Everything You Need To Know About Polymer Pump Accessories

Everything You Need To Know About Polymer Pump Accessories

Polymer is quite a highly regarded material when it comes to building a pumping system. The main reason most developers use polymer pump accessories is that it is a much more cost-effective and versatile alternative.

If you are only now learning about polymer pump accessories, this blog is a perfect read. Here you will learn about why polymer composites are preferred as pumping system components and polymer wear rings.

What Do You Mean By Wear Rings?

Before you understand why polymer composites are more common in the industry, you first need to understand what wear rings are. Essentially, wear rings are a component of centrifugal pumps, which lie between the pump casing and the impeller. It helps offer a running clearance. Running clearance is very important in such systems as it helps avoid any kind of wear on the pump casing or impeller itself.

More so, the wear ring also helps prevent any fluid transferred from recirculating or discharging back into the suction. Any instance like that can result in a considerable loss of efficiency in the process. To sum it up, a wear ring helps keep the running clearance as low as possible to further accentuate the pump’s efficiency.

Using wear rings can also help support the shaft of the pump, meaning any kind of vibration or deflection can easily be reduced. This will further help increase the life span of mechanical bearings and seals. However, these components often need to get replaced.

Why Did Polymer Composite Wear Rings Replace Metal Wear Rings?

Now that you understand how a wear ring can help the pump function better, you must learn about why polymer wear rings are preferred. Metal wear rings used to be a staple in the industry. However, it is not as efficient as polymer wear rings.

As is evident from the explanation above, the more clearance is decreased, the more efficient the pump will be. But with metal wear rings, the more attempts it makes to achieve the same efficiency, the higher the chances of a seizure. More so, metal rings can often heat up, increasing friction and falling prey to friction welding.

These issues combined can lead to catastrophic failure, especially at higher energy levels. On the other hand, polymer composite wear rings can help reduce clearance much more efficiently.

In addition, repair costs for such wear rings are also considerably low, making them more cost-effective. It can virtually omit pump seizures from the equation, and since it offers smaller clearance, it can help reduce shaft vibration as well.

How To Buy High-Performance Polymer Wear Rings?

While you might find a number of polymer accessories in the market, not all are suitable for wear components. Here are some main characteristics you should look for:

  • Dry-run capabilities
  • Durability and Toughness 
  • Low thermal growth
  • Dimensional stability
  • Low friction
  • Chemical Compatibility
  • Ease of installation

With this in mind, you are now all set to make your purchase. Checking all the right boxes, companies like U.S. Saw are a great choice.