Pump Heating: Thermal Oil Jacket or Electric Heating

Pump Notes · engineering notes from Vimpo Pump

A pump sees the viscosity at the moment it starts. A cold casing makes a cold film of bitumen on the gears: the start is hard and the current peak is high. Heating keeps the pump at working temperature before the product arrives.

Code T — thermal oil jacket

A jacket on the casing and the cover. The thermal oil loop of the plant flows through it and keeps the pump at process temperature. It is the correct choice when the plant already has a thermal oil heater.

Code E — electric heating

Electric heating cartridges with a thermostat and a PT100 sensor. There is no oil loop, only a cable. It is the correct choice for mobile units, small plants and pumps far from the heater.

Which series has which

• VH: thermal oil jacket (T) standard on the full series; steam jacket and unheated casing as options.
• VN: thermal oil jacket (T) standard; electric heating (E) as option.
• VD: unheated casing standard; thermal oil jacket (T) as option.
• VDK: thermal oil jacket (T) as option; standard on VDK-100. Electric heating (E) as option on VDK-80.
• VF: unheated casing standard; T or E as option.

All these series operate at max. 230 °C.

Good practice with bitumen

• For bitumen, PMB and oxidised bitumen at 140 – 200 °C, the T jacket is essential. Insulate the pump and the lines.
• Do not start the pump before the jacket is at working temperature.
• Heat the suction line. Keep the pump full between cycles.
• For bitumen emulsion at 20 – 60 °C, use an unheated pump with frost protection only.

A heated pump keeps itself warm. It does not heat the product in the tank. Tell us the heat source on your site, and we specify T or E.

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