Not every pump is right for every application. That's why it is important to accurately define the specifications of the pumping project before selecting the pump that will operate the most efficiently and will be the most cost-effective. Make sure to understand the environment the pump will be operating in and don't rule out new technology as a solution to a problem or to increase service life.

If operations occur in a corrosive or high-chloride environment, a titanium pump may be the best option.

Titanium is now being used in the construction of some pumps and can provide significant benefits. Titanium has excellent corrosion resistance, is compatible with high-chloride level environments and has a high strength-to-weight ratio. Titanium is 45 percent lighter than steel and twice as strong as aluminum. Titanium also is able to resist abrasive and chemical cavitation erosion, even in high flow environments.

In contrast, more commonly used stainless steel alloy submersible pumps have more limited pH and chloride level ranges. Stainless steel is also more susceptible to stress corrosion cracking in aggressive environments. These factors lead to reduced pump life, higher maintenance costs and downtime-related revenue losses.

The Pitting Resistance Equivalency Number (PREN) is an accepted measure of an alloy's suitability for seawater service, with a PREN of 40 being the generally accepted minimum level for corrosion resistance. Only super duplex stainless steels, exotic nickel alloys - including cupronickel - and titanium meet this criteria. Of these materials, only titanium is resistant to all eight modes of corrosion. All others are susceptible to at least crevice corrosion damage.

A good example of this is mining applications. Many job sites need pumps that can handle highly acidic environments. These include general mine runoff with typical pH values less than 4, sulfuric acid in heap leaching and gold processing with liquid pH levels as low as 0.5.

Titanium pumps have also exhibited long life in the aggressive environments found in landfills and environmental remediation - applications that often have liquids containing a toxic soup of compounds. Titanium pumps have demonstrated a life span 10 times greater than other pumps in the same application, delivering the durability that end users expect.

To overcome these cost concerns, pump makers have created designs that capitalize on titanium's dual properties of material strength and corrosion resistance where they are needed. These include motor housings, motor shafts and fasteners. For other less-strength critical areas, engineered polymer materials can be used. These innovative designs have brought unit costs down and spurred the demand for these unique pumps.

- Use premium materials, such as silicon carbide for the seal faces. Ensure that all seal faces are cooled and lubricated by a separate oil bath, isolating them from the process fluid and to protect the seal in the event that the pump is run dry. Ideally, the seal design incorporates features to actively lubricate the upper seal - this factor alone can increase seal life by a factor of two to three times.

- Ensure that the seal where the power cable enters the motor housing is engineered so that it prevents the migration of process fluid into the motor via wicking. Physical damage that nicks the power cable outer jacket, or unexpected degradation of the jacket material could allow process liquid to wick toward the heat of the motor housing. A cable entry with an anti-wick block will protect the motor from damage and the process from downtime.

- The quality of the supplied electrical power cannot be relied on, especially in remote locations or harsh environments. Voltage might be irregular, a leg of the three-phase may be lost. Ensure the pump has an integral thermal device to protect the motor windings from being damaged when the line power is out of tolerance.