Industrial pumps are designed to handle a variety of media, including liquids, gas-liquid mixtures, suspensions and pastes. Depending on the application, they can handle water, petroleum products, aggressive chemicals, viscous liquids, abrasive slurries and foodstuffs. The specific substance determines the choice of pump design, material, seal type and operating parameters such as pressure, temperature and flow rate.
In the chemical, food, pharmaceutical and mining industries, pumps are used to handle aggressive, sterile or solid-phase media that require special handling conditions. For example, diaphragm pumps are suitable for dosing chemicals and slurry pumps for pumping abrasive mixtures. In cooling and heat exchange systems, pumps move heat transfer fluids, and in wastewater treatment plants, wastewater with varying degrees of contamination. Proper selection of a pump for a specific substance ensures equipment reliability and process efficiency.