Peristaltic Pumps

Pumps ·

Peristaltic pumps move fluid by progressively squeezing a flexible tube or hose between rollers or shoes and a circular track. The fluid travels inside the tube and never contacts any mechanical components — making peristaltic pumps the cleanest, most contamination-free pumping solution available, and the standard choice in pharmaceutical, biomedical and food processing applications.

History

The mechanical application of peristalsis — progressive squeezing of a tube to advance its contents — was first described as a pump mechanism in France during the 1880s by teams working on early automotive engineering problems. The modern roller-type peristaltic pump in its current form was independently developed in the United States and patented in the 1930s. The decisive commercial breakthrough came in 1956 when Watson-Marlow Ltd. of Falmouth, Cornwall, England introduced the first purpose-built industrial peristaltic pump for the pharmaceutical and food industries — markets where the fundamental requirement that the fluid must never contact any metal pump component made every existing pump type unsuitable, and where the peristaltic principle offered an immediately compelling solution.

Operating Principle

A rotor with two or more rollers (or shoes) compresses a flexible tube against the inside of a circular housing. As the rotor turns, each roller progressively squeezes the tube, pushing the captured fluid slug forward toward the discharge. Behind each roller the tube recovers its circular cross-section, creating a negative pressure that draws in fresh fluid. The fluid is completely isolated inside the tube throughout the entire pumping cycle.

Tube and Hose Configurations

  • Tube pump (lab peristaltic): Small-diameter silicone or PharMed tubing; flow rates from microlitres to a few litres per minute; for laboratory, pharmaceutical and medical applications
  • Hose pump (industrial): Heavy-duty reinforced rubber hose; flow rates up to 80 m³/h; for mining slurries, sludge, abrasive and corrosive fluids
  • Multi-channel tube pump: Multiple tubes on one rotor head — simultaneous dispensing of several fluids at matched or independent rates

Key Technical Parameters

  • Flow rate (Q): 0.00001 to 80 m³/h — widest range of any single pump principle
  • Discharge pressure: Up to 16 bar for industrial hose pumps
  • Suction lift: Up to 9.5 m — self-priming
  • Speed: 0.1 to 200 RPM; flow rate is directly proportional to speed — linear over the full range
  • Hose / tube life: Typically 500 to 2,000 hours for hose pumps; 500 to 5,000 hours for tube pumps depending on fluid, speed and pressure

Applications

  • Blood and plasma transfer — no contact with pump parts prevents contamination and cell damage
  • Pharmaceutical and bioprocessing — sterile fluid transfer without risk of cross-contamination
  • Food and beverage — dosing of flavourings, sauces, cream and delicate products
  • Chemical dosing of water treatment reagents — chlorine, flocculants, pH adjustment chemicals
  • Mining slurry transfer — tailings, cement and abrasive mineral slurries
  • Abrasive and corrosive fluid transfer — fluid contacts only the tube, not the pump body
  • Laboratory dispensing and chromatography — precise microliter to millilitre metering

Advantages

  • Zero fluid contamination — fluid contacts only the tube material
  • Can run dry indefinitely — no damage without fluid present
  • Fully reversible — simply reverse motor direction to change flow direction
  • Self-priming to 9.5 m suction lift
  • Linear relationship between speed and flow — ideal for metering with a VFD
  • Only wear item is the tube or hose — simple, low-cost replacement; no dismantling of pump body
  • Suitable for ATEX zones with appropriate motor protection

Limitations

  • Tube and hose fatigue limits pressure capability and service life
  • Pulsating flow — particularly at low speed or with two-roller heads; three-roller heads reduce pulsation
  • Flow rate accuracy is affected by back-pressure (hose slip) — calibration under actual operating conditions is important
  • Maximum temperature limited by tube material: typically +80 °C for standard silicone, +140 °C for special grades
  • Not suitable for fluids that chemically attack the tube material

Selection Criteria

  • Select tube or hose material for chemical compatibility: silicone for pharmaceutical water, Marprene or PharMed BTP for aggressive chemicals, natural rubber for abrasive slurries
  • Choose roller count: two rollers for high pressure and lower pulsation at higher speed; three rollers for smoother low-speed flow
  • Match hose bore to required flow rate and acceptable pulsation level — larger bore gives higher flow per revolution
  • Verify discharge pressure against maximum hose pressure rating — over-pressure causes premature hose failure
  • Use a VFD for accurate flow control and remote adjustment of dose rate
  • Install hose failure detection (pressure or vacuum switch) to prevent downstream flooding in the event of hose burst

Top 10 Manufacturers

  • 1. Watson-Marlow / Spirax Sarco Group (UK) — ~22% global market share; founding manufacturer and global market leader
  • 2. Cole-Parmer / Masterflex (USA) — ~14%; laboratory and analytical peristaltic pumps
  • 3. Verder Group (Netherlands) — ~11%; industrial hose pumps for mining and chemical applications
  • 4. IDEX Health and Science (USA) — ~8%; precision laboratory and medical peristaltic
  • 5. ProMinent GmbH (Germany) — ~7%; peristaltic dosing pumps for water treatment
  • 6. Flowrox Oy (Finland) — ~6%; heavy-duty hose pumps for mining and minerals processing
  • 7. Graco Inc. (USA) — ~6%; industrial hose pumps for construction and municipal sewer
  • 8. Gilson Inc. (USA) — ~5%; laboratory fraction collectors and peristaltic dispensers
  • 9. Seko SpA (Italy) — ~5%; compact peristaltic pumps for water treatment and food
  • 10. Heidolph Instruments GmbH (Germany) — ~4%; precision lab peristaltic for analytical chemistry