Case study · Precision pumps & injection systems
Safely metering corrosive acid under pressure: a custom positive displacement pump for the chemical industry
For a client in the chemical industry, IRIAN Mecatronics designed and built a custom positive displacement pump. The equipment accurately meters 98% sulfuric acid at operating pressures up to 15 bar (218 psi), ensuring intrinsic safety and full chemical compatibility.
At a glance
- Client
- Chemical industry client
- Field
- Fine chemicals / industrial processes
- Technique
- Precision metering of corrosive fluid under pressure
01 — The research question
How to accurately meter a chemically aggressive fluid under pressure while ensuring operator safety and equipment longevity?
Controlled metering of reactive fluids is a common operation in many industrial processes. The challenge intensifies when the fluid is both chemically aggressive and pressurized. This requires guaranteeing not only flow rate accuracy, but also long-term equipment integrity and absolute operational safety. Standard pumping solutions, often designed for less severe conditions, quickly reach their material and functional limits. Our client needed to inject 98% sulfuric acid into a process within a specific flow rate range and at a pressure of 10 to 15 bar (145 to 218 psi). No off-the-shelf pump could handle the combination of this extremely corrosive fluid, the pressure, and the requirement for passive safety in case of a shutdown.
Achieving a perfect, durable seal and precise metering under pressure with a fluid that destroys most common sealing materials and metals.
02 — Our approach
Our approach: from constraint to design principle
Selecting materials with validated chemical inertness
98% sulfuric acid aggressively attacks most metals and elastomers. We therefore selected a specific combination of materials for all wetted parts, including the dynamic seals, to guarantee total chemical inertness up to 15 bar (218 psi). This choice prevents any risk of leakage and ensures the equipment's longevity.
Adopting an intrinsically safe mechanical drive
To ensure a stable flow rate and passive safety, we chose a non-reversible mechanical drive architecture. Unlike systems that require an active brake, this one locks mechanically in the event of a power failure. The pressure is maintained without any external action, eliminating a potential failure point and making the process intrinsically safe. This is a principle we apply to many of our custom injection systems.
Integrating dual overpressure protection
Because an overpressure event with this fluid would be critical, we built in redundant protection. The control system includes a configurable software safety that stops the pump if a threshold is exceeded. In parallel, a passive and completely independent hardware safety (a rupture disk) protects the system even if the control fails, ensuring absolute protection.
03 — Technical specifications
| Usable volume | 2 liters |
|---|---|
| Operating pressure | up to 15 bar (218 psi) |
| Equipment flow rate range | 40 to 10,000 ml/h |
| Client's required flow rate range | 389 to 1416 ml/h |
| Operating temperature | Ambient |
04 — Other applications
Does your application share these challenges?
Pharmaceuticals / Biotechnology
High-precision metering of corrosive reagents into pressurized bioreactors requires perfect chemical inertness. The principle of a secure positive displacement drive and the choice of pharmaceutical-grade materials (PEEK, Hastelloy) would remain the same.
Energy / CO2 Capture
Injecting amine solvents for CO2 capture, which are corrosive when hot, requires robustness and reliability. The design of a positive displacement pump with suitable materials and a non-reversible drive for safety would be directly transferable.
Geosciences
Simulating reservoir conditions requires injecting acidic brines into rock samples at very high pressures. The principle of a positive displacement pump that ensures corrosion resistance and precise volume control remains relevant, adapting the materials for extreme pressures.
An engineer from our design office replies as soon as possible.