Across industries, from oil and chemical refining to marine transport to food processing, oily water and sludge are unavoidable by-products. These fluids are challenging to move without the right pump. LobePro’s rotary pump has been consistently proven to outperform other technologies even in tough applications like these.
Here are ten reasons why the LobePro rotary pump is the choice for oily water and sludge handling.
1. Exceptional Viscous Fluid and Solids Handling
Rotary lobe pumps thrive where conventional pump technologies struggle:
- LobePro synchronized lobes provide gentle, clog free transfer of solids and gas/air entrained sludge/slurries.
- Ideal for oily sludges containing compressible solids or fibrous debris commonly seen in industrial sumps and wastewater pits.
Why It Matters: You get consistent flow without downtime, even in the most demanding sludge conditions.
2. Reversible Flow and Easy Clean-Out
A rotary lobe pump’s bi-directional capability simplifies tank cleaning, line purging, flushing or emptying pipes and sumps:
- Bidirectional/reversing flow of the pump with properly installed controls, valves and instrumentation.
- Critical for operators managing fluctuating flow direction or limited access in tight spaces.
Why It Matters: LobePro’s rotary pump reduces operational steps and manual intervention, speeding up turnaround time during maintenance.
3. Compact Footprint with Flexible Installation Options
Unlike centrifugal or progressing cavity pumps, rotary lobe units offer:
- Horizontal, vertical or side mount flexibility.
- Compact layout ideal for confined spaces like sumps or on-board marine systems.
Why It Matters: Our pumps save on space, especially in retrofit scenarios or crowded pump rooms.
4. Low Maintenance and Rapid Servicing
LobePro’s rotary pump is designed for onsite and field serviceability:
- Wet-end access through the pump cover allows for fast maintenance in place without removing piping or driving components.
- Patented LARS synchronized are rebuildable, reducing replacement seals up to 80%.
Why It Matters: Maintenance teams can perform quick changeouts, minimizing downtime and service costs.
5. Excellent Dry-Run and Self-Priming Capabilities
LobePro pumps can self-prime and tolerate limited dry-run conditions without damage:
- Valuable when pumping from deep sumps, sludge pits, or mobile vacuum trucks that start intermittently.
- Reduces risk of cavitation in fluctuating flow or suction-lift scenarios.
Why It Matters: Our rotary lobe pump enables reliable operation even when suction conditions are unstable or unpredictable
6. Gentle, Low-Shear Fluid Transfer
LobePro’s helix rotor/lobe design provides smoother operation and improves sealing and performance:
- Minimizes and prevents emulsification.
- Prevents foaming in surfactant-laced industrial wash fluids.
Why It Matters: Maintains process integrity, especially in chemical plants or wastewater pretreatment facilities, and reduces or eliminates the need for demulsifiers.
7. Handles Variable Viscosities
Rotary lobe technology excels across a wide viscosity range, from thin oily water to thick oily sludge, so there’s no need to switch pump types for batch variations or seasonal changes.
Why It Matters: Provides flexibility for facilities with fluctuating waste stream composition.
8. Superior Suction Lift for Pit and Sump Applications
LobePro rotary pumps can handle vacuum conditions up to 25 feet for suction lift applications:
- Especially useful in facilities where oily wastewater settles in deep pits or basins.
- Provides surface installation of the pump, eliminating the need for services/maintenance performed in confined spaces.
Why It Matters: LobePro’s design eliminates the need for submersible pumps in some cases, simplifying maintenance as well as safety hazard for service and maintenance going into contained spaces.
9. Durable Materials Compatible with Harsh Waste Streams
LobePro’s C- and D-series rotary pump series features chemically resistant elastomers along with 316SS and Duplex SS pump casing and wet end parts. These part upgrades can also be used for S-series pumps:
- Tolerates oily sludges with aggressive additives, detergents, or hydrocarbon residues.
- Helps avoid premature wear from abrasive or acidic content.
Why It Matters: These options extend pump life in corrosive or chemically reactive wastewater environments.
10. Resilient Operation with Entrained Air or Gas
LobePro pumps maintain consistent operation even when process fluids contain entrained air, gas bubbles, or foam.
- Handles fluids with entrained air or gas without interrupting operation.
- LobePro stays primed – even with entrained air or gas.
Why It Matters: Our design supports continuous pumping from gravity-fed sumps, oil-water separators, and industrial wash tanks prone to air ingestion—without compromising reliability or risking vapor lock.
Industry Applications of the Lobe Pro Rotary Pump
- Oil & Gas: Tank bottoms, water separation units
- Marine: Bilge water systems, slop handling
- Oil Refinery: Slop Tanks, overflow sumps, API separators
- Power Stations: Waste stream from oily water sumps, fuel and lubrication centrifuge
- Municipal: Sludge transfer, stormwater overflow pits, filter press feed pumps, clarifiers, digesters
- Food & Beverage: Grease interceptors, FOG, wastewater sludge and slurries
- Automotive and Vehicle Maintenance Facilities: Oily wastewater from engine cleaning, car washes, fleet depot, truck maintenance, degreasing operations.
- Steel and Metal Processing Plants: Pickling, annealing and machining produce oily water and sludge by product.
- Aerospace / Aviation Operations: MRO facilities, hangars generate oily washdown
- Electronics and Semiconductor: Processes produce oily wastewater with solvents and residues from cleaning.
- Textiles and Dyeing: Dyeing, washing and softening release oily discharge from lubricants and chemical additives, emulsified oil
Talk to a Rotary Pump Expert
If your pumping needs fit any of the applications above, please contact our team today for more information to learn more about LobePro Rotary Pumps and how we can be your solution.