Component Breakdown of Wanner Hydra-Cell Pro^® Pumps

Description of components in contact with the pumped liquid

A Wanner Hydra-Cell Pro^® pump is sealless positive displacement style pump. The only parts in the process liquid are the elastomers and the check-valve stacks. This page describes what those parts do, what they can be made from, and how that choice shows up in the model code.

Most pump models use a 12-character part number. Characters 6–11 are the wetted materials.

D10ERCGHFECA

The first characters are the model — D10 in the example. Character 4 is displacement at a given RPM.

Character 5 is the head or hydraulic-cylinder option. Character 12 is hydraulic-end oil. Most pumps use synthetic 10W30 or 10W40 oil. Food-contact and other specialty oils exist when the application needs them.

#6: Pump Head Materials and Function

The pump head consists of (2) parts, a manifold and a check-valve plate. Both usually last the life of the pump. Their material of construction is driven by compatibility with the liquid pumped. Alloy and non-alloy options:

• 316L SS — iron alloy for low and high pH and for stainless pipe systems
• Brass — about 60% copper / 36% zinc; inexpensive for water and non-aggressive liquids
• Duplex Alloy 2205 — Used often for seawater and marine duty having about twice the corrosion resistance of 316SS in those services
• Hastelloy^® C — nickel alloy with a wider chemical range than 316SS and higher pressure capability than plastics
• Nickel-plated cast or ductile iron — lowest-cost head for water, hydrocarbons and abrasive slurry
• Polypropylene — chemical resistance without exotic-alloy price
• PVDF — better abrasion and chemical resistance than polypropylene

 

Character #7: Elastomers

Diaphragms, O-rings and gaskets. Almost always chosen for chemistry:

• Aflas^® — 80 to 250°F; fluoroelastomer with better amine resistance than FKM
• EPDM — 50 to 212°F; where FKM will not work and PTFE or Aflas is not offered on that pump model. Requires a special hydraulic-end oil
• FKM — 40 to 250°F; low gas permeability; petroleum products, aromatics and chlorinated hydrocarbons
• PTFE — 60 to 200°F; fully fluorinated and impermeable; strong acids and oxidizers. Light-blue PTFE laminated to a black rubber backing. The only diaphragm treated as a wear item
• Neoprene^® — 50 to 120°F; refrigerants, vegetable oils, ammonia, Halon
• Buna-N^® — 30 to 230°F; general-purpose oil, water and non-polar solvents

Diaphragms are often changed with the valves although if undamaged they do not need replacing. They fail from chemistry, over-pressure or extreme temperature. Except PTFE, surface wear is cosmetic. O-rings and gaskets control the flow path and are replaced every time the head is opened.

Characters #8–9: Valves and Valve Seats

The valve disc sealed against the seat maintains the flow path. Each pump chamber has (2) check valve assemblies to control the flow path into and out of the pump chamber. At 1,750 RPM it equates to valves cycling 30 times a second. These are the main wear parts, over time flow/pressure is reduced, the pump runs rougher, often not a sudden failure.

How long do Hydra-Cell Pro^® check valves last? There is no single number. Reclaimed water or machining coolant on stainless often runs about 6,000 hours (eight-plus months continuous). Valves for 25% lime slurry service can last that long if RPM is kept down (lower velocity across the seats) and the material is ceramic or tungsten carbide.

It is usually prudent to begin with the least costly material and determine how long they last for your application; then you can upgrade to another material if you want to extend wear life. All of the following are recommended for 15 to 250°F:

• Ceramic — abrasion resistance and liquids that attack alloys
• 17-4 stainless — a little more wear resistance than 316SS from hardness
• 316L stainless
• Hastelloy^® C — usually an option when the liquid isn't chemically compatible with 316SS
• Nitronic^® 50 — austenitic stainless with better chemistry and sub-zero performance than 316SS
• Tungsten carbide — maximum abrasion resistance

Character #10: Valve Spring

The spring is the only wetted part that must be an alloy. It is not a wear item unless the liquid attacks it. It reseats the disc. Temperature range 15 to 250°F:

• 17-7 stainless — a little more wear resistance than 316SS from hardness
• Elgiloy — nickel-cobalt; more corrosion resistance than stainless and better fatigue and set resistance than Hastelloy C or stainless
• Hastelloy^® C — used when 17-7 SS and Elgiloy are incomptible

Character #11: Valve Spring Retainer

The retainer compresses the spring so the disc sits on the seat. It is clamped between the manifold and the seat. Not a wear item unless chemistry or subject to an upset temperature:

• 17-7 stainless — 15 to 250°F
• Celcon (polyoxymethylene) — 15 to 160°F; alcohols, hydrocarbons, water, most ag chemicals, esters, ethers
• PVDF — 15 to 160°F
• Polypropylene — 15 to 160°F
• Hastelloy^® C — 15 to 250°F
• Nylon (Zytel^®) — 15 to 160°F; benzene, ethylene glycol, gasoline, hexane, methanol, Freon, ethanol

The repair-kit calculator turns your pump part number into the three kit numbers: elastomers only, valves only, and the complete kit.

Related Articles

• Check valve wear insights
• Dampening washers — when they are required
• Repair kits explained
• Analyzing diaphragm damage
• Hydra-Oil
• How to repair Hydra-Cell Pro^® pumps