The pump-maker Mono NOV has developed a PC (progressing cavity) pump which can be maintained on site in just 30 minutes, compared to the day-long maintenance operation previously needed for pumps of this type. The company is hailing it as “the biggest leap forward in PC pump design for 30 years”.

The development followed a survey of water industry customers, which revealed that “ragging” – blockages caused by objects in the fluid – was becoming a serious problem, because of unsuitable items finding their way into sewers.

“Current options available to engineers are limited, time-consuming and, in some cases, unsafe,” reports Simon Lambert, Mono’s general manager for Europe. “Our aim was to produce a pump that would minimise plant downtime and maintenance.”

The new pump can cut the maintenance time needed to replace a rotor, stator, coupling rod and drive train by 95%. “The average time to completely strip down a pump and replace the drive train elements is one full day,” Lambert says. “The Mono EZstrip reduces this to just a 30-minute job. Many of our customers can’t believe that it is possible to de-rag and maintain a pump so quickly, so we have produced a video, which is now posted on our Web site.”

The pump, an extension of Mono’s Compact C range, can be installed into new plants or retrofitted into existing Compact C installations. It offers capacities up to 165m³/h and 12 bar pressure, and is available in either cast iron or stainless steel.