Anyone using a non-rated pump in a lab needs to think… what happens when the new guy needs to use a pump and doesn’t understand Atex ratings and blows up the under insured/uninsured investment?
If you are cool with that then start using non Atex rated pumps.
For all you guys in the woods… eh…
But for people who will be setting up labs, the Atex rating is king for all things in the lab bc it only takes a small mistake or oversight to destroy a lab in a hurry.
I know of a vacuum pump that just derailed a major brand bc someone walked away and left one running and it burned the place up.
Using Nitrogen is cheap and save. You can get Nitrogen generators for a decent price that will provide all the nitrogen needed. Groundable AODD pumps are also very affordable and pretty damn safe. You can use them , if spec’d correctly at -80c just don’t push the pressure.
Most kegs could be setup with an educator tube, if so, then use a diaphragm pump to draw out all your liquids instead of pushing them. That’s what they do second best. Once they grab it, then they push it best. But they just bite and bite and bite… replace the diaphragms annually and you’ll be good to go for years.
Once -40c or lower hits them though, I’d imagine you’ll see a slow down in performance and likely a real strong increase in maintenance.
The diaphragms are flexible so they lose that when colder… like anything, cold temps make things harder to perform. Mag drive pumps are used on chillers for a reason
So in order to use Nitrogen, my triclamp lid should have a dip tube till the bottom of keg with 1/2" mnpt, a 1/4" mnpt for 5psi PRV and a port to inject the Nitrogen, that’s it?
Correct. I use reinforced high pressure poly tubing. You can get it from hardware stores, Amazon etc. Look into Nitrogen generators, they are not too expensive and pay for themselves for sure.
PTFE lined braided stainless tubing would be best I think. I know stainless steel express has it, no doubt others do as well.
It seems to me N2 pressure or vacuum should both work fine for this. If the liquid flow path is not too restricted, we’re not talking about a very high pressure differential here, of course depending on how fast you’re trying to transfer it.
Double Diaphragm pumps can be used to move chilled Ethanol in the -40C range; however, diaphragm selection is super important. Ask the manufacturer to provide low temp ratings as some manufacturers only provide high end temperature ratings. We have seen the use of EPDM, Santoiprene, and Viton. www.sandpiperpump.com