What is a dosing pump and how does it

work?
by Tim Sevenson | Aug 1, 2015 | Pumps, Water treatment |

What is a dosing pump?

A dosing pump is a small, positive displacement pump. It is designed to pump a very precise

flow rate of a chemical or substance into either a water, steam or gas flow. A dosing pump

will deliver this precise flow rate of chemical or other product by a number of different

methods but it generally involves drawing a measured amount into a chamber and then
injecting this volume of chemical into the pipe or tank being dosed. Dosing pumps are used in

a variety of applications from agriculture, industry, manufacturing to medicine.

A dosing pump is generally quite small and is powered by either a small electric motor or air

actuator. They are controlled either by an external control system or more commonly an

internal pump controller that can alter the flow rate, the on/off function and also things like

alarms and warnings for run dry, degassing and low product levels.

How do dosing pumps work?

Depending on

the brand and model, a dosing pump functions in a variety of different methods. All these
 methods involve taking a measured amount of a chemical and then injecting that product into

a pipe or similar vessel. There are a couple of major parts to a dosing pump setup:
1. The chemical tank or container. The product that is being dosed,
2. The foot valve. This is a one way valve that is attached to a suction line. It is placed into the
drum of product and allows the pump to remain primed. It should have a weight on it so it
remains in the bottom of the drum of product and sometimes it has a float switch attached to
it so the pumps has an alarm activate if the product runs out.
3. The pump itself. This can vary in size and materials but is generally a variety of chemical
resistant plastic (PVC, PE or similar), rubbers or stainless steel. It has a suction line attached
to the inlet and the dosing line attached to the suction. The mechanics of the pump can vary
(see below).
4. The dosing line this is generally a fairly rigid PVC or PE tube or a reinforced hose.
Occasionally in steam, hot water or super high pressure applications the line can be stainless
steel. This can have a variety of bleed, pressure relief, air release valves included into it but
generally it is just a line.
5. The injector. At the point at which the product is injected into the product, there is an injector
point. This is a one way valve so that when the dosing pump pushes an amount of product
into the line it can overcome the pressure in the delivery pipe and allow the product out into
the flow. Once a shot of product is released or the pump stops, the one way valve stops the
liquid in the delivery line from going up the dosing line and damaging the pump. The injector
also has a spout so that the product is delivered into the middle of the flow rather than the
side wall. Over time certain products especially acids and oxidisers like chlorine or peroxide
can corrode the walls of a pipe if released right at the edge of the stream. Releasing the
product into the middle of the stream also creates a vortex which allows the product to mix
properly too which is beneficial to ensure a proper reaction takes place.
6. Control system. Occasionally there is a control system installed to ensure the dosing pump is
accurate and turns on and off at particular times. This can be as simple as a timer or flow
switch right through to a full SCADA or similar central control system with sensors for pH,
chlorine and similar and variable rate control to raise and lower the level being dosed. It may
also be integrated into a more complex operations system.
 A suction spear and foot valve for a dosing pump.

The injector assembly for a Grundfos dosing pump

There are 4 different types of dosing pumps, they vary in their action and pumping

mechanism and are suited to various different applications, pressures and chemicals. They

are:
1. Diaphragm type constant injection. Where there is a pump chamber that is filled and emptied
by a piston and diaphragm and valves on the inlet and outlet. When the chamber is filled by
drawing in the piston, then depending on the amount being dosed (generally the % of the
maximum flow rate) then the dosed volume is injected out at a certain speed. These pumps
are very accurate and deliver a near constant flow rate of product generally in the 6-250L/hr
range. With correct control, they can also deliver variable dosing rates. An example of this is
the Grundfos DDE and DDA range.
2. Diaphragm type pulse injection. This is where there is a diaphragm mechanism again but
instead of a slow and constant flow rate, the pump is controlled by a solenoid coil. This coil
sucks in and injects the chemical in pulses with the time gap between pulses providing the
control of flow rate. This makes this type of pump much less accurate as the product is
delivered in pulses with a time gap between injections. They are generally very simple both
mechanically and electrically and are also very cheap. Having said that you get what you pay
for and they are only able to deliver properly close to 100% of the pump duty or If the water
being treated is then pumped into a tank or similar and then mixed properly. With the much
lower price of proper “constant” dosing pumps these days, this sort of technology is outdated.
3. Lobe type pumps. This type of pumps allows a certain volume through a set of meshing gear
type impellors. The volume in between these impellors is possibly not as accurate as the
proper diaphragm pumps and they also have a wearing surface so they are only really
suitable when the product is high viscosity and self-lubricating so wear is minimised. They are
also difficult to set up accurately for lower flow rates.
4. Peristaltic pumps. Peristaltic or lobe pumps are a specialised and very accurate method of
dosing. The mechanism works by having a flexible tube which the product has to pass
through. This tube is bent in a semi-circle and a small roller on a mechanical arm moves over
the outside of the tube. This action captures a “portion “ of the product in the tube and
pushes it along and into the dosing tube and the main stream. These pumps are used widely
in the medical industry as they are easily sterilised and the pump mechanism can be quickly
changed out of it is contaminated or damaged. The downside to these units are that they
wear out quickly and as they use a flexible rubber tube for the pump action, they can’t handle
pumping into a high pressure stream as they are only good for the burst pressure of the
flexible tube.

Once a dosing pump is primed, this means all the air is pushed out of the lines right up to the

injector, it is then set for its required dose rate or set to work from its input signal. If its

working from an input signal, then it may need to be calibrated to dose and alter its dose

according to a measurement. Once operating, then the pump works at its required flow rate

until a stop signal pauses the action or similar.

If there is a product level problem or similar sometimes an alarm activates to warn the

operator, if product runs out then the system may also shut down or provide a higher alarm

to avoid untreated water or liquid causing a problem further up the stream .

As a function, a dosing pump is designed to be reliable so once it is properly set up, it should

look after itself and not require large amounts of input.

What do you use dosing pumps for?

Dosing pumps have a large range of applications across a number of industries. This ranges

from water treatment, agriculture, industrial, manufacturing, medical, food processing and

mining. Generally dosing pumps are set up to inject a product into a water or fluid stream to

cause a chemical or physical reaction. This may be as simple as adding an acid or caustic

chemical to water to get the pH into a desired range or adding chlorine to kill bacteria. They

may be also used for other products like flocculants to make a solid settle out of a liquid or

alter its properties.

Dosing may also be used to dose chemicals into a stream to make products. This can be used

for things like manufacturing like getting a regular consistency for a glue or additive in

fibreboard making to ensuring a brine for meat manufacture is a consistant quality. Dosing
pumps can also be used for high pressure and high temperature applications like dosing a

boiler feed with corrosion or scale inhibitor or a catalyst in a smelter feed.

How do you set up dosing pumps?

As the components of a dosing system are very important, how they are set up is also critical

to it all working well. The first thing to ensure is that all components are compatible with both

the product being dosed and the feed stream. Things like high corrosive, high pressure and

high temperature need specialised parts for them so that things don’t burst, melt or corrode.

Once everything is compatible, a good location for the dosing point should be selected. The

thing to note are that it should be located for the product to mix well and not effect any other

pipe parts, ie if it is placed before a valve or water meter, then these parts could be

prematurely corroded not read properly or have a build-up of scale or sludge.

Once the dosing point is selected, then the pump needs to be located properly. This needs to

be located next to power or compressed air to make it work, generally next to or below the

dosing point to prevent siphoning and protected from water, dust, sun or heat damage. Even

though a dosing pump can handle very corrosive products etc. it is generally not very

weather resistant and their casing has a fairly low IP rating so they sometimes need to be

protected in a cabinet or housing to maximise working life.

Another factor that needs to be considered is the product container. This depends on the

product itself, how much is being dosed and how much needs to be stored at the pump. If

the pump is hard to access or going to be left for long periods of time, then a large amount of

product needs to be stored. This may be possible with a bulk tank or an IBC container as long

as there is lifting or bulk fluid handling equipment on site. If not the service interval may

have to be shorter and the container smaller but more handle able. Another method to

consider especially if the product has a limited shelf life if to have on the spot make up. That

is bringing in the base chemical or ingredient in as a solid and then making it up into a

consistent solution with water and dosing this. There are large capital outlays for the

equipment for this method but for high throughput situations and if the cost savings are there

then it can be justified. An example of this is polymer manufacture for water treatment or

salt to hypochlorite manufacture.

As some rather dangerous chemicals are used in the dosing process another large factor is

safety for operators, end users and surrounding environment. The main thing to look at for

this is the product MSDS. This should have been consulted to assist in seeing the

compatibility with components. With the MSDS info and manufacturer data, you should be

able to dertermine:
1. Corrosive nature of products and toxicity.
2. Required PPE for operators and the surrounding environment.
3. If you need bunding or similar storage protection to prevent spillage or other accidents to a
minimum.
4. If control systems need to be specialised to ensure that under or overdosing is minimised if
this is critical for performance.

If all this is considered then the system should be efficient and safe. One of the big keys with

dosing is that if you cut corners then things won’t work how they should properly and cost,

safety and output will be compromised.

In this article we have discussed dosing pump systems, their components, how the pumps

work and how they are set up properly. If you would like more information or would like to

discuss a dosing pump install or supply then please call our staff today on (08) 9721 3577

or send us an email.