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Think Sealless Smart

Why sealless pumps are the smart choice

Magnetic drive sealless pumps have many key design features for increased reliability, cost-effectiveness, enhanced safety and are very environmentally friendly. In addition magnetic drive pumps save time and cost on design, installation and operation.

 

By specifying an HMD Kontro sealless pump you can be absolutely positive that you have made the right decision. Combining cutting edge technology with over seventy years of expertise and experience, since we were the first in the world to develop the concept, our pumps provide complete peace of mind.

  • Completely Contained Sealless Design
  • Single Joint Casing and Containment Shell
  • High Efficiency Magnetic Couplings & Wet End
  • Modular Rotating Element Cartridge
  • Fully Confined Casing Gasket
  • Robust Magnetic Coupling
  • Wide Choice of Materials
  • Universal Connection Options
  • Interchangeable Components

HMD Kontro pumps are built to last.  We have many examples of extended pump life across our seventy year history, we have more experience than any other manufacturer. In many installations, HMD Kontro have run without maintenance for ten years and often even more.

In most HMD Kontro pumps we use silicon carbide bearings, a material so hard that under normal process and conditions it will not wear for many years. When you add permanent samarium cobalt magnets and the unique way we engineer our pumps, this results in a very long service life with minimal maintenance and cost.

Think Sealless – Please visit www.thinksealless.com

Sealless & API Standards

The API (American Petroleum Institute) standards are used to define systems, tests and equipment design predominantly for the oil and gas, petroleum and petrochemical industries. Whilst API 685 relates to sealless magnetic drive pumps, API 610 covers the requirements of mechanically sealed pumps.

Sealless API Standards

 

The API 685 Standard is for Sealless Pumps

The scope of the API 685 standard covers the minimum design, testing, dynamics, and metallurgical requirements for sealless centrifugal pumps.  Included are single stage pump designs for magnetic drive pumps of both synchronous and eddy-current / torque ring drive designs and as well as canned motor pumps.

API 685 was initially released in October 2000 and standardises the application of sealless pumps in petroleum, heavy-duty chemical and gas service industries.

HMD Kontro has been building sealless magnetic drive pumps for oil and gas associated industries to API codes since 1983 and has a long association and history with the standard. The second edition of the standard came out in February 2011 and HMD Kontro pumps fully conform to this updated version.

For further information on our comprehensive GSP range of pumps including vertical, or high-pressure versions, please see the GSP product page.

Think Sealless Survey – Final Chance to Win £100

Please take a few minutes to complete our questionnaire.

All good things must come to an end and that is true of the Sealless Survey. The final date to submit an entry and be included in the free prize draw is fast approaching, Saturday 30th April 2022.

Remember, all entrants to the Sealless Survey before the end of April 2022 will be entered into the prize draw, and three lucky people will be selected at random to win £100 (or the local currency equivalent) in Amazon gift cards.

Think Sealless Survey

The completed surveys we have received so far have been incredibly useful to us in knowing what you love about sealless pumps and the questions you may have.

Thank you to all those that have taken the time to complete the survey. We will be assimilating all the data and using the results to further improve our sealless pumps as well as publishing the results and replying to any questions raised directly.

Think Sealless – Complete the Sealless Survey today

Think Sealless Survey – The Take to Date

Survey Still Open

Thank you to those that have completed our ‘Sealless Survey’, which seeks to assess operators’ experience and to establish specifier and user priorities in terms of the benefits of sealless pumps.  The survey is still open for a few weeks for others to input and advise their opinion.

Sealless Survey Results

Early indications reveal that the primary uses stated for sealless pumps at present is for chemicals (87% of respondents) and industrial applications (46%). Collectively 52% of respondents would also consider sealless pumps for upstream or downstream oil and gas processes.

When asked which attributes of sealless pumps were considered important, specifiers cited safety as a key factor, closely followed by environmental concerns.

Process operators highlighted a range of fluids where safety is an issue, including hot fluids or high temperature processes and acids – ranging from mildly acidic to sulphuric acid and HF acid. Confidence too, was seen as a major factor, in respect of assuring zero leaks and preventing failures or breakdowns.

Additionally, with no need for seal support systems and reduced instrument wiring and configuration requirements, the magnetic drive design is easier to install and maintain, an important consideration for specifiers, with reliability and low maintenance on the list of attributes recognised as key by early survey respondents.

To find out more, please take a look at the full article featured on page 19 of the IPE March-April magazine. This can also be seen on the Industrial Pant & Equipment website.

 

Be a part of it

There is still time to contribute your views. The survey, which takes very little time to complete, can be accessed at Sealless Survey – HMD (calib-rate.com/hmd/sealless-survey)

To demonstrate our thanks for helping with the research, we are offering those who complete the survey the chance to win one of three £100 (or local currency) Amazon vouchers. All responses will be put forward for the draw, which will be made at the end of April.

Sealless & ISO Standards

The International Organisation for Standardisation is an independent organisation that oversees, creates, and promotes internationally accepted standards for numerous industries, ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to technology. ISO safety symbols are recognised across all countries and in all languages for increased hazard awareness and safety compliance.

Think Sealless Standards ISO

 

  • The ISO 15783 standard specifies the requirements for sealless rotodynamic pumps which are mainly used in chemical processes, water treatment and the petrochemical industries. It includes design features concerned with the selection, installation, maintenance and operational safety for magnetic drive pumps.
  • The ISO 2858 Standard refers to all end suction centrifugal pumps and specifies the main parameters and the pump designation. It details the principal dimensions, mounting details and nominal duty point of end-suction centrifugal pumps having a maximum operating rating of 16 bar.
  • The ISO 5199 standard specifies performance requirements including minimum bearing life and construction features such as general layout. In some aspects, including maximum permissible vibration levels, ISO 5199 is more stringent than ASME B73.1.

HMD Kontro pumps comply with all relevant aspects and specifications of ISO pump standards.  In addition, our manufacturing and business processes also comply with ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 standards. Additional details are shown on the certification and compliance page of our website.

For further information on HMD Kontro sealless pumps built to the ISO standards, including the CSI, GSI and GTI ranges, please take a look at the products section of our website.

Think Sealless – Standards

Pumps using sealless technology can be supplied to the relevant international standards including API, ASME, ANSI and ISO. These relate to the compliance of pumps and their components in regard to efficiency, dimensions, design, testing and dynamics. You can be sure of complete compliance as our magnetic drive pumps are built to the relevant standards, without deviations. The manufacturing and design of HMD Kontro pumps is also fully in accordance with ISO 9001.

Think Sealless Standards

 

ASME Standards

ASME is the registered trademark of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the leading international developer of codes and standards associated with the art, science, and practice of mechanical engineering. ASME B73.3 is the ASME specification for sealless horizontal end suction centrifugal pumps for chemical processes. This standard applies to horizontal, end-suction, overhung, radially split, single-stage sealless pumps and defines both dimensional and best-efficiency head and capacity parameters (ASME B73.1 is the equivalent specification for mechanically sealed centrifugal pumps).

 

ISO Standards

This is the International Organisation of Standards and is an independent organisation that oversees, creates, and promotes internationally accepted standards for numerous industries.

ISO 15783 is this standard specifies the requirements for sealless rotodynamic pumps which are mainly used in chemical processes, water treatment and petrochemical industries. It includes design features concerned with selection, installation, maintenance and operational safety of the pumps.

ISO 2858 is an international standard and refers to end suction centrifugal pumps and specifies the main parameters and the pump designation. It specifies the principal dimensions, mounting details and nominal duty point of end-suction centrifugal pumps having a maximum operating rating of 16 bar.

ISO 5199 specifies a variety of performance requirements including minimum bearing life and construction features such as general layout and seal configurations.

 

API Standards

API sets the standards in the oil & gas pumping industries.  The API (American Petroleum Institute) standards are used to define systems, tests and equipment design and are predominantly used in the oil and gas, petroleum and petrochemical industries. Pumps that meet these standards are some of the highest quality available in industry.

API 685 relates to sealless centrifugal pumps for use in petroleum, heavy duty petrochemical and gas industry services and covers the requirements for both magnetic drive and canned motor pumps (the equivalent API 610 standard relates to mechanically sealed pumps in the same industries).

 

You can read more about the individual standards for sealless pumps and to which we work on our Certification & Compliance page. Think Sealless. For more information about our sealless pumps and their adherence to international industry standards, please browse the rest of our website.

Think Sealless in 2022

Make This The Year You Think Sealless

Why wouldn’t you?! Given the significant benefits, many of which also make them the sustainable choice, isn’t it time to Think Sealless pumps?

With the removal of process leaks and all of the dangers and hassles that can result, minimal maintenance, reduced staff time and skill requirements for pump operation, longer MTBF and more uptime, magnetic drive sealless pumps offer an ideal solution.

Think Sealless in 2022

Any previous myths and misgivings about sealless pumps have been addressed. Efficiency has been improved with the HMD Kontro ZeroLoss containment shell, reliability issues and dry-running are prevented by a range of protective instrumentation options, short lead times have been provided with the modular CSA / CSI range and if you want to be really, really safe, secondary control and containment options are available.

Make this your resolution. To Think Sealless in 2022 for that next new pump project. Happy New Year. Please see www.thinksealless.com.

Sealless Survey – Win a £100.00 Amazon Gift Card

Whilst at HMD Kontro we live and breathe sealless, magnetic drive pumps, now seems a good time to pause and ask you to help us understand what you think, to give us a better understanding of whether you and the market, in general, are thinking sealless?

Whatever you know or don’t know, we are very happy to learn either way. We are looking for those who are familiar with and users of sealless pumps, and those who don’t know them at all or may find them a little unfamiliar.

Sealless Survey

To encourage you to complete the short questionnaire, we are giving three people that respond an Amazon Gift Card worth £100.00 (or the local currency equivalent). Names will be drawn from all those that have entered when the survey is complete.

It will only take a few minutes and you can remain anonymous if you wish. So please click the button below to get going.  We would love to hear your views and thank you in advance for your valued input, opinions and answers.

Sealless Survey

Think Sealless Skills

How Sealless Pumps Save on Staff Time and Costs

Staff and people are a major cost of any operation. The need to employ the necessary number of people and their skill level can mean the difference between a plant being economic or too expensive to run. This key factor can be evidenced by the way that production has moved to parts of the world where employment costs per hour are lower.

Due to the simplicity of a magnetic drive sealless pump, the ease of commissioning and minimal maintenance requirements means that not only are less people required but also that significantly less specialist skills are needed. This makes them eminently suitable for plants in areas where skilled people may not be readily available.

 

The minimal maintenance also means that less man hours are required per servicing and for any routine requirements.  Even when specifying sealless pumps less design time is needed, with fewer HAZAOPS considerations, less system documentation and minimal specification of instrumentation.

To save staff time and costs, Think Sealless. Please see www.thinksealless.com.

Think Sealless Safety

Why sealless pumps are safe and secure

Minimising the impact of manufacturing and other operations on your staff plus the local and wider environment is an essential, legal and a moral obligation.

 

Any leak is a potential hazard. Sealed pumps, by their operation, are designed to leak. They often also require seal support systems, which have the need to be maintained and topped up on a regular basis.

Sealless pumps are self-contained. The pumped product or liquid is completely enclosed within the body of the pump. The containment shell provides a complete mechanical barrier, preventing leaks, escapes and emissions. There is no reliance on any external system or method of leak prevention.

Lower-cost alternatives often require additional systems and ancillaries, all of which also have the potential for leakage, spillage and cross-contamination. Some even require that the recovered liquid that has been emitted, for example, across the seals, be captured and disposed of safely, which in itself incurs further restrictions.

Health & safety is everybody’s responsibility, from the production and maintenance staff on the shop floor right up to the members of the board.  Magnetic drive pumps are hermetically sealed  eliminating the risk of leaks or emissions and so offering significant health and safety advantages. For further details please see www.thinksealless.com

Think Sealless? – Do you? And what do you think?

Whilst at HMD Kontro we live and breathe sealless, magnetic drive pumps, now seems a good time to pause and ask you to help us understand what you think to give us a better understanding of whether you and the market in general are thinking sealless?

 

We are on a quest to find out about your views, preferences, and thoughts on sealless pumps and your answers will be extremely helpful to us.

Whatever you know or don’t know, we are very happy to learn either way.  We are looking for those who are familiar with and users of sealless pumps, and those who find them a little unfamiliar, but might like to know more, because a sealless pump may be relevant in the future.

It will only take five minutes and you can remain anonymous if you wish. So please click the button below to get going, we would love to hear your views and thank you in advance for your valued input, opinions and answers!

Sealless Survey

 

Are You Thinking Sealless?

Recent Press Articles Discuss the Think Sealless Initiative

Are You Thinking Sealless?

Recent articles in the specialist processing press discussing the Think Sealless concept demonstrate the versatility across different applications for liquid handling. Depending on which sector you work in, you can select from the links below to read an article appropriate to your industry:

If you have not experienced the use of sealless pumps previously, then consider them for your next application. Recent technological advances have made them even more efficient and versatile.

It is time to Think Sealless. The above articles provide further information, but additional details can be found in our Think Sealless section of the website.

Think Sealless – Simple Servicing

Why sealless pumps are simple to service and maintain

Thanks to a modular construction and the ability to dismantle HMD Kontro sealless pumps without special tools, periodic servicing and maintenance of magnetic drive pumps on-site is simple and straightforward.

 

The simple design of HMD Kontro sealless pumps also means that they are usually site repairable with minimal maintenance skills required. Other benefits include:

  • No complex seals or sealing systems.
  • Easy cartridge replacement.
  • Only basic tools are needed.
  • No need for vibration monitoring.

The unique HMD Kontro cartridge design means minimum spares. Indeed, the modular construction and many common components, such as the liquid end bearings, means less spare parts stock and inventory for further reduced operational costs.

Reduce your servicing skillsets and make savings. Think Sealless. Think HMD Kontro Sealless Pumps.

Think Sealless Situations

For situations involving high temperatures, high pressures and volatile substances, plus many more where regulations are strengthening and safety is paramount, magnetic drive pumps are the clear choice.

When it comes to these applications in the chemical, oil, petroleum, gas production, agrichemical, pharmaceutical and general process industries, including those that involve toxic, fine, corrosive and aggressive liquids, our sealless pumps deliver the rock-solid, completely leak-free, performance that engineers demand and that industrial regulations require.

 

Thanks to the complete containment of the liquid, sealless pumps, are suitable for pumping the vast majority of liquids, especially those applications where fluids present difficult and/or costly sealing challenges.

Examples include: acids, solvents, fluids under pressure, heat transfer fluids, volatile liquids and oil, hazardous liquids and expensive fluids. Also, those fluids are pungent, radioactive and crystallising.

You can find out more about the applications and parameters of our pumps on our sealless sectors website page.

Think Sealless

Why You Should Switch to Sealless

The mean time between failure (MTBF) for magnetic drive sealless pumps is typically three times that of mechanically sealed pumps.

According to a report by the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive, mechanical seals are widely regarded as the weakest point in any pumping system that uses them. They account for 80% of all pump failures, the remainder being leakage through static seals such as gaskets / O rings and bearing failure.

It follows that if you eliminate the problem, you eliminate the failures and save costs. HMD Kontro sealless pumps are magnetically driven, they have no mechanical seals or seal support systems, and only a single, fully trapped gasket that ensures systems integrity, even at high temperatures and pressures.

 

Sealless pumps are easier to maintain, have fewer working parts, no potential leak paths and no support systems to design, install and maintain. There is less time and cost involved in system design and procurement plus no concerns regarding material compatibility or appropriate buffer liquids.

By specifying HMD Kontro sealless pumps you can be absolutely positive that you have made the right decision. Combining cutting-edge technology with over seventy years of expertise and experience, since we were the first in the world to develop the concept, our magnetic drive pumps provide complete peace of mind.

Think Sealless

Think Sealless Select – Why Sealless Pumps are So Suitable for Your Application

Magnetic drive pumps are very applicable for many processes and are widely used in industries such as chemical, pharmaceutical, fine chemical, agrichemical, oil & gas, both upstream and downstream, offshore and onshore, food and beverage production and across many industrial operations.

 

Is it time for you to select sealless? 

The latest parameters at which magnetic drive pumps can operate may surprise you:

  • Flow Rates – Up to 690m3/hour / 3000 USGPM
  • Heads – Up to 240m / 767ft differential
  • Viscosity – Maximum 200 cSt
  • Temperature – Down to minus 100oC / 148oF
    • Up to 450oC / 840oF Torque Ring Design
    • Up to 315oC / 600oF Synchronous Design
  • Pressure – Up to 185 Bar / 2683 psi
  • Power – 400kW / 536hp
  • Speed Range 1450 – 3500 RPM

All HMD Kontro pumps, as standard, can handle up to 5% hard solids and sizes up to 150 microns. By fitting a self-cleaning in-line filter, this can be increased to 250 microns.  For larger concentrations, we can provide other alternative solutions such as: cartridge filters, clean flush systems, etc.

If you have a particular liquid that you wish to pump, then please contact us for advice. There is a very good chance that we have worked with this product in the past and can advise on the most appropriate pump for your application.

HMD Kontro sealless pumps can be manufactured to relevant specifications such as ASME, ISO and API.  To check the applications and operating parameters of our magnetic drive pumps, please see the Think Sealless Select page.

Think Sealless Savings – Why Sealless Pumps Save Money

Sealless pumps bring savings in time, resources, skill sets and ongoing maintenance, whilst also reducing health and safety risk and potential damage to the environment.

Time is money.  Whether you are the consultant, contractor or the client, reduced design and specification time, even the benefit of less HAZOPS and monitoring procedures, will contribute to faster project times. These then translate into lower costs and quicker implementation, such that a new or refurbished plant can be up and running much faster.

 

With sealless pumps, savings can be made at every stage of the project: design, engineering, procurement, installation, documentation and commissioning.  Then the time savings continue once the pumps are up and running. Less maintenance, longer time between failures (MTBF) and a more rapid return to operation, all contribute to enhanced profitability and margins.

Examples of how costs can be contained include the following:

  • Lower Installation Costs: No Large baseplate and foundation required, no Cooling water piping, less instrument wiring and connections, less instrument configuration (DCS) and no barrier fluid (first fill).
  • Lower Project Costs: Lower Project Costs: Less documentation for system and instrumentation with shorter specification times thanks to quicker HAZOP meetings, due in part to there being no need to consider the PED (Pressure Equipment Directive) and SIL(Safety Integrity Level) requirements.
  • Lower Operating Costs: No Repair or replacement of seals and bearings, no replenishment of barrier fluid, no maintenance hours to operate and maintain seal systems and less lost production during downtime, no removal of barrier fluid from product and no maintaining of seals on stand-by pumps.

 

The adoption of sealless pumps can achieve the step-change savings that are needed from concept to completion of your project and beyond, throughout the life of the pump.

Visit Think Sealless for further details.

Think Sealless Solutions – Why Sealless is the Solution

We have the Know How.  Of course, we always like to say yes to our customers, but they seem to like it when we say no!:

 

Sealless pumps have no mechanical seals or seal support systems and only a single fully trapped gasket that ensures the integrity of the system, even at high temperatures and pressures.

The mean time between failure (MTBF) for sealless magnetic drive pumps is typically three times longer than for mechanically sealed pumps. 

As the first in the world to develop the concept of the magnetic drive pump, we have combined cutting-edge technology with over seventy years of expertise and experience in sealless pumps to provide you with complete peace of mind.

Please contact us and ask for our Know How Guide to Sealless Pumps or see www.hmdkontro.com/think-sealless

Less Is More – When Less Means More

A simple business case:  Sealless magnetic drive pumps mean less cost and more savings, leading to greater competitive advantage.  In addition to significantly reduced costs, sealless, magnetic drive pumps bring savings in time, resources, skill sets, ongoing maintenance and also reduce the potential for lost production. They also reduce health and safety risk, and potential damage to the environment.

Making cost savings is essential to help improve profitability. Ideally, you need to cut costs faster than your competitors.  Increased competitiveness and profitability will not be made by small savings alone. You need to cut large elements of cost. To achieve this, a step-change in the technology you utilise is required.  The adoption of sealless pumps can make those savings:

 

 

When Less Means More

  • Less Time More Savings:  Time is money.  Magnetic drive pumps save the time of personnel, and money, throughout their life.
  • Less Complication More Simplicity:  Specifying magnetic drive pumps is easier.  Because there are no seals or seal support systems, plus all of the associated ancillaries, utilities, connections, instrumentation etc.
  • Less Risk More Peace of Mind: Safety first.  There is no potential for leaks or emissions, to cause environmental damage or harm to staff, visitors and the wider public by using sealless pumps.

 

Have you recently considered the cost savings and safety benefits of sealless pumps?  You may be surprised at how often sealless is now the solution, and how making a step-change in your process technology could reduce cost and so benefit your business.

We have a passion to inform the process industry about this engineering revolution and the benefits of magnetic drive pumps. Contact us today to learn more.

Think Sealless System – Why are HMD Kontro magnetic drive pumps different?

We have manufactured only sealless pumps since 1947 and so the design is specific and not a modified mechanically sealed pump.  They are made to a very robust design and engineered to last and to perform.

 

The containment shell of an HMD Kontro Sealless Pump is either of welded construction to ASME VIII pressure vessel standards with a thicker and guaranteed wall thickness or is the latest composite ZeroLoss® shell. The latter resulting in improved efficiency and reduced equipment life cycle costs.

Other magnetic drive pumps usually have hydroformed / deep-drawn shells, which are much thinner and weaker than the HMD Kontro design.  Rotating parts in our pumps are dynamically balanced ensuring smooth, quiet operation and longevity.

The magnets are fully encapsulated on the outer magnet ring, ensuring their protection from being chipped during pump re- assembly and against corrosion from the pumped liquid in the unlikely event of containment shell breach. It also means that the component can be easily cleaned in usual workshop conditions.

HMD Kontro pumps utilise a modular cartridge, which can reduce maintenance time considerably. This method of construction means that there are many common components for each product line throughout the HMD Kontro portfolio, reducing the need for a large stock of spare parts in a multiple pump installation.

Sealless pumps don’t leak, meaning that they can help reduce process inefficiencies, maximise output and minimise the risks posed to your process environment by hazardous and volatile materials.

Think HMD Kontro Sealless – Click here to learn more.