KLP Lobe Pump

Fluid travels in the cavities between the rotors. Because the rotors do not touch, a correctly designed pump at the right duty avoids unnecessary high shear.

A lobe pump is not automatically low-shear for every product. Speed, rotor geometry, viscosity, particles and pressure change the mechanical effect. Fruit, vegetable or cheese pieces need a rotor matched to the particle.

Viscosity is resistance to flow. Water and honey at the same flow do not need the same pump conditions. Higher resistance moves the duty point.

• •A lower pump speed may be required
• •Motor power may need to increase
• •The suction line may need a larger diameter
• •The duty point shifts
• •Pressure loss in the piping increases

On thick products the suction side needs care. A larger motor does not fix a pump that is not being fed.

Because the pump is positive displacement, pipes, valves, filters, heat exchangers, fillers and static head on the discharge all resist the flow. The pump has to overcome that resistance.

1. 1

   Tank

2. 2

   Pump

3. 3

   Filter

4. 4

   Heat exchanger

5. 5

   Line and filler

Higher back pressure raises motor power and mechanical load. The discharge must include pressure protection. A closed discharge can build pressure quickly; a relief valve, bypass or equivalent protection belongs in the process design.

The seal stops product leaving at the rotating shaft. One seal does not fit every product. KLP offers mechanical seals, soft packing and PTFE seals. The seal is part of the configuration, not an afterthought.

The right pump is not chosen from flow or port size alone. Viscosity, temperature, particles, sensitivity, back pressure, suction, rotor and seal are read together. The engineering team uses real duty conditions, not catalogue figures on their own.