OEM pump water testing

• 314D pump-heads prove robust and reliable
• Long-lasting components suits exported products
• Powerful suction performance
  
  

OEM pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group are proving highly successful for bbe Moldaenke GmbH, a German specialist in biological early warning systems that monitor the quality of drinking water and process water. In these applications it is vital for the Watson-Marlow OEM pumps to be as robust and reliable as possible so that they help bbe Moldaenke’s measuring instruments rapidly detect any toxic substances.

Constant monitoring of water quality is one of the main responsibilities of water suppliers and environmental authorities. Water quality and purity also plays an important role in the food and beverage industry, as well as in the pharmaceutical sector.

bbe Moldaenke GmbH is based in Schwentinental in Schleswig-Holstein and offers a wide range of measuring instruments to monitor water toxicity. The company, which employs around 30 people, has become one of the market leaders in bio-monitoring since it was established in 1992.

Bio-monitoring

“Bio-monitoring means monitoring the environment with the help of living organisms that are particularly sensitive to harmful substances,” explains Dr Detlev Lohse, sales and marketing manager at bbe Moldaenke. “The animal or plant organisms are brought into contact with the water that is under examination, and their behaviour can be used to draw direct conclusions about any toxicity present. If toxicity is discovered, the measuring instruments quickly trigger an alarm to prevent any harm to humans or the environment.”

The instruments from bbe Moldaenke use microscopic algae or daphnia, which are also known as water fleas. Ten daphnia are placed in each of two measurement chambers and exposed to a constant flow of the sample.

OEM pump solution

Several Watson-Marlow OEM pumps ensure that the optimum water volume is pumped into the measurement chambers. In the case of the daphnia toximeter, this is at a rate of 6 l/hr. The measuring instruments are usually in continuous operation, which means that all components, in particular pumps and tubing, have to meet the highest demands.

“We previously used pumps from another manufacturer but there were always problems with suction,” explains Dr Lohse. “The pumps also turned out to be unreliable and weren’t robust. The lifespan of the pump-head, drive and tubes was simply not sufficient for our purposes. That is why we started to look for alternatives. From 2000, we gradually changed to OEM pumps and tubes from Watson-Marlow. Now we only use Watson-Marlow pumps and we don’t have any of the previous problems.”

Designed for continuous operation

314D OEM peristaltic pump-heads from Watson-Marlow are used in the daphnia toximeter as well as in the algae toximeter, which is used in the same way. The compact pump-head guarantees a precise and repeatable flow rate, and is designed for continuous operation.

“As a rule, this type of pump-head lasts for more than five years before needing replacement,” confirms Dr Lohse. “It is obvious that over such a long period of continuous operation, parts such as the drive, tubes or pump-head must be replaced. However, it makes a considerable difference to our customers whether a pump-head has to be replaced after just one year or after five years. Our pumps are exported all over the world, so it’s in our own interests to ensure the high quality and long service life of all parts and that’s why we only use OEM pumps from Watson-Marlow.”

314D OEM peristaltic pump-heads