URACA, one of the leading manufacturers of high-pressure plunger pumps and high-pressure cleaning units in the world, has delivered two pump units to Japan for the conveyance of oil deposits.

Both units are meant for the Japanese state-owned energy group in Negishi and have been ordered by the engineering company UBE also located in Japan.
Especially impressive is the data of the unit: A pump type KD 827 is mounted on a base frame (approx. 9 m by 4 m). The pump alone weighs approximately 18 tonnes, with each of the 3 stuffing boxes, which can be cooled or pre-heated, weighing 1000 kg, says a company spokesman.
The supply of pump cooling is taking on an extra plunger pump type KD716 which is mounted on the unit. The whole unit weighs approximately 45 tonnes and has an installed power of about 350 kW. For an optimal adaptation of the capacity to the respective process parameters, the pump units are equipped with the most up-to-date control engineering. Advantageous in particular have been the experiences of the past 30 years, which were taken into consideration and had been converted in this project, he says.
The pumps are used for the further treatment of oil deposits from refineries, a technique, which gains more and more importance. Oil deposits and heavy oils, which are now and then heavily contaminated with sulphur and heavy metals, had been deposited in the past and partly utilised as asphalt for road construction.
The storing of these deposits, which can’t be processed anymore with the traditional refinery technology, is at the one hand very costly, because it can be stored just as hazardous waste, and at the other hand these deposits are too high-valency for such an ultimate waste disposal from today’s standpoint.
For these reasons, new processes for the utilisation of these substances have been searched for. One possibility to process these till now low-grade products profitably is their gasification. The gas, synthesis gas, won through this process is on the one hand a valuable feedstock for many chemical processes, on the other hand it serves as fuel for gas turbines in power plants to an increasing degree. Both applications are often combined in so-called integrated plants and linked to a refinery. This way they achieve an important contribution for the handling of feedstock and therefore the environmental protection, he says.
Various processes have been developed for the gasification. One thing all processes have in common is the partial oxidation in a reactor. The deposits are transported by high pressure plunger pumps with pressures up to 400 bar and temperatures up to 400°C into the reactor. The combination of high pressure, high temperature and high-solid fluids handled call for a special pump design and specially high demands of material and techniques.
Such machines designed and manufactured by Uraca fulfil these requirements and are employed successfully worldwide.
Its product range includes process and industrial pumps, diaphragm process pumps as well as test pumps. The comprehensive high-pressure water technology includes sewer cleaning pumps, accessories such as spray guns and nozzles, as well as high-pressure pumps and automated systems.
Uraca high pressure and ultra-high pressure plunger pumps are outstanding in their compact design and flexible applications. Based on the industrial process pump design, the pumps are relatively unsusceptible to small particles in the tap water, even at high pressures. Uraca’s high-pressure plunger pumps are used for operating pressures of up to 3,000 bar / 43,500 psi. Uraca’s plunger pumps and units have motor ratings of up to 1,500 kW / 2,000 HP.
Uraca products are used in various fields of industry, particularly in the chemical, petrochemical and heavy industry, he continues.
Uraca’s pumps are used in high-pressure cleaning. For getting optimal results with the high-pressure water jet technique, Uraca develops and sells high-pressure cleaning tools and devices for all kinds of applications.
Uraca has fully automated systems for the hydrodynamic cleaning of individual parts as well as custom-built cleaning systems. Uraca’s hydrodynamic cleaning works on most diverse parts as well as in the internal cleaning of autoclaves, spray towers, tanks and containers.
For cleaning vessels inside, Uraca offers tank-cleaning heads. These tank heads allow economic cleaning of autoclaves and spray towers because they are positioned in a variety of locations.
Uraca Technology Centre offers the advantage of prior cleaning tests defining the parameters of the work piece. Moreover customers can place a job order with Uraca until delivery of the ordered machine.
Due to many years of experience in the development and manufacture of High Pressure Plunger Pumps as well as up-to-date technology and high production quality, Uraca Pumpenfabrik GmbH at Bad Urach grew to a leading company in this market. A further success is the development of the Sewer Cleaning Pump KD716-G. The compact design is an advantage for the installation in sewer cleaning vehicles, particularly as Uraca designed the shaft end as deep as possible for an easy mounting on any chassis. By means of the vertical design the number of mounting variants could be increased.
To improve the effective load of the vehicle, Uraca kept the weight of the pump rather low. A wide power range up to 110 kW ( 150 HP) allows an optimum utilisation.
Uraca pumps with sturdy power ends, all metal-valves, and extremely wear-resistant plungers offer high operational safety and reliability, he says.
Uraca’s production programme includes also high pressure and ultra-high pressure interchangeable assemblies up to 1200 bar (17.400 psi) which allows further applications apart from sewer cleaning. Special designs as well as a wide range of accessories such as valves, spray guns, hoses, lances and special nozzles are also available.
The Uraca production programme not only includes high pressure plunger pumps but also complete high pressure cleaning systems to solve specific cleaning problems, comprising low-noise pump units, cleaning devices and cabins for various application.
This hard-wearing product of the pump specialist from Bad Urach in Swabia brings quality into the area of high-pressure pumps for the medium of water. The P3-10 triplex plunger pump meets virtually all the requirements on the market: cleaning applications such as sewer cleaning, fire extinguishing systems, or pressure testing – the triplex pump satisfies all requirements.
Of special note is its mobile use in vehicles with an oil-hydraulic system. The directly coupled hydraulic motor is flexibly mountable and requires, when the pump is working at full power (38 kW), a swallowing capacity flow of 90 l/min at 275 bar.
The sum of the mentioned qualities reflects the innovation and experience of the market leader and defines the exceptional quality of the most powerful pump in its class. The base and shaft dimensions of the P3-10 make retrofitting Uraca’s “smallest” attractive for many applications, he says.
Pump, unit, spray guns and accessories mean a full range from one source. Proven Uraca quality, the best service as well as real value for money make the unit and pump the customer’s number one choice.  Whether as a retrofit or as a basic unit, this pump will be a positive addition to any system.
The tried and tested series of JetPower high pressure cleaning units is being expanded to include a higher power class. A completely new pump concept provides for a very compact design with extremely high power density. With dimensions of only 3,700 by 1,700 by 2,000 mm this high-power cleaning unit can also be used in a stationary position in cramped conditions, such as in tunnels or at dry docks. For mobile operations installation in containers is just as possible as transportation on truck platforms, railway wagons or on its own chassis.
In order to achieve this high specific power density the high pressure pump is connected to a 480 kW (645 HP) diesel engine. The JetPower 480 high pressure cleaning units are available at different pressure levels. These range from flow rates of 933 l/min (246.5 USgpm) at a pressure of 225 bar (3,260 psi) to 68 l/min (18 USgpm) up to a pressure of 2,800 bar (40,600 psi). At the same time the pump can in effect be operated in a range from virtually pressureless up to the respective maximum pressure. The horizontally mounted P4-70 high-pressure pump used here can be adapted to changing requirements beyond the initially selected power range in a great pressure range by means of easily mountable changing kits. The high pressure pump with its 4-plunger concept is a novelty in pump construction. The 5-plunger version of the same pump series increases the power range up to 600 kW (800 HP). Thus the power spectrum of the high pressure pumps with integrated gearbox has been greatly expanded.
A crucial advantage is provided by the variable connecting possibilities for a whole variety of tools. This means that all available spray guns, spray lances, dump guns and surface cleaning devices, as well as demolition robots or even tank cleaning heads, can be operated trouble-free by JetPower units. With specially matched cleaning accessories special jobs in building modernisation, paint-stripping, derusting, floor cleaning or even heat exchanger cleaning and cleaning the interior of vessels can be simply and economically carried out.
Adaptation of the high pressure cleaning unit to the respective operating conditions and to the tools used is performed by means of the JetPower Control System. All control and monitoring functions are entered in the menu-guided operating panel and shown in a clear text display – also in different languages. The control system is virtually self-explanatory and allows for the safe handling of these universally usable high pressure cleaning units even after the briefest of training times.
Like in the smaller, mobile JetPower units in the 125 kW (170 HP) and 180 KW (240 HP) power classes, the innovative, diaphragm-controlled safety and working valves for the central switching functions are also used in the 480 kW (645HP) power class. Via the electronic control system the overload cut-out of the working valve is automatically adapted to the selected operating pressure. This means that in the event of overload, example wrongly selected nozzles, there will only be slight pressure increases and stresses to the system. In addition, expensive bursting disks are no longer required. A further operating advantage is that this control is identical in all the JetPower variants – from 125 to 600 kW (170 – 800 HP) so that common operating processes make the work a lot easier and safer.