Hose pump pushes sludge uphill

Blantyre Farms is a highly productive mixed farming and livestock business situated near Young, in New South Wales. They needed a pumping solution to transfer sludge from their covered methane gas dam. In other words, they found themselves facing that very old, Australian conundrum — pushing slurry uphill. That’s when Mark Schulz, Maintenance Manager at Blantyre Farms, contacted Hydro Innovations to find a suitable pump for the application.

The problem

The problem for the farm was that the slurry had the consistency of molasses, and pumping it a kilometre uphill to the ponds was no easy feat for standard pumps.

“Ordinary pumps just couldn’t handle the slurry,” said Hydro Innovations’ NSW Regional Manager, Phil Rothheudt.

The solution

Rothheudt’s solution was to use a Ragazzini peristaltic pump model MS3. The operation of this style of pump derives from human ‘peristalsis’ intestinal muscle movements — an alternating contraction and relaxation of muscles around a tube to coax the contents through.

“Peristaltic pumps are usually found in medical situations, and often used to pump blood,” he said.

The results

Schulz was happy with the results, stating: “The information supplied by Phil to select the correct pump for our application was great, as was the communication for the actual purchase.

“Our success is due to a team with many years of expertise,” Rothheudt said.

“We can turn around an enquiry same day and offer a solution; we know the specifics — that’s what matters.”

Ragazzini pumps use a roller on bearing design so the casing does not have to be filled and re-filled with expensive lubricating fluid. This means that hose changes are quicker and cleaner and also enables owners to take advantage of Ragazzini’s fast leak detection system that alerts owners when a hose needs replacing. Pumps can be used on suction lifts up to 9 m and can produce pressures to 15 bar.