Many common plastic injection mold products have uses across numerous industries, and a great example here is a product known as the air operated double diaphragm pump. Made with a unique design that’s meant to transfer especially abrasive or viscous products easily, these pumps are abbreviated AODD and utilize positive displacement and compressed air to provide their power.
At EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders, pump components are just one element of our wide selection of custom plastic injection molded products available. In this multi-part blog, we’ll go over what AODD pumps do, how they work and the numerous industries in which they play an important role today.
How Air Operated Double Diaphragm Pumps Work
As we noted, AODD pumps utilize compressed air to provide their power. This air moves from one chamber to the other through a linked shaft, one that allows both chambers to move at the same time – a process that forces liquid out of one chamber and into discharge piping, while filling up the other chamber at the same time.
The pumps themselves use reciprocating elastomeric diaphragms and check valves for their pumping needs. A single outlet will be used for liquid discharge, often with a ball or flap check valve depending on the items that will be passing through.
One quality of AODD pumps to be aware of: They have excellent suction lift characteristics, meaning they can handle mixtures that have high grit or solid content quantities. They also do well with extremely viscous liquids for this reason.
Our subsequent sections will dig into the numerous industries where AODD pumps are used, plus how they’re utilized in these various areas.
Wastewater and Chemical Refineries
Due to their flexibility in the liquids they can move, AODD pumps are often used in wastewater treatment facilities. They’re great for dosing chemicals, from acids to biocides, and also work extremely well with wastewater sludge, sewage and others found in this area.
Down similar lines, AODD pumps are commonly found in chemical facilities like refineries, where they hold up to a wide range of chemicals, even some with solid parts or particles present in them. Beyond chemicals, they’re also transporters of oil, stormwater, drainage water, pesticides and a variety of other potential solutions.
Food and Beverage Industries
The food and beverage industry relies on AODD pumps regularly, mainly to move everything from soft drinks and concentrates to fruit pulp, eggs, chocolate or a huge range of other potential items. These pumps are also often used to pump chemicals like nitric or hydrochloric acid, or antioxidants used in several functions within this industry.
Painting Areas
Paint and related products like ink, primers, coatings and acrylic are all viscous liquids, and all move well through AODD pumps. These pumps also help transfer solvents for washing systems and waste fluids. They’re commonly found in printing machines, spray systems and industry cleaning baths.
For more on air operated double diaphragm pumps and their applications, or to learn about any of our pump components or plastic injection molding solutions, speak to the staff at EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders today.
