Bio

Chad Wunderlich is a Distributor Development Manager with Viking Pump® with more than 20 years of industry knowledge regarding pump technology. His accomplishments include more than 2,000 Pump School graduates, trainings in 15 countries, and a patent to his name. LinkedIn >>

barge

Viking Pumps load vacuum gas oil onto barge in cold water environment

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An Engineering firm recently purchased three large internal gear pumps through a local distributor in northern Illinois. In this case, the pumps were intended to be a prime mover for loading their customer’s product—vacuum gas oil (VGO)—onto a transport barge. Traditional pumping technology, i.e., centrifugal pumps, was not a viable option, as pump performance tends to vary based on product viscosity changes.  Since pump operations were scheduled for during the middle of winter, VGO viscosity was sure to increase with dropping temperatures, making it harder to pump.

vintage photo of engineering review hand-drawn blueprints

Revolutionary to Evolutionary: A brief history of the Viking Pump® internal gear pump

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In the early 20th century industrial innovation was accelerating. And as Henry Ford developed his Model T and the Wright Brothers were unlocking the secrets to manned flight, a Danish immigrant named Jens Nielsen was working on an invention of his own. Nielsen’s internal gear pump was intended to be used to lift water from his quarry but soon others found uses for his pump and the Viking Pump® company was formed.

This is NOT a lobe pump

Circumferential Piston Pumps Are NOT Lobe Pumps

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Viking Pump invented the internal gear pump in the early 20th century; but did you know that we carry various other pump technologies? Most of them are easily identifiable based on their shape. But one common mistake… read more.

 

Viking Pump invented the internal gear pump in the early 20th century; but did you know that we carry various other pump technologies? Most of them are easily identifiable based on their shape. But one common mistake that we see is confusing a lobe pump and a circumferential piston pump. So what exactly are the differences and advantages of circumferential piston pump technology (CPP)? 

spanner wrenches

7 Essential Tools for Pump Repair

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Like any job, you need the proper tools to do it well – and the same is true for repairing or servicing positive displacement gear pumps. Below are helpful hand tools that Viking's pump experts recommend having ready for… read more.

testing of a pump in viking pump lab

5 Reasons to NOT Settle for Imitators 

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Having a great product, with a great reputation, and being a technology inventor like Viking Pump®, positions you as a market leader with high visibility. As such, other internal gear pump manufacturers naturally want to follow in your footsteps. While that is a huge compliment, it also causes confusion among internal gear pump buyers.

In this article we'll walk through 5 reasons you'll want to stick with genuine Viking Pump parts and products, saving you time, money, and a headache. 

Flanged port

7 Things You Want to Know about Flanged Ports, but are Too Afraid to Ask

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Flange standards used on Viking pumps have been in place for over a century so EVERYONE should be experts on this now…right? It turns out not so much. There are various standards and various design differences in each standard. AND the standards have evolved over the years, leading some to use obsolete terms which only compounds the confusion. The following should help clear up some of this confusion as well as give you a resource to help answer questions for others.

Damaged Rotor close up

PUMP CAVITATION: THE SYMPTOMS, CAUSE, DIAGNOSIS, AND CURE

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Customers don’t ask me to listen to quiet pumps. This is symptom #1 of a cavitating pump. The pump is loud. Descriptors like “growly”, “rumbling”, or “gravelly” are used to describe the atypically loud sound coming from the pump.

“Does it always sound like this?” I ask.

“No, it was fine in the fall, but it’s been loud all winter.”

Relief Valves blog thumbnail

Relief Valves: The ever-vigilant heroes

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Millions of homes around the world are fitted with water heating devices such as boilers or water supply heaters. Should they overheat, pressures can rise internally until the tank ruptures. Though extremely rare, this does happen and can even propel a water heater like a rocket through the floor and roof of a dwelling. So how can we sleep peacefully each night with the knowledge that a potential catastrophe lurks in the basement?

Viking pump strainers

Low-Cost Insurance Policy: how a strainer will save you time and money

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It’s typically impossible to see inside pipes and tanks.

Industrial pipes are usually steel or stainless. Even the occasionally used PVC is typically opaque.

But on the day of this customer visit, they had a sight glass placed in a horizontal run of pipe which permitted a peek inside. Normally this glass was used to inspect the color and clarity of the product flowing by. But today the customer and myself were fixated on...