How a Single-Use Pump Works

The single-use pump technology comprises of five components – the housing with integral membrane, rotor with a plurality of cavities, spring barrel, seal and seal cap. The rotor is an interference fit in the housing, ensuring that each cavity is a discreet bolus constrained by rigid walls. Thus, as each bolus is formed, a vacuum is created causing liquid to be sucked into the bolus. Each cavity of liquid is transported around the pump until it is emptied by the action of the spring barrel actuated housing membrane. This unique arrangement only has one moving part and some flexing elements which allows for a very cost-effective pump solution. Moreover, with a direct drive to a motor there are few parts to wear or maintain.

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Pump Technology Characteristics

Characteristic	Typical Performance
Wide range of flow rates	Currently 0.1µl/hr to 26ml/s (across 5 pump sizes)
Operating time dependency	Less than 1% deviation in flow rate over pack volume
Flow rate dependency	Less than 1% deviation in flow rate across range
Pressure dependency	Less than 1% deviation in dose volume across a pressure range of 0.0 – 0.5bar
Viscosity dependency	Less than 1% deviation in dose volume across a range of viscosities 1 - 10,000cP
Temperature dependency	Less than 1% deviation in dose volume over a range of temperatures 5°C – 35°C
Constancy	See trumpet curves on PSG Biotech
High vacuum pressures	Inlet vacuum > 9 metres H20 (0.9Bar) Can pump air or liquid
Wide range of operating pressures	Outlet pressure up to 5 bar
Compatible with a range of high particulate count fluids	Food concentrates and pulp and soft particulates up to 12mm³ Syrups and juice concentrates up to 65% true Brix solids
Compatible with a wide range of chemically active fluids	Detergents, colourants, and flavours up to 500:1 Strong acids and alkalis Solvents including acetone, petroleum and mineral oils
Low cost/single use	Life expectancy of one fluid pack without change in performance (with a 5X safety margin)
Low power consumption	Typically outperforms a peristaltic pump under similar operating parameters in power efficiency

Pump Features & Benefits

Characteristic	Feature	Benefit
Airless Dispense	Bag or bag-in-bottle collapses as liquid is dispensed	Eliminates oxidation of food and drinks
Self priming	Pump is gas-tight	Will self-prime even if empty at start
Fully reversible	Can pump in either direction	Eliminates drips and congealed fluids at point of dispense
Pump is an instantaneous check valve	Prevents fluid flow when not rotating	Pack is sealed by pump under instantaneous pressure
Flexible design integration	Ports can be tangential, axial or paraxial	Pump can be positioned in the disposable or in the device
Capable of pumping two liquids at once	Two inlet ports and two outlet ports share the same rotor	Allows pre-mixing of two liquids Allows headspace replacement
Housing made of PP and rotor of PE	Fluid path only makes contact with polypropylene and polyethylene	Able to pump aggressive solvents, acids and alkalis