Chemical Pump Applications

With chemical processing, highly corrosive chemicals are often employed to aid in the manufacturing process, however, these materials can quickly wear down standard pump components. Learn how the EDDY Pump can be the top choice for chemical applications.

Chemical PumpsFree Quote

Some typical chemical processing applications for slurry pumps include:

Transferring abrasive and corrosive chemicals: Slurry pumps are used to transfer abrasive and corrosive chemicals such as acids, alkalis, and slurries, which can cause damage to other types of pumps.

  • Mixing and blending: Slurry pumps mix and incorporate chemical compounds, ensuring a consistent and homogenous mixture.
  • Filtration: Slurry pumps transfer liquids through filters to remove impurities and ensure the final product meets quality standards.
  • Solids handling: Slurry pumps transfer and handle solid materials such as powders and granules in chemical processing applications.
  • Evacuation of settled solids: Slurry pumps transfer the settled solids from the bottom of the tanks, clarifiers, or thickeners.
  • Dosing and metering: Slurry pumps transfer and measure specific chemicals in the production process.
  • Leaching and extraction: Slurry pumps transfer the slurry of reagents and ore in the leaching and extraction of certain chemicals.
  • Waste management: Slurry pumps transfer waste chemicals and sludge to treatment or disposal areas.

Overall, Slurry pumps are versatile and durable enough to handle the harsh conditions of chemical processing. They can transfer a wide range of fluids, including abrasive, viscous, and corrosive materials, making them essential equipment in the chemical processing industry.

Chemical Pump Applications:

oil and gas eddy pump

  • Chemical Manufacturing
  • Pumping Sludge From Semiconductor Industry
  • Corrosive Sludge Sumps
  • Cement Plants
  • Paper/Pulp Production
  • Chemical Slurry Recirculation

Chemical Pumping Problems

With chemical processing, highly corrosive chemicals are often employed to aid in the manufacturing process, however, this material quickly wears down standard pump components. Consequently, the pumps used for chemical applications need to withstand materials that are highly corrosive, abrasive, and viscous. This usually means that the top chemical pumps are made out of alloy metals such as nickel, steel or titanium. In addition, chemical pumps often need to be leak-free, preventing the potential to spread of toxic or caustic chemicals into the environment. Chemical pumps have vast applications in many different industries ranging from oil and gas, paper/pulp production, semiconductors, and manufacturing.

Centrifugal pumps are most often used for straight liquid chemical applications, but when thicker materials, such as chemical slurries, sludge, or paint are involved, it can cause a host of issues with pump performance leading to lowered pump efficiency and other costly maintenance problems.

For chemical pump applications, choosing the incorrect metallurgy can cause rapid pump wear which will inevitably lead to critical failures. The first step is a full understanding of the chemical pump application and the material to be pumped, which will guide the overall selection of the pump itself. Caution must be taken to ensure the material used to manufacture the pump is compatible with the target material.

Chemical Manufacturing: The chemical manufacturing industry relies heavily on the use of pumps to reliably transport viscous and corrosive liquids, as well as to keep personnel safe from toxic materials. When dealing with highly viscous and abrasive materials, such as sulphuric acid and lye, it is critical that chemical pumps be constructed of materials designed to withstand the harsh nature of these materials.

Additionally, the corrosive nature of caustic chemicals will quickly eat away the impeller of centrifugal pumps, leading to pump failures, costly repairs, and spare parts. The EDDY Pump has a high tolerance ultra-recessed rotor that withstands the corrosive nature of abrasive chemicals, chemical sludges, and slurries.

Semiconductor Sludge: The manufacturing of semiconductors produces toxic hydrofluoric acid sludge from the wet etching process. In addition, about 30% of industrial waste from semiconductor plants is a fluorine-containing waste. This waste can contain abrasive nanoparticles which can also be highly corrosive to standard pumps.

The EDDY Pump can be run electrically or hydraulically and can be mounted stationary or to a trailer with a self-priming unit. The electric EDDY Pump can also be submersible if needed. In turn, the EDDY Pump will run continuously with significantly less spare parts needed and saving facilities millions in total ownership cost over the life of the pumps.

Paint Sludge Sumps: In paint production and industrial processes that utilize paint, waste chemicals and sludge are collected in large sumps at the bottom of the production facility. Cleaning out paint sumps can be taxing on pump systems due to the natural viscosity of paints and sludge material found at the bottom of the sumps. These sumps need to be periodically cleaned out as they are filled with sludge to prevent excess buildup which could affect production.

Cement Plants: Production of cement using the wet process relies on pumps to move abrasive slurries of limestone, clay and other crushed particles through pipelines for mixing.

Pulp and paper production: In the paper manufacturing industry, heavy slurries of wood pulp, bleaches, and other caustic chemicals are constantly needing to be pumped from location to location. This slurry often contains abrasive material with large solids that have trouble passing through centrifugal pumps without clogging.

Equipment Options For Job:

EDDY Pump Equipment for Chemical Processing

The EDDY Pump can be deployed in various dredge configurations to optimize cleanup of sediment and manure transfer.  Some of the ideal deployments for agricultural pumping are Excavator Pump Attachments, Self-Priming Pumps, Submersible Pumps, Liner-Safe Dredges, Cable-Deployed Pumps, Autonomous Dredges, Spud-Dredges, and the Subdredge.

Self-Priming Pump

Most EDDY Pumps are submersible, with a self-priming unit, the pump and power unit are not submerged. The suction hose goes into the slurry and the unit acts like a super-sized wet/dry vacuum. This type of pump can remove air on its own and continue operation without assistance, making it perfect for mounting on a trailer that can be wheeled from location to location. Becuase the pump is not submerged, both the operation and maintenance of self-priming pumps are economical and relatively easy.

Submersible Pump

A submersible EDDY Pump operates by being completely submerged in liquid. These types of pumps are designed to work with the entire assembly, consisting of pump and motor, fully submerged in the liquid or medium to be processed. Submersible pumps do not need to be primed because they are constantly primed by being submerged in liquid. A submersible pump operates by pushing, as opposed to drawing, liquid during the pumping process. This is extremely efficient because the pump uses the head of liquid in which it is submerged to operate and no energy is spent in drawing the liquid into the pump. The motor is cooled by the liquid around it, preventing overheating.

Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment

Excavator Dredge for Fly Ash

The EDDY Pump Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment is one of our most popular units. Highly versatile for many applications.

The EDDY Pump Excavator or Backhoe mounted dredge pump is the quickest and most cost-effective way for a sand and aggregate plant to begin properly pumping.

The sand and aggregate mine in a matter of hours can connect the EDDY Pump attachment and cutterhead to one of their existing excavators and begin pumping slurries at distances of over two miles directly into their processing plants.

The Backhoe Pump Attachment makes it so that an operator with little or no experience with pumps and dredges can easily master hydraulic dredging in less than a day. The Excavator or Backhoe Pump gets pinned to the end of the backhoe boom and can begin dredging right away.

Please click here to see more about the proper pump and excavator size for your application: Excavator Dredge Pump Attachment Info 

Questions? Call Us: 619-404-1916

Tell us about your project. See the custom pump curve page and we can start the first step of a quote to determine if your project is a fit for our equipment. Contact Us Here

Chemical Pumping Scenario

chemical sludge pumping

Applications: Chemical Manufacturing, Pumping Sludge From Semiconductor Industry, Corrosive Sludge Pumping, Cement Plants, and Paper & Pulp Production

Application: Corrosive sludge sump cleanout. Removing sludge buildup and chemical waste from manufacturing sumps.
Material: Chemical sludge. Viscous, corrosive and abrasive.

Common Chemical Sludge Scenario:

The EDDY Pump is ideal for pumping corrosive and abrasive chemical slurries from sumps, pits, and open ponds.  

By mounting the submersible EDDY Pump to a chemical sump or collection tank, you will be able to handle the most difficult chemical pumping applications.  The EDDY Pump allows you to pump corrosive chemicals at distances over 2-miles at production rates of up to 600 tons of slurry per hour or 5000 GPM.  

Optional upgrade: Add a chopper, which gives you the ability to pump solids that tend to clog pumps such as rags and rope, eliminating the risk of clogging further downstream in the process.

Below are commonly distances we see, along with a pump curve to match the details. Contact us with your exact numbers.

Distance: 1500 ft
Vertical Rise: 50 ft
Production: 600 GPM

Equipment Used: EDDY Pump 6 Inch Submersible Sump Pump.
Power Options: EDDY Pump equipment can be powered by electric or hydraulic motor setups.  The ideal option is based on your project requirements.


Sales Quote With Custom Pump Curve

Do you know specifics about your project? Let us know and we can create your own personalized pump curve.


See How EDDY Pumps Are Better

Slurry and Fly Ash Video

If you have questions about your application, contact us.

Chemical Pumping Photos

Photos of recent chemical pumping and dredging projects.

Why EDDY Pumps Are Better – Highlights

This video shows how EDDY Pump beats out traditional centrifugal pumps when it comes to tough slurry and abrasive materials. EDDY Pump is the at the heart of all of our featured dredge pump equipment including the Remote Operated Subdredge, Diver Operated Pump and a Excavator Attachment Dredge Pump.

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