Gear Pumps for Leak-Free Refrigerant Recovery by Micheal Smith Engineers

Refrigerant recovery is a technique used to remove refrigerant from a system and to store it for future recycling or reclaiming. The safe handling of refrigerants and coolants in the recovery process is therefore essential in avoiding environmental damage, and careful consideration is required when selecting the type of pump best suited to withstand the aggressive nature of these liquids without leakages.

Gear pumps, such as the Micropump GC and GD Series available from pumping specialists Michael Smith Engineers are an ideal solution for handling refrigerants in most recovery and recycling applications as they offer the important benefits of smooth, pulseless flows, chemically resistant construction materials (PEEK, PSS, 316 SS), and high system pressure of up to 103 bar. Micropumps are seal-less magnetically driven units which eliminate the need for shaft seals and ensure that aggressive liquids are kept securely inside the pump.

When refrigerant recovery systems are optimised for Micropumps, for example when input lines are maximised for diameter and minimised for length, the risk of vapour formation is significantly reduced. Other types of pumps, for example diaphragm or piston pumps, are likely to produce flows with large pulsations which significantly increases the risk of vaporisation.

The GD and GC Series of gear pumps are robust yet compact, enabling easy incorporation into the design of many refrigerant recovery systems. The GD series provides flow rates of 1.74 to 13.9 lit/min at differential pressures up to 6.9 Bar.

For the GC Series, flow rates are 0.405 to 13.9 lit/min at differential pressures up to 8.6 Bar.

Micropump GD and GC pumps are easy to service using a service kit and simple hand tools.