Pumps for Ferric Chloride (FeCl3)
Why ferric chloride is hard on pumps
Ferric chloride is one of the most corrosive chemicals a treatment plant handles routinely, and it is handled routinely, which is the trap. As a coagulant it is everywhere in water and wastewater treatment, dosed daily by operations staff, not chemists. Its chloride content pits stainless steels quickly, and even high alloys are marginal in continuous service. Commercial solutions can carry solids and impurities that add abrasion to the corrosion. It also stains everything it touches, so a small chronic leak announces itself across the chemical feed room.
Approaches that get specified
Ferric chloride service belongs to nonmetallic equipment. Engineered thermoplastic pumps handle transfer from bulk storage and day tanks with no metal in the wetted path, and sealless or magnetically driven configurations remove the seal leak path that ferric finds reliably. For coagulant feed, digital dosing pumps hold accuracy across the wide turndown that jar testing and seasonal load swings demand, and peristaltic designs isolate the fluid entirely in a tube. Thermoplastic valves and piping, with double containment where required, complete a feed system that shrugs off drips and washdown.
How RE Merrill confirms the selection
Ferric chloride selections still depend on concentration, temperature, and what else is in the stream, so we confirm wetted materials against curated compatibility data and factory guidance before we quote. Send the duty: concentration, temperature, flow, head, and whether the service is bulk transfer, day tank supply, or metered feed, and we return a confirmed selection.
Related lines
Related reading
- Thermoplastic Pumps for Wastewater Treatment: Why Plants Are Switching
- Thermoplastic Pump Materials Guide: PVC, CPVC, PP, PVDF, ECTFE, and PTFE Compared
- The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Chemical Pump