AUSSIE PUMP HAS HUGE FLOW
Australian Pump Industries is leading a trend to use big self-priming high-volume pumps to move liquids of up to 6,000 lpm. Australia is the dry continent. When it rains farmers have to move water fast from where it is to where they need it to be!
Aussie Pumps is a specialist in self-priming centrifugal pumps. Their big model MQ600TD is a 6” x 6” self-priming pump powered by an 80 hp Deutz air cooled diesel engine. It is built into a skid with a 152 fuel litre fuel tank that allows 11 hours of continuous running!
The machine also comes with an integrated lifting bar and a super heavy-duty skid. It can be configured into a robust trailer for easy movement on or off road.
The Self-Priming Process
What makes the Aussie Pump product so attractive for farmers is its easy self-priming. This is facilitated by the company integrating a huge tank cast into the pump’s iron body. The liquid in the tank is essential for carrying out fast self-priming.
On the suction inlet side there is a check valve that stops the water in the pump from escaping when the pump is primed.
There are three simple steps to follow to prime the pump:
- To prime the pump, the operator fills the pump body with water. It is held inside the body by the check valve in the suction port.
- When the operator starts the engine the water in the body is expelled through the delivery port.
- The vacuum created within the pump bowl, opens the check valve, and the water is automatically drawn up through a suction line like drinking Coca Cola through a straw!
There are no mechanical priming aids required at all!
Standard centrifugal pumps cannot achieve this very convenient process of priming the pump but must fill the suction line with water before the pump can start. “That’s the big advantage of self-priming” said Aussie Pump’s Chief Engineer, John Hales.
The big 6” pump also offers a super simple design making it virtually indestructible.
The impeller is of a non-clog style, open bladed and designed to handle slurries and solids in suspension.
Easy Maintenance
The big pump has an oil immersed super heavy duty Tungsten Titanium Carbide seal as standard equipment. Those extreme materials provide long and trouble-free life.
Another major factor making the product attractive for high volume irrigation projects is the front opening clean out port. It takes only a matter of seconds to open up the port in the body so that in the event of a “choke” of any kind, the pump body can be cleaned out without having to dis-connect pipework on the suction and discharge lines.
The big pump is also claimed to be ideal for handling liquid waste from dairies, chicken farms or even fish farm applications.
“That open impeller will pass almost anything including solids up to 75mm in diameter” said Hales.
The 80 hp Deutz air cooled diesel engine was selected because of its ability to operate without a radiator and in extreme conditions.
“Not having to worry about belts, fans or having to check the radiator every day is a big benefit to users where the machine is going to be run continuously” said Hales.
The engine is protected by a low oil pressure, high oil temperature and V belt failure shutdown device. A control panel, shock mounted in a water-resistant housing includes an hour meter, ammeter, tachometer and alternator failure light.
In its trailer mounted version the unit can be moved from site to site easily. Best of all, the machine is capable of handling a wide range of other products including urban sewer bypass in the event of failure.
“These pumps have saved Australian country towns from flooding during major catastrophic downpours” said Hales. “Dumping flood water into a side channel at 6000 lpm moves an enormous amount of water fast and can be a huge gift for any major agricultural activity” he said.