Peristaltic Pumps Improve Hose Life And Save Energy

Marketing Manager Gregg Johnson and Business Development Manager Jim Richard discuss some of the benefits of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s peristaltic pumps over other pump technologies.

The following is an excerpt from a Q&A with Water Online Radio. Click on the Radio Player above to hear the full interview.

Water Online Radio: How does the Fluid Handling Solutions group at Thermo Fisher Scientific serve your market?

Gregg: Our group serves a broad range of different markets, from medical devices, to water treatment, to the food and beverage industry. We do that through custom-designed products and off-the-shelf products for chemical feeds and water treatment.

Water Online Radio: What trends do you see coming in the near future?

Jim: There have been some tremendous breakthroughs in the manufacturing of tubing. We now have products available that far exceed the life expectancy of those produced only five years ago. As far as chemical resistance and durability, some of the new formulations that our partners are developing are phenomenal.

That enhances the use of our own products, because the product is only as good as the medium that touches the components. The component on our particular products is the tubing hose. Through specialized formulations that are proprietary to Thermo Fisher, we’ve been able to have some tremendous successes.

Water Online Radio: What advantages does peristaltic pump technology offer?

Gregg: It has a number of advantages. It’s a technology that won’t ever vapor lock, so treatment plant operators don’t have to worry about pumps going down in the middle of the night due to expanding vapor getting caught in the pump head. It efficiently delivers the chemical that disinfects the water and keeps it clean so we can either drink it or dispose of it.

Water Online Radio: What’s new this year at Thermo Fisher Scientific?

Jim: There’s a wide variety of upgraded products, as well as new additions to the line. One particular product we have is a new hose pump that is capable of pumping up to 650 gallons a minute. It’s the largest hose pump in the world, and it’s made with a few unique bells and whistles. It optimizes hose life, and it also saves energy.

Water Online Radio: How significant is the “energy savings” part?

Jim: The cost savings is tremendous, not only for our hose pump, which is a relatively large unit, but even for the smaller Master Flex pumps, our newer products. These products are more effective than other technologies such as air-operated diaphragm pumps. As the name indicates, they’re operated by air. Air is not free. Air has to be produced by compressors. Compressors take energy. You have to plug the compressor in.

When you add up the total cost of ownership, and compare the peristaltic pump to some of the other technologies, it makes the most sense for anyone looking to save their company money.

Water Online Radio: That’s a really interesting perspective, because you’ve got to look way beyond the cost of the technology itself, and look at the broader picture of operations, maintenance, and complete life cycle to get the full financial picture.

Jim: Yes. Also, the cost of spare parts and inventory is significant. Some of these other technologies require 20, 30, or 40 moving parts. We have two, and we only have one item that actually touches the fluid: the hose of the pump.

Water Online Radio: There’s so much technology that all has to get integrated into one system. No single company can do it all. What kinds of partnering and collaboration do you offer to help the end user get the most complete solution?

Jim: We offer applications support from our Barrington office. Our marketing and engineering department does a tremendous job writing specifications, modifying specifications, and working closely with engineering firms and our distributors to make sure the consumer gets the absolute optimum product for their applications. Our goal is to solve problems...

Click on the Radio Player above to hear the full interview.