing, finishing, tinting, filtration and filling in cans.
Larox Flowsys in the process
The LPP-T40 pumps are feeding emulsions to the dissolvers and to the finishing tanks whereas the LPP-T65 pumps are feeding colour paste from the dissolvers to the finishing tanks. After facing maintenance, environmental and process problems, Tikkurila decided to start trials with Larox pumps. The previously used screw, lobe rotor and diaphragm pumps had both mechanical sealing, which worn easily due to the hard binders in the paints, and double diaphragm pumps tend to have poor power ratio, and were noisy .The seal leakage created continuous maintenance demands. Also, as the pumped medium was then in contact with air, the paint got hard making the maintenance work even harder. The leaking wet paint on the floor was also a risk of injury to the employees.
The advantages of Larox pumps include dry running capability and no need for mechanical sealing. As only the hose is in contact with the emulsion, the LPP-T pump does not have any mechanical sealing which might start to leak. In Larox pumps the cylindrical rotor rotates along the hose and the process medium gets pushed forward through the hose. At the same time, the hose behind the compression point reverts to its original shape creating a suction effect at the pump inlet port. As a result, the hose bore gets filled with the medium. No backward flow can occur as the hose is squeezed tight by the roller. The Larox pump is also very gentle to the pumped medium and does not mix or shear it.
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