Marine Copper General Pump

I. Product Overview

Marine copper General pumps are "versatile equipment" in ship auxiliary systems, designed specifically for conveying various ship fluid media such as freshwater, seawater, fuel oil, and lubricating oil, with both versatility and adaptability. Constructed with tin bronze (ZCuSn5Pb5Zn5) or naval brass (HAl67-2.5) as the main material, they achieve efficient conveyance of different media through centrifugal pump principles — the power source (motor or main engine transmission) drives the impeller to rotate, generating centrifugal force to draw media from storage tanks, pressurize it, and deliver it to target systems (e.g., cooling, lubrication, water supply) via pipelines. The pump body undergoes precision machining and anti-corrosion treatment, with a corrosion-resistant service life of ≥8 years in freshwater, low-salinity seawater, and oily media. It meets IMO Ship Machinery General Equipment Specifications and General pump certification requirements of classification societies such as LR and ABS, widely used in multi-scenario fluid conveyance for small and medium-sized ships like inland vessels, coastal cargo ships, and fishing boats.

II. Core Technologies and Material Characteristics

1.Copper Material Selection and Performance

2.Key Technical Parameters

Flow range: 1-80m³/h, suitable for ships of 100-5000 gross tons (e.g., 1000-gross-ton ships require single pump flow ≥5m³/h)

Head coverage: 8-40m, meeting pressure requirements for conveyance from storage tanks to equipment terminals (including pipeline resistance losses)

Medium compatibility: Capable of conveying freshwater, low-salinity seawater (sediment content ≤1%), light diesel, lubricating oil (viscosity ≤300cSt), and mixed media with temperature ≤60℃

Temperature adaptability: Operates in a wide temperature range of -10℃~80℃; tin bronze can temporarily withstand high temperatures up to 100℃ (e.g., hot oil media)

Self-priming performance: Self-priming models have a suction lift ≥4m and priming time ≤60 seconds, suitable for water absorption from low-level storage tanks

3.Universal Structural Design

Inlet and outlet adopt DN50-DN150 standard flanges, supporting quick pipeline replacement to adapt to interface requirements of different systems

Pump shaft and impeller feature a modular design, allowing impeller replacement based on media type (closed impellers for clean media, open impellers for media with low impurities)

Basic safety configuration: Equipped with overload protection devices (shuts down when motor current exceeds 1.1 times the rated value) and mechanical seals (leakage ≤1mL/h)

III. Technical Advantages and Innovative Design

1. Multi-Media Adaptability

Variable impeller system: By replacing impellers of different materials (tin bronze/brass) and structures (closed/open), media types can be quickly switched (e.g., from freshwater to light diesel) in ≤30 minutes without replacing the pump body.

Wide-range efficiency curve: Impellers adopt CFD-optimized universal hydraulic models, achieving efficiency ≥75% in the 50%-110% rated flow range, adapting to flow fluctuation requirements of different systems (e.g., cooling water adjustment during ship load changes).

2. Balance Between Corrosion Resistance and Reliability

All-copper flow path: Pump body, impeller, and shaft sleeve are made of homogeneous copper materials to avoid galvanic corrosion from contact between dissimilar metals, showing no obvious pitting after 2000-hour immersion in 3% salt water, especially suitable for low-salinity water environments of coastal ships.

Wear-resistant shaft seal: Uses "silicon carbide + copper alloy" combined seals with a friction coefficient ≤0.002, doubling service life compared to rubber seals and reducing maintenance frequency.

3. Adaptability to Small and Medium-Sized Ships

Compact layout: Pump unit length ≤1.0m (10m³/h model), with a footprint 20% smaller than special-purpose pumps, suitable for installation in narrow engine rooms; weight ≤200kg, facilitating manual handling.

Low-maintenance cost: Vulnerable parts (impellers, seals) have strong universality and can be interchanged with cast iron pumps of the same specification, reducing spare part costs by 30%; maintenance personnel require no special training for operation.

IV. Typical Application Scenarios

1. Freshwater and Seawater Systems

Domestic water supply + cooling water: Inland passenger ships use naval brass General pumps (flow 5-15m³/h) to supply water to cabins during the day (pressure 0.6MPa) and switch to generator cooling system water at night (pressure 1.0MPa), achieving functional conversion by replacing impellers.

Deck flushing + ballast assistance: Fishing boats use tin bronze General pumps (flow 3-8m³/h) for both deck seawater flushing (head 15m) and temporary small ballast tank water，adapting to low-salinity offshore environments.

2. Fuel and Lubricating Oil Systems

Auxiliary engine fuel conveyance: 500-gross-ton cargo ships use tin bronze General pumps (flow 2-5m³/h) to convey light diesel from fuel tanks to auxiliary engine fuel injection pumps at 1.2MPa, with copper materials preventing fuel contamination.

Gearbox lubrication: Small ro-ro ships use naval brass pumps (flow 1-3m³/h) to convey lubricating oil (viscosity 100cSt) to reduction gearboxes at 20m head, ensuring stable oil films on gear meshing surfaces.

3. Emergency and Auxiliary Scenarios

Temporary bilge drainage: When special bilge pumps fail, tin bronze General pumps (open impellers) can be temporarily used to drain bilge water (with low sediment) at 5-10m³/h and 10m head, buying time for repairs.

Emergency fire water supply: Yachts are equipped with naval brass General pumps (flow 2-5m³/h) as backups when fire pumps fail, delivering freshwater to fire hydrants at 0.8MPa to meet initial fire suppression needs.

V. Selection and Maintenance Specifications

1. Key Selection Parameters

Main media: Tin bronze pumps for seawater and media with impurities; naval brass pumps for freshwater and clean oils

Flow requirements: Configure 1.2 times the maximum hourly consumption; e.g., an auxiliary engine consuming 0.5m³/h of oil requires flow ≥0.6m³/h

Installation constraints: Compact models (length ≤0.8m) for narrow spaces; variable impeller models for scenarios with frequent media switching

2. Maintenance Points

Daily inspection: Monitor outlet pressure (fluctuation ≤±0.1MPa), bearing temperature (≤70℃), and seal leakage every 600 hours

Regular maintenance: Clean inlet filters (aperture ≤5mm) every 1500 hours; replace mechanical seals (oil-resistant/water-resistant based on media) every 2000 hours

Media switching maintenance: Flush the flow path with freshwater or kerosene before changing media types (e.g., from oil to water) to avoid mixing contamination

3. Universal Spare Part Management

It is recommended to stock 1 set of vulnerable parts (impellers, seals); tin bronze/brass impellers are compatible with the same pump shaft, reducing the variety of spare parts in inventory

VI. Compliance and Certification

International standards: Complies with ISO 9906 centrifugal pump general performance standards and IMO MSC.328(90) general requirements for ship machinery

Classification society certifications: Passed type approval for General pumps by LR, ABS, and CCS (including multi-media circulation tests)

Applicable specifications: Meets auxiliary system equipment requirements for 100-5000 gross-ton ships, requiring no special design verification