Case History
Glucose transfer pumps
Glucose: what is it and where is it used?
Glucose, also known as dextrose, is a simple carbohydrate often used as a quick energy source in the food industry and medicine.
A versatile ingredient, glucose is used in many industrial processes:
- Food industry: sweetener in food products, especially in carbonated drinks, bakery products, candies and ice cream products.
- Pharmaceutical industry: binding agent, filling agent and diluting agent in medicines.
- Cosmetics industry: thickening agent in skin care products such as creams and lotions.
- Textile industry: thickening and stabilising agent in textile dyeing processes.
- Paper industry: additive in pulps to improve paper quality.
- Fuel industry: source of sugars for the production of biofuels such as ethanol.
- Chemical industry: raw material for the production of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), lactic acid, sorbitol and other organic compounds.
- Beer and wine industry: source of sugar for fermentation.
Type of service required: glucose handling
A company in the confectionery industry needs to:
- Handle glucose with a viscosity ranging from 200 up to 6000 cSt.
- Transfer it from storage tanks to production plant
Varisco internal gear pump: the most reliable solution
Due to their heavy-duty design for viscous and very viscous fluids, V-series internal gear pumps are particularly suitable for glucose handling.
Varisco positive displacement internal gears pumps, models V 50-3 SPK +W2 +R4 and V 50-3 ST4WK +W2 +R4, are installed for this application:
- Construction material: AISI 316 stainless steel
- Support pump with bearing for coupling by elastic joint
- Packing seal or mechanical seal (depending on viscosity)
- Pin and bushings (support and idler wheel) in tungsten carbide and shaft in stainless steel stellate coated.
- Heating chambers for fluid temperature control
Accurate sizing of the glucose or dextrose pumps, dedicated machining and choice of specific components reliably cope with the phenomenon of caramelisation, a chemical reaction that occurs when glucose reaches high temperatures (in the areas where the product stagnates).
Generally, different metallurgies can be used, depending on the chemical and physical characteristics of the pumped fluid and the construction versatility of the pumps:
- cast iron
- carbon steel
- stainless steel AISI 316
The cast iron, stainless steel and carbon steel (S…G – S…AW – S…K) versions are available with either a packing or a single or double opposing mechanical seal.
The elastomer materials of Varisco pumps are selected according to the type of fluid handled, as are the materials of the seals, bushings, shafts and pins.
