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WORLD PUMPS March 2013
10 Product Focus
EcoVizor – the green pump of tomorrow
For EcoVizor, the journey from
idea to product has not been
an easy one. Despite the
great promise of the technology,
early eff orts at making an indus-
trial model based on the mecha-
nism failed. Progress was
continually set back by issues of
reliability and performance. While
the shape of working compo-
nents has remained mostly
unchanged, the housing, seals
and shafts have made a great
transformation.
Modern EcoVizor is not only
better-looking in design but has
much more characteristics than
prototype models. EcoVizor of
today can be equipped with
heating, cooling, monitoring and
automation systems, double
sealing and many other specifi c
solutions for diff erent industries.
After years of development, fi rst
EcoVizor models were ready to be
put to the test in the real world.
Installations in VKG Resins AS,
processing oil shale and chemi-
cals, took place at 2007. EcoVizor
was tasked with replacing internal
and external gear pumps used in
manufacturing epoxy resin. While
seemingly simple at fi rst, fi nding a
technical solution suitable for the
specifi cs of the production
process turned out to be quite a
challenge for the EcoVizor engi-
neering team.
The diffi culty lied in the variation
of environmental factors
throughout the process – the
In many present applications, longevity and energy effi ciency are much needed but seldom
available. Industries across the world are struggling with downtime and rising cost of energy.
A prototype of modern EcoVizor was born in the end of 1990s in post-soviet Estonia by
Jüri Keikov. EcoVizor of today can be equipped with heating, cooling, monitoring and auto-
mation systems, double sealing and many other specifi c solutions for diff erent industries.
temperatures range from room
temperature to near boiling, and
as various ingredients were added
the pH level and viscosity of the
product changed considerably. In
addition, certain stages of the
process required the pumps to
operate under vacuum conditions.
The initial tests indicated that the
standard design was not quite up
to the task – over time the pumps
would develop occasional small
leaks at the seals, just like the
units the EcoVizor was to replace.
The problem was solved by modi-
fi cation of the seal assembly, and
addition of a separate cooling
system to prevent steam bubbles
from forming at near-boiling
temperatures.
The design improvements turned
into another story of success for
EcoVizor. Not only did the EcoVizor
excel in reliability, it also off ered
energy consumption. In parallel
operation at VKG Resins the EcoV-
izor proved to consume only 38%
of the energy consumed by
internal gear pump, while external
gear pump from manufacturer
consumed 74% of internal gear
pumps consumption.
After early success EcoVizor has
been installed around the world.
Detailed studies from Saint Peters-
burg Vodokanal, which included
operation monitoring and disas-
sembly of EcoVizor fl occulent
pump, show the advantages of
this concept. Remarkable energy
effi ciency was not the only
saving. Comparison with replaced
screw pump indicates reduction
in noise and no signs of wear of
seals, housing or working compo-
nents. Saint Petersburg Vodokanal
calculations show that over fi ve
years, the initial cost of pump,
energy consumption and mainte-
nance is 2.6 times less than total
cost of previously operated screw
pump.
Another example comes from USA.
Everclear Ltd came to EcoVizor
with a simple problem – gear
pumps kept failing at crucial point
prior to production – unloading
used oil and industrial waters from
trucks, requiring regular repairs
that resulted in biweekly shut-
downs, with replacement parts
and labour totalling around
$16,000 per unit in a year.
Switching to EcoVizor solved the
problem – EcoVizor has been
continuously running for more
than a year with no sign of wear,
increasing production capacity and
dropping maintenance costs to
zero.
One of the latest installations is on
a vessel of Gulf Oil Netherlands.
EcoVizor is used to transport bilge
water from the hull of one vessel
to the other. Later the same pump
is reversed to pump this water to
trucks on the pier. Pumping
from fi ve meters below
demonstrates its self-priming and
vacuum capacity.
On a ship with limited space,
compact design with reduced
weight and size is appreciated. Small
size can save a lot of building space
in a structure with dozens of pumps
reducing heating and energy
costs. Compact pumps lead to
smaller motors and thinner wiring.
The pump mechanism comprises
disc-shaped housing (1) with
through hole (2), inner surface of
which (3) has shape of spherical
belt, two shafts (4) positioned at
an angle with respect to each
Prototype model of early EcoVizor pump
WOPU0313_Product focus_EcoVizor 10 28-02-2013 13:27:12
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WORLD PUMPS March 2013
11Product Focus
12
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belongs to axle (9) of cruciform and
journal (8) belongs to axle (10). Two
arc-shaped half-sleeves (11) and (12)
of two articulated joints are located
on the shafts perpendicular to their
axles (one sleeve on each shaft) and
represent doubled pistons of four
chambers of said rotor. Capacity of
chamber in direction of pistons’
movement is limited from the side,
opposed to the piston, by the
surface of second doubled piston
(13) that overlaps the said chamber
in the lateral direction. During the
shafts’ movement, each piston of
the rotary-piston group is moving
along the said chamber of the rotor,
changing its capacity twice per
revolution. Direction of forcing fl uid
through the said hole depends on
the direction of rotation of shafts of
rotary-piston group.
www.ecovizor.com
Installed pump at test facility in Estonia Modern EcoVizor pump
A look into the innovative design
other and directed inwards of said
housing, and rotary-piston group
mounted on shafts and located
within of said through hole. Rotor
(5) carries inside four chambers (6)
and kinematically represents a cruci-
form. Chambers of said rotor are
defi ned by two concave surfaces of
rotating (7) and (8) that kinemati-
cally represent journals of articulated
joints of two axles of cruciform (9)
and (10) with shafts. Journal (7)
WOPU0313_Product focus_EcoVizor 11 28-02-2013 13:27:13
