Allweiler Unveils New Hopper Pump for Reliable Handling of Highly Viscous, High‑Solids Media
The new AE-RD/RE hopper pump is a progressing cavity pump engineered to handle highly viscous, non-flowable and solids-laden media in demanding industrial applications. Designed for industries such as - wastewater, - paper, - marine, - chemical and process engineering, - mining and power generation. The AE‑RD/RE is purpose-built to convey difficult media, including dewatered sewage sludge and other thick, high-solids products, through a closed piping system rather than open conveyor belts. Its two-part, large-scale casing design, optimized screw conveyor and vertical wall surfaces in the inlet hopper enable trouble-free operation without the need for separate bridge breakers, reducing equipment complexity and investment costs. The flow-optimized stuffing box between the inlet hopper and rotor/stator ensures the best possible filling of the conveyor elements and helps prevent partial dry running, increasing reliability in continuous-duty service.
With a maximum flow rate of 1,000 l/min, differential pressure up to 24 bar, temperature capability up to 135 °C, solids content up to 85 percent, dry substance content up to 35 percent and viscosity handling up to 850,000 mPas, the AE‑RD/RE Hopper Pump is designed for some of the most challenging media encountered in modern plants. At the heart of the value proposition is an optimized anti-bridging auger combined with vertical inlet hopper walls, which prevents bridge building and secures a consistent material flow into the pump. This design eliminates the need for separately driven bridge-breaking devices, lowers operating and maintenance costs and allows the pump hopper to be used as a storage tank by forming a sludge column directly in the hopper. A flow‑optimized stuffing box between hopper and rotor/stator with optimum overload of the feeding screw achieves almost 100 percent filling of the conveying chambers, even under conditions with a risk of partial dry running, which reduces wear on the rotor and stator and cuts downtime and spare-parts consumption. These technical capabilities, combined with flexible hopper design and adjustable hopper length, allow the pump to be tailored to a wide range of feed situations while ensuring consistent filling behavior and reliable operation. www.pumps.circor.com/allweiler