When the pumps fail or have to be stopped for servicing, this has a direct impact on work in the crystallisation or centrifugal stations. Inadequate magma handling can, in addition, be detrimental to the magma and, in the worst case, even destroy the crystals that have been produced in carefully conceived and coordinated processes. Who would want to take that risk?

BMA magma pumps have been explicitly developed for conveying highly viscous sugar massecuites, and they primarily stand out for features such as gentle crystal handling, and reliable and leak-free operation. They are operated with a maximum speed of 40 rpm, which one might think unnecessarily reduces the delivery rate. But that would be a complete misconception. The pumps have been deliberately designed for high throughputs at a low speed. They have been provided with a particularly large product chamber, and a large volume can therefore be conveyed with every single revolution, while the magma hardly gets into contact with the outer wall or the impeller. These magma transport conditions are very gentle on the crystals. Another bonus: this low speed also makes for very energy-efficient operation.

The pumps come with a slide ring seal as standard, which provides for leak-free operation. Since this type of seal requires no sealing liquid, the dry substance content in the magma is maintained.

Pumps have to be robust and operate with very short downtimes, which is exactly what BMA magma pumps have been designed for. They require hardly any regular maintenance and comprise a very small number of wearing parts. If necessary, these can be easily replaced, without having to disconnect the pump from the pipeline. Thanks to BMA’s high-precision manufacturing methods, the gap between the impeller and the pump casing could be minimised. This not only keeps gap losses at an extremely low level; wear and tear, too, is considerably reduced.

The pump series comprises five sizes. Since each size can be combined with a number of different gear motors, the pump performance can be optimally adjusted to meet the specific needs of any sugar factory or refinery. For further adjustment to actual installation conditions, the sense of rotation and the nozzle position, too, can be selected as required.

Operation of the BMA pumps can also be varied. Frequency converters can regulate the delivery rate between 20 % and 100 %. The conveyed volume is known at any time and can be visualised in the control centre. If forced ventilation is used, the delivery rate can even be reduced down to 10 % of the maximum rate. This allows factories to flexibly respond to disruptions in the production process, without having to stop the pump.

Should it still be necessary to stop a pump, restart is not a problem. The special design of the pumps for handling sugar magmas reduces the risk of encrustations. Because of the large product chamber, and the large amount of magma it can hold, the magma will store its heat and therefore maintain its viscosity in the case of a pump standstill.

BMA produced more than 60 magma pumps in the years 2012 and 2013. Some of these were delivered as components together with large-scale equipment, such as VKTs or OVCs, but most of the pumps were sold as individual pieces. BMA magma pumps are much sought after in beet and cane processing regions in the world.

What is interesting to note is the large number of customers “who come back for more” and buy BMA magma pumps by conviction, because of the excellent experience they have made with these pumps. Evidence shows that those who have bought one BMA magma pump will keep buying them! The untiring BMA magma pumps have been convincing top performers for many years. They have acquired an excellent reputation, and are equally known and appreciated for their reliable operation. An added benefit is their extremely long service life.

For many Australian customers, this is also the key criterion for using BMA magma pumps. Simon Ievers, reliability engineer at Wilmar Sugar Australia’s Invicta Mill, for instance, confirms:

“At Invicta Mill, we have been using 3 x BMA F-1000 and 2 x BMA F-800G pumps to transfer heavy fluids for a number of years. When we were required to upgrade a seed pump to increase the flow rate, another BMA F-1000F was chosen due to its relatively trouble free operation, long maintenance intervals and reliability. Having 6 BMA pumps allowed for consolidation of spares and reduced stock holdings.”

The US Lula Sugar Factory in Belle Rose, Louisiana has been operating BMA pumps for some time and is absolutely delighted with these machines. Their sister company, the Westfield Sugar Factory, also wanted to test the benefits of BMA magma pumps for itself and decided to install one pump on a trial basis for the 2012/2013 campaign. Westfield was entirely satisfied with the results and not only took over the pump after the test phase; they also bought an additional pump for the following campaign.

Silke Stiegert
BMA AG
silke.stiegert@bma-de.com